Scientists are saying 72 is the new 30. I have personally seen this flash across the television screen in the past few weeks. How do you feel about that?
If you’re 50, or 60, or 72 – do you feel 30 years young?
As we celebrate Natural Nutrition Month, one thing we know is that nutrition can help keep us young.
As we used in our analogy yesterday, if you have a high performance engine you want to keep in tip-top shape, are you going to put junk in and expect it to run well?
Is this the difference between Real Food and Processed Food?
I like to think our bodies are ultimately more essential to life (at least our own) than an automobile engine – of any kind. With that in mind, we have to feed our bodies well.
One thing that has been proven to age us, including causing many diseases associated with aging, is our weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is one thing we know that can keep us both young and healthy.
And, today, what we eat will most likely be reflected in what we weigh.
So whether it is 5 pounds, or 50 pounds, slimming down is not only for vanity purposes. It could be the most important decision of your life.
When you’re carrying around extra weight, chances are you have aches and pains that you could get rid of, and your energy levels are usually not at peak levels. Your body is under more stress when it’s not at a healthy weight.
Throughout America, waistbands have been expanding for more than 20 years. 69% of Americans are either overweight or obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Being overweight or obese puts you at a higher risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes – all of these are on the rise.
Possibly one of the most alarming things to consider if we don’t change what we’re doing: by 2030, an estimated half of Americans will be obese.
Would it make a difference to somehow do away with supersizing our meals and drinks (those liquid calories that add up, up, up), stop over-eating in general, and stop doing all the fad diets that end up messing our metabolism?
It could be three steps in the right direction. And while we may not be able to control the food industry in general, it still boils down to a personal choice as to what we eat and/or drink each day.
There’s a theme in each of the three problems just mentioned.
Nutrition
- There’s not much nutrition in our supersized fast food or processed food, nor in our high calorie, high sugar large drinks. They’re easy to consume for sure, but they add to our daily calorie count big time. In contrast, you can find easy, quick nutrition-rich foods if you make it a priority.
- Do you think of quality or quantity in terms of your food? I’ts disheartening to think that we can be over-fed and yet undernourished. Eating for nutrition can change that.
- Fad diets usually don’t work and encourage subsequent diets and the yo-yo effect of damaging our metabolism. Nutrition-based diets promote healthy weight loss that is sustainable, and keeps your metabolism strong because you keep muscle and lose only fat.
Here are some Nutrition changes you can make right now to turnaround your scale and improve your health.
Nutrition Choices
- Substitute soda for water (for all but one serving a day to start)
- Snack on fresh fruit instead of processed food (how easy is it to eat an apple a day)
- Pick a new vegetable to try each week (use it in a healthy recipe)
- Order a side-salad at a restaurant instead of french fries
These may seem easy to you, or maybe it would be very hard for you to make these changes. It comes down to another idea we suggested in our last post, and that is your ‘WHY‘.
Find out your WHY:
Did you have a health scare and the doctor said you need to change some things, drop some pounds, improve your health or you’re looking at a more serious scare next time.
Are you having a hard time keeping up with the kids because you’re carrying around too many extra pounds, plus you’re concerned about setting the wrong example for them?
Do you have a big occasion coming up like a wedding, reunion, or big vacation? It’s ok to let that vanity creep back in – especially if the end result also means a healthier you!
WHEN (not if) you have a strong WHY to lose weight, eat better, get healthier, whatever your goal is – you will have an easier time making the changes.
For some people it helps to write down their plans because when you write something down it becomes more real and your commitment becomes stronger.
If you’re a techy person, find an app or a way to put your goal in your smart phone that’s with you at all times. Let it help you keep on track.
Maybe 72 being the ‘New 30’ doesn’t excite you, but being healthy and feeling young and energized should!
If you’re interested in an all-natural, healthy, nutrition-based weight loss or weight management program, read our post about: Weight Loss.