Health and Fitness January, 2024

[Harriet]

How cheerful is this full year of possibilities spreading out in front of us!?!? It's gotta make you smile! Just think of the goals that could be reached, the new healthy habits that could be formed in 3 months... ... 6 months... ... 365 days! Wait... .. even better! There are 366!

Tell us here about your goals, ideas, plans or resolutions for 2024. All tips warmly welcomed!

And be sure to report on your news of 2023 - progress made, proactive health measures taken, milestones reached. And if you had frustrations, this is the place to tell that, too, because we all understand.

We chat here about all aspects of health, with an eye to building strength for the calling of Homemaker. Taking care of ourselves is vital, but it also means a better chance at taking care of those around us. We hope you will join us.

"Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health, and is as friendly to the mind as to the body." - Joseph Addison

“Cheerfulness is the very flower of health.” - Japanese Proverb

"Number one, like yourself.
Number two, you have to eat healthy.
And number three, you've got to squeeze your buns.
That's my formula."
- Richard Simmons

"A healthy attitude is contagious. But don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier." - Tom Stoppard

(I know I'm repeating that quote from Simmons yet again, but hey, when he's right, he's right!)

[Twins' Mom]

LOL at the Richard Simmons quote!

I lost nearly 11 pounds this year. I'm pleased - it's less than I hoped but I know I've developed muscle and I'm stronger and healthier than last 1 January.

I've worked out two days a week this year with the exception of illnesses and trips. And established a walking habit - dMillie has a lot to do with that.

All in all I just need to keep on with what I'm doing. Perhaps a little more consistency in workouts and cleaner eating, but I'm satisfied with where I've been.

[Nancy]

M Walked
Tu. I walked babying my knee just doing the basic to close the ring this week.
Wed. Walked stairs to doing laundry & fetching sewing supplies for a couple of projects.
Thurs. walked
Fri. shopped & walked
Sat. stat bike
Sun Walked

[Harriet]

Twins', that is a fabulous report because it's such a calm one. It's sensible and healthy, with emphasis on consistency.

Here is a tip helpful to me that I wanted to share:

There are validated mathematical models that take into account the dynamic changes that occur when you cut calories, such as the metabolic slowdown, and they’ve been turned into free online calculators you can use to make personalized estimates. For instance, one is the Body Weight Planner from the National Institutes of Health (http://bit.ly/NIHcalculator) and another is the Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Weight Loss Predictor Calculator out of Louisiana State University (http://bit.ly/LSUcalculator).

That first one is super helpful. Specifically, it's from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (so, helpful for HRH with kidney issues but also for everyone). If you click on the “Switch to Expert Mode” button at top right, you can get all kinds of help to plan a personal day-to-day weight-loss or weight-maintain - a graph and exportable chart. In other words, it can predict for you each weight you can expect to hit on the days of your journey to one that's lower, so you will always have a feel for whether you are on target. Estimates how much various activities/exercise can affect it, too.

As ya'll know, I have a wedding in my future. 5 months and a few days. It is casual and not a big crowd, but I'd like to be a little smaller/lighter by then, and fitter with more energy to stand up to a very long day. So, I've been interested in tips like that one. How easy, you know, for Daddies of the Bride to look good in dark suit, but how different for a Mama of the Bride who has to wear a dress in a wedding-party color. The murmurings seem to suggest I'll be asked to wear a spring green, which is not a forgiving choice, but I will absolutely not say a word about it, just smile. I hope to weigh less, but more important to nip the waist somewhat so that I'll have more choices picking a dress. Hopeful!

[Harriet]

Something interesting:
For 5 years now, The Well Newsletter by the New York Times has done a wellness challenge at the first of the year. This year it's a 6-day More-Energy challenge with little tips that take very little time but are PROVEN increase your energy. They found that all their staff agreed that this was one thing they all needed.

Here's the initial article about this year's 6-day Energy Challenge, but it's limited.

We only know the first two tips so far - they are like surprises for 6 days, but the 6th will be a recap. People who sign up can get each one in their email, but the Newsletter will publish the whole thing later.

Day 1 tip is an "Oasis Moment", to take 5 minutes in the day to stop and relax. “Find a place, and go there every day so you can ritualize it.” One person goes to their daughter's room, another to an office supply closet. You just rest for 5 minutes - not necessarily lie down - and rest your mind, too, not trying to solve problems, play music if you want. This is from Dr. Sue Varma, psychiatrist at New York University

Day 2 tip is sort of exercise. "for 3 minutes, you imitate a different sport for 30 seconds each — boxing, tennis, basketball, yoga, et cetera. It raises your heart rate and can make you feel energetic, even if you don’t want to move when you’re tired." Also, you can specifically pantomime particular sports heroes, if you like, whether ballet or sumo, whatever. This one seems to be a lot of fun, lots of laughter with family, etc. There's evidence for sudden spurts of activity like this resulting in more energy afterward. It's from Dr. Kelly McGonagall, exercise physiologist at Stanford.

[blessedw2]

thank you for the health and fitness d harriet!
the fact that I looked at it and I put it into action today makes a difference.

[Nancy]

Mon. I have walked ddoggo got my steps in, Did some dancing in the dining room to shake it up a bit too.
Tues. Walked got 10,000+ steps. Mopping sweeping vacuuming & walk.
Wed. Walked other knee is complaining but the walk helped it so limbering up is good. Got my steps in today snow was gone by the time we walked.

[Harriet]

Nancy, it's been a while since I did Zumba, but I was thinking that would be fun to do some again. A little dancing is upbeat for mood and upbeat for coordination/rhythm, lol.

blessed, happy something was helpful or interesting.

Little ounces by ounces movement on the scales downward. From the time before Christmas, just a pound down. From the actual Christmas eating, more than that, but I can't very well count from then! Wouldn't just a pound or two a month be nice until wedding - would feel successful and maybe happier in a dress or nice dressy pantsuit. Probably the pantsuit - my legs would look fine in wintery tights, but this will be summer and it's hard to camouflage spider veins, even with lightweight hose. Some people put makeup on legs, but I can't even think how that would work, so I'm thinking dressy light-colored pants.

Disappointed in having a backache for a while. I think I'm better. One evening I think I went too far into some difficult exercise asking for too much stamina, which I might have gotten away with except.. ... The next morning, I did some of the most demanding housework, reaching way out to clean bathtub on my knees, then standing, then knees, etc. Didn't realize that taken together it was hurting me.

[Nancy]

My ankle popped last night stuff works together doesn't it?

Harriet I've wanted to do zumba but my knee lately has not been up to it.

Considering other options this week with cold snap here tomorrow

X stat bike
0 gazelle
X house work vacuuming mopping
X stretching
X stairs to basement doing laundry
X Snow removal

[Harriet]

Getting to 10,000 steps is amazing to me, Nancy. I don't get there, believe me.

There will be 4 one-hour webinars from NutritonFacts.org as a sort of "book club" to go through Dr. Greger's How Not to Age and it only requires a donation of $5 to offset costs, so I think I'll do it. Starts Jan26 and then at one-week intervals to give time to at least skim the quarter of the book. No way will I ever be seen on-screen since there will be so many, but I'm setting the little camera back onto the computer screen anyway to actually do the zoom thing and be ready for other times. Even if I don't manage much attention to these, it will be fine to donate a small amount anyway, and help others learn it.

Again, the single most helpful food for me in losing little bits of weight is sweet potato. Makes you feel like you ate a lot. Lately, I have just grabbed the microwavable bags of about 6 or 7 small ones. I make about 3 meals out of this, eating a few and putting the bag in the fridge for the next day.

When I have a small supper, I have an herbal (lots of herbs) tea and put a little almond creamer in it and that helps satisfy me. I'm wondering if it is because the aroma is so full and interesting that I have the impression of having lots of good things for supper, lol. The creamer has calories, but I don't think it's really worth worrying about.

Having a big salad each day that I don't have a smoothie. I think having both in one day might be a bit too much greens for my system.