It’s a new day and we are making health and fitness our priority.
This is what we are all about here at lunasah.com. Now that we are over 50 – some of us well over 50 – we are more concerned about functional fitness.
This infographic shows us clearly the benefits of staying active as time goes by. We get advice on how to:
- Be active
- Sit less
- Build strength
- Improve balance
‘Something is better than nothing. Start small and build up gradually: just 10 minutes at a time provides benefit. Make a start today: it’s never too late!’
True, but where to begin?
What’s the Story?
Should we avoid the sun to avoid skin cancer?
Should we soak up the sun to get some vitamin D?
We are what we eat – yes, but what should we eat?
We have been given so much advice over the years, much of it conflicting and even inaccurate – for various reasons. We feel like throwing up our hands and saying, ‘Forget it! I’m going to live on cake and crisps/chips for the rest of my life.’
But wait! One of the many advantages of retirement is that there is now time to do some research and find out the real answers.
Real Research
There are lots of studies being done now which give us the real truth. And now that we are genius at using the internet we can find the real answers based on real research.
In her film called, ‘Processed Food Documentary: Processed Food vs. Nutritional Needs’, Dr Maya Adam MD discusses the food we eat today and how our eating habits have changed over the past sixty years;
“Maya Adam, MD, is waging a battle cry against one of America’s most critical – and challenging – public health crises of our generation: childhood obesity. A lecturer at Stanford School of Medicine and in Stanford University’s human biology program, she is leading the cause through education.”
Dr Adam interviews Michael Pollan who is a professor of journalism at UC Berkeley. His famous quote is, ‘eat food, not too much, mostly plants’. Everything we need to know in just seven words!
In this film Dr Adam talks about the problem of sugar but also emphasises the importance of ‘moderation and balance in our diet as a whole.’ This is quite a detailed film with lots of useful, interesting and accurate information. It may be worthwhile to come back to this page to watch all of it.
Sugar
For so long sugar was just a harmless treat. Fat was the real culprit. Professor John Yudkin wrote a book about the dangers of sugar called ‘Pure, White and Deadly’ which was ignored.
Now it turns out he was right all along and we have spent 40 years listening to the wrong advice and starting an obesity epidemic. The Food Pyramid which we were constantly taught about was upside down!
We don’t have to believe advertising slogans any more. There are so many statements that have been repeated so often that we start to accept them as fact.
Are any of them true?
- Fasting causes muscle loss.
- We should eat 3 meals and 2 snacks every day.
- Fasting causes our metabolism to slow down.
- Eating fat makes us fat.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
- Sitting is the new smoking.
We could go on and on – and we will.
All our Menu titles give clues as to what we are about.
What’s the story about food and nutrition?
In Food for Life we are collecting real research-based information about healthy eating and nutrition.
For example, in 2016, a Japanese scientist, Yoshinori Ohsumi, won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research into autophagy. Let’s find out about that.
This video gives us so good advice about the benefits of walking. Unfortunately, he should have been clear that when he says ‘diabetes’ he means Type 2 Diabetes because as we know Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease.
What’s the Story About Staying Active?
In Fit for Life we are finding out about the real benefits of exercise, functional fitness and staying active. We need information about how exercise helps our mental as well as our physical health.
What’s the story about organising?
In kitchen and Home we need to think about downsizing and decluttering. With a bit of planning and organisation we can make it a benefit and not a burden.
What’s the story about Lifestyle?
Lifestlye is about anything that we are concerned about and interested in;
- fair fashion and landfill,
- good habits,
- staying involved in our community and church,
- giving back and making a difference, Mary’s Meals,
- arts and crafts, making pillowcase dresses to donate.
We can also include any article or story on any subject that we happen to find interesting. I found a P.G. Wodehouse article recently that did actually make me cry with laughter.
Perhaps it’s time to stop watching all the bad news on the news channels and practise gratitude, starting with being grateful that we are living in the 21st century. This infographic reminds us of some of the things we have to be grateful for.
This article tells us more about it.
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