Why should I want to be healthy and fit? When, if ever, have you asked yourself this question? Perhaps it seems an oxymoron to ask why, but given how we live today, I think it is a legitimate question to ask yourself.
Virgil, the Roman poet, is said to have written, “The greatest wealth is your health.” If you doubt the wisdom of this, question yourself about how wonderful it would be to have all the wealth you could ever want but never feel good, always be sick or be unable to experience the joys of life. Some of the richest people I have ever met are healthy but don’t have a lot of material possession. Instead, they have rich lives. One woman I know grins at me as she says that she is poor as a church mouse. She was able to get outside and work in her garden every day, weather permitting. She used to eat very little meat and depended upon the vegetables and fruits she grew to provide most of the food she needed. Until she was in her eighties, she preserved food from her garden which she shared with all who knew her. She still walks every single day, although now she does her walking in a nursing home. She has dementia, but on a good day she is one of the happiest and most satisfied people I’ve ever met.If you do simple, cost effective things to stay healthy, you can feel good today and tomorrow. Unfortunately, by not staying healthy and fit, you can live a life that feels like a nightmare as your health deteriorates. Not only that, health problems can become financial nightmares too. Many bankruptcies are a direct result of health problems and their treatments. Sickness can cause job loss, destroy relationships and create isolation. That usually isn’t a life goal any of us would choose, but it can happen. There are some illnesses over which you have no control; however, there are many others over which you do.
Staying healthy is easier and cheaper than recovering from sickness or injury. One article covering all the ways to stay healthy and fit would be too long. Over the next few months, I’ll cover the best ways I’ve found. They are all doable and inexpensive.Develop Friendships
Too much isolation makes you crazy and unhealthy. That’s not to say that solitude and reflective thinking is a bad thing; it is very good for you. However, cutting yourself off from others isn’t. There are many studies that look at the relationship between social interaction and friendship development. Every study found that people who have strong friend and family ties are both mentally and physically healthier.There are simple explanations for this. When you have people with whom you interact on a regular basis, you are more likely to take care of yourself. You want to be able to get out and visit. Consequently, you eat what makes you feel better, exercise so you are physically able to visit and mentally you are more positive when you anticipate the social interaction.
Other people can re-enforce what you believe or challenge you to look at things differently. I have one friend I have almost nothing in common with. The one thing is we both live on top of a mountain and get snowed in for extensive periods of time during the winter. That started our friendship. We email and call each other in winter to check on each other and make each other laugh. We’ve found that we do have other things in common, and those strengthen our friendship.Humans need each other. We need relationships. John Donne (1572-1631) expressed the importance of developing strong friend and family ties best in his poem “No Man Is an Island”:
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee (1).
Exercise
Exercise is essential to keeping your body working like it is supposed to as well as burning calories from the food you eat. Metabolism is the rate at which you burn calories, and exercise increases metabolism.
Some days it seems like we are being pounded with this message. There are advertisements for the latest, greatest exercise program or machine that tout the immediate and long-lasting benefits of their use. I know people who have bought expensive exercise machines and end up saying that they make a good place to hang up clothes after a hard day at work. It doesn’t do you much good to spend a lot of money for an exercise program or machine you don’t use.
You just need to get up and move. The least expensive way to get your exercise is to just walk. I don’t mean stroll; I mean walk. If you get outside and take a brisk, thirty minute walk every other day, you will be surprised at how much better you feel and how much healthier you become. I have one friend who loves to watch the nightly news. If she doesn’t do her walking, she doesn’t allow herself to watch the news. She makes no allowances for the weather or her mood.One of the best books I’ve read on walking is by Thom Hartmann, who is a mental health therapist. “Walking Your Blues Away” gives detailed reasons why walking is not only good for your physical health but also for your mental health. If you are interested in his book with the detailed walking plan, the Johnson County Public Library can get it for you through interlibrary loan or you can get a used copy online for less than ten dollars.
Other inexpensive ways to get exercise are using two pound weights, developing and doing a simple exercise routine, dancing, or stretching. There are even yoga programs for people in a wheelchair. So there’s really a way for almost everyone to get their exercise.Cleanliness
Washing your hands often is an inexpensive yet vital way to stay healthy. You don’t need antibacterial soap, but just washing your hands with almost any soap will get rid of most germs and viruses. I make a very weak solution of dish detergent and water to keep in pump bottle near each faucet.Keep your hands out of your mouth and nose. First, your hands go to places full of dirt, germs and other icky stuff. You won’t wash your hands every time you touch something so it’s very easy to pick up illness. How often do you rub and touch your nose, ears or lips? Do you even think about where your hands have been? We just don’t think about it too much, but perhaps we should. Colds, flu, measles, and other diseases are most often spread by touching. You don’t have to go as far as carrying antibacterial towelettes with you everywhere, but you need to be aware of where your hands go and wash them as needed.
The human mouth is reported to be dirtier than the mouth of a dog. It’s not true, but the human mouth is full of bacteria. There’s the food you eat. There are enzymes in the mouth that start breaking food down as soon as you start eating something. Let me give you an example. I love Fritos, really love them. But I hate the aftertaste in my mouth. That taste is the enzymes breaking down the corn chips. I have to go rinse out my mouth after eating them to avoid that bad taste. Food left in your mouth breaks down and bacteria forms.The American Dental Association recommends that you brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. The ADA also recommends that you use a toothbrush only three or four months then replace it (3). Doing these three things will go a long way toward getting and keeping a healthy mouth and teeth. I find that just rinsing my mouth out after eating helps keep my mouth and teeth healthy. Using good fluoride toothpaste, flossing and replacing your toothbrush doesn’t cost much but help you stay healthy. Why is all this important? Many seemingly unrelated illnesses like sinusitis, gingivitis, heart disease, and even stroke can be traced back to the mouth.
Bathing is essential. You don’t need to scrub all over every day unless you get really dirty, but you do need to do two things. Bathe at least once or twice a week and wash your vital parts every day. I’m not going to describe those vital parts, just list them: face, underarms, groin area, and feet. All get exposed to bacteria and keeping them clean will increase the likelihood of staying healthy.Weight loss
Here come the commercials again. “This will make you get thin” or “Guaranteed results.” The problems with most weight loss programs are they can be expensive, don’t work or quit working. Can you really afford to pay hundreds of dollars for something that might not work? Have you looked closely at some of those prepared foods or read the labels?After a little research, it appears some of these diet plans aren’t so good for you after all. It is your decision if you enroll in a diet program that includes pre-packaged food. Please note that most of the supplied foods are high in additives, synthetic nutrients, preservatives, trans-fats, and high fructose corn sugar (2).
As said in a previous article, the diabetic diet is probably the best one out there. If you want to lose weight and stay healthy, talk with your doctor and do a little research. For a diet program to work, it has to be tailored to you, easy to follow, healthy, and easy to stay with.Eating three balanced meals and two small yet healthy snacks as well as using portion control can make weight control easier.
You will be healthier and feel better if you are at your appropriate weight. Using programs with proven results help you get to and keep a healthy weight. Additionally, because most proven weight loss programs are no cost or low cost, they help keep your bank account healthy too.Getting and staying both healthy and fit is neither expensive nor difficult to do. You just have to make a commitment to do them. What are you waiting for?
Endnotes:1. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-man-is-an-island/
2. http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/healthy/news/dietdelivery
3. http://www.ada.org/5625.aspx?currentTab=1
© 2011, Katherine Hegemann
