Eat fresh, seasonal and if possible local

Friday morning my husband and I snuck in one more morning of Raspberry picking with the grandchildren. The littles weren't really focused this time, and just kept reaching in my bucket to grab handfuls of pink and red raspberry's. When we were paying for the berries we had to have them add a bit extra because these littles had eaten a TON of fresh berries. Then this afternoon a neighbor invited us to pick an apple off their tree when we were out walking the dog. We just finished dinner which included fresh tomatoes from our daughter's garden and pickles we made with the grands last week. There is nothing like enjoying what is fresh and locally grown where you live. And it can bless your health in so many ways.

FOOD IS MORE FRESH AND TASTY
    The closer to harvest a fruit or vegetable is, the more potent its taste will be. I'm sure you've noticed that while Costco offers beautiful looking strawberries pretty much year round, most of the time they taste pretty bland. That same strawberry is also more dense with nutrients within the first hours and days of picking than when it is packed, cooled, shipped, unpacked, and set on the shelf of your local grocery store several days or even weeks later.
    Both the quality of taste and nutrient density are higher when your fruits and veggies are more recently harvested. Both drop drastically after just a few days out of the ground, off the vine, or off of the tree.
    So if you’re eating foods that have to travel long distances from another ecosystem because they can’t be grown locally during a particular season, the food won’t taste as good or have the same nutritional value.

BETTER FOR YOUR HEALTH
    Not only is your food more full of nutrients when it’s fresher, but when you’re eating seasonally your digestion will be healthier.
Think of it this way: Mother Earth knows what’s up. In the summer, the foods that thrive are a little sweeter and full of water. Makes sense, right? Summer is hot and your body needs natural ways to cool off.
In autumn, when the weather starts to turn cold, you start to see slightly more dense foods growing, like apples and pears and butternut squash. This is helping your body adjust to the cooler temperatures, while also giving you food that is slightly heavier to help you fortify for winter.
    In the winter, not much grows but lots of food can be stored in cold cellars. What does grow is fairly hearty, like winter squash, potatoes, winter greens, and root vegetables. These will help you feel fuller, faster so you can make it through winter, while also warming you because they are more dense.
    In the spring, you’ll start to see lots of greens — especially bitter greens, which will help your body lighten it’s winter load so to speak.

PRODUCE ISN’T COVERED IN WAX OR PRESERVATIVES
    This is a small thing, but I think it matters. I don’t really like the idea of consuming wax on apples or peppers. In order to keep these fresh, lots of larger grocery chains will coat their produce with wax or another type of preservative so the food stays fresher. Or has the appearance of being fresher.

SUPPORTS THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY
    Seasonal eating doesn’t mean you have to eat locally, but it’s a lot easier to eat seasonally if you’re frequenting local farmer’s markets. Small farmers are really what we need more of, as opposed to the big commercial farms. This is for a few reasons.
    First, it’s better for the soil. While large scale farms often grow one or 2 things all year long, small farms grow their food seasonally in the same fields, which  means the soil stays healthy because they’re rotating their crops. Even if this isn’t 100% the case, it’s still better for the soil because they’re usually not growing the exact same crop year round because they can’t. So the soil gets a break.
    Second, small farmers generally have better practices for the environment. Again, this isn’t always true but it frequently is. And many are organic, even if they can’t use the term “organic” on their produce. This is mostly because it’s super expensive to get certified organic and many small farms can’t afford this.
    Third, I’d rather invest locally and keep money circulating within my community.

FOOD DIVERSITY
    This is simply the idea that if you’re paying more attention to what’s in season, you’re likely to eat a more diverse diet of foods instead of just eating the same things year round. Again, this is way better for your health and digestion. Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables blesses the biodiversity of your gut microbiome which can be essential in maintaining your immune system.

MAKES YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE SEASONS AND THE FOODS THEY PROVIDE

I can’t wait for strawberry season because I know how delicious strawberries will be when they’re ripe and fresh. And is there anything better than homegrown fresh tomatoes? Let's all work this week to really enjoy those plant foods that are fresh, seasonal and if possible local.

And so what is our challenge for the week?

#1 Make an effort if possible to attend a local farmer's market (so sad- I've heard some of yours have already ended due to cold weather) or produce stand or ask neighbors with gardens and fruit trees if they can share some produce with you. (If this just isn't possible for you just skip this requirement)

2. Each day eat at least one fruit or vegetable that is in season for October. If possible choose different ones each day.

3. For every day you eat a fruit or vegetable in season you can claim the daily 5 bonus points 

Stretch it out!

 

Stretch It Out

 Although Jason Kravitz's quote “Be infinitely flexible and constantly amazed” probably refers to our mental focus, flexibility is vital to our physical health as well.  

Our bodies were designed to be walking, bending, reaching and stretching and it's amazing as you grow older how stiff you can get when on a long road trip or even sitting through a long movie. 

I know you have just re-started completing your daily exercise hour but this week I would also like you to stretch for at least 10 minutes per day. You can include this as part of your daily exercise minutes or do it in addition to your minutes but begin to include daily stretching in your physical routine. For every day that you stretch at least 10 minutes you can claim 5 bonus points. And yes you can stretch on Sunday too (think spiritual thoughts!) - for a total of 35 possible bonus points.

If you have been inactive for any length of time, chances are you have lost a percentage of the range of motion associated with your joints. This range of motion is commonly referred to as flexibility.

How We Lose Flexibility

As we age, flexibility diminishes within the joints through lack of stretching and physical activity. . 

Benefits

Stretching is a physical activity that elongates connective tissues, muscles and other tissues. The benefits associated with stretching include:

Reducing muscle tension and relaxing the body

Improved coordination and freer movement of body and limbs

Increased range of motion in the associated joints

Prepare the body for physical activity

Preventing injuries from tight muscles during physical activity

Creating a mind body connection

Promoting circulation

Reduce the risk of back problems

Reduce muscle soreness after exercise

Ten tips on how to stretch

1. Do everything slowly.

2. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds prior to exercise (warm-up) and for at least 30 seconds post exercise (cool-down).

3. Breathe normally and relax while holding the stretch to the point of pain.

4. NEVER, EVER do any bouncy stretching, always hold and relax.

5. Focus on the muscle you are trying to stretch and then try to lengthen it.

6. If a particular muscle group is tight, then stretch it in stages. Stretch as far as you can, then relax it and stretch again. This is most important during cool-down.

7. Move slowly out of the stretch.

8. Remember to stretch both sides of the body.

9. Increasing the range of movement around a joint will help the blood flow to the muscles surrounding the joint and increase circulation that will carry away any lactic acids that may build up in the muscle.

10. Do more stretching in addition to just warming-up and cooling-down. As we get older our muscles shorten naturally, and it is vital for everyone that stretching becomes part of your normal everyday life. Gyms that offer stretch-classes or Yoga, where the aim is to permanently and progressively increase your flexibility are well worth considering if time and money allows.

And just a heads up- next week's challenge will feature eating fresh, local, in-season produce. It would be wonderful if you have the opportunity to attend a farmer's market or local produce stand so pencil that into your schedule if possible. 

Let's Get Geared Up!

 

Sandee's Healthy Living 

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 9, 2022

Let's Get Geared Up! 

 

As summer winds down and school begins again, we are naturally led to thoughts of goal setting and fresh starts. You may have found that over the fun and busyness of summer you lost focus on care-taking your personal health.  It's time to make yourself a priority again. Good health habits can increase your energy, lead to clear thinking and enhance your ability to better accomplish other goals you have set for yourself this year.

So as we begin together again let’s spend this first week preparing and focusing on what we will accomplish together. To earn our weekly bonus points for the week (5 points per day for a total of 35 points) you need to:

1. If you have not already done so join myfitnesspal.com and begin journaling your daily food and water intake and exercise. This is a tool I hope you will continue to use long after we have completed this competition. 

2. Contact your partner and communicate about how you will support and help each other through this competition. If you live nearby you might want to exercise together. You can encourage each other with texts, e-mails and phone calls. You can review each other’s food journals and share recipes and ideas. Make a plan of what you will do to aid one another in prioritizing your health habits. 

3. Print up and use the daily sheet (I’ve e-mailed it to you)  if you need it to keep track of your efforts (you won't be turning in this sheet but may use it to keep track for when you do report on our google spread sheet)

4. Stock Your Kitchen with Healthy Foods

A first step in eating right is getting prepared. Go through your fridge and pantry and toss the super-unhealthy stuff you want to eat less of. Then, get ready to cook up healthy meals by stocking your pantry with fresh healthy-cooking essentials.

5. Hide Tempting Foods

One study found that keeping unhealthy food hidden can help you eat less of it: when secretaries were given candies in clear dishes to place on their desktops, they helped themselves to candy 71 percent more often than a similar group that was given the same candy in opaque dishes so that the candy wasn't visible. At home, stash tempting treats inside a cabinet where you can't see them-or better yet, get rid of them altogether and keep the apples-and other healthy eats-out on the counter. 

6. Plan Your Exercise and get equipped

If you wait for the mood to strike or for a lull in your day, you might not get in an optimal amount of exercise so make a plan ahead of time. If you like to exercise at the gym renew your membership if needed and check the schedule of classes. Plan now for what ones you plan to attend. If you prefer to exercise out of the gym start thinking about what is available as far as biking, running, skating etc. Begin to formulate your plan,

7. Spiff up your equipment Do you have what you need? A good water bottle that has markings to track your intake, measuring spoons and cups and a good food scale, exercise bands, good quality walking/running shoes (Did you know athletic shoes are only made to last 350-500 miles? They often still LOOK great but the cushioning is shot and they are no longer safeguarding your feet and joints) swim goggles that don’t leak, work out bands, floor pad etc. I’m not going to REQUIRE you to purchase anything but good equipment can inspire effective work outs so take an inventory of what you might need.  One of my favorite tools is my personal scale that measures not only weight but percentage of body fat. 

8. Weigh yourself and take your measurements. We track just waist and hips measurements for this competition but you might want to take them all just to help track progress. Note: You don't turn these into anyone. Just jot them down and keep them in a safe place. 

9. Read or re-read the RULES and FAQ's tabs on this blog just to make sure you remember all the tools to help you in prioritizing your health. 

OK ladies let’s get geared up. You can earn your 35 weekly bonus points this week by looking at the list above and taking care of what you need to be totally focused on 8 weeks of healthy living