Better Together
My journey to a healthier lifestyle began when I relocated to Central Oregon. The closest city has a healthy lifestyle and extensive recreation opportunities in the national forest for great exercise opportunities, and fresh air. I am in my element in the outdoors with gorgeous scenery in the forest especially on horseback and hiking. My family and I love to go camping and enjoy kayaking. My father was a logger. I lived with mom and dad at logging camps when I was a baby. I have spent my most of the time in the forest enjoying recreation.
In 2006 I took a nutritional class at our office during lunch for six weeks with several other co-workers. Our nutritionist was teaching us the blood type diet, based on what our ancestors ate.
The nutritionist taught us to not eat dairy or gluten. It is very hard to go gluten free, gluten spikes your blood sugar, if you have diabetes then it is best not to eat gluten. Gluten causes inflammation and for me it causes bloating with an upset stomach. I drink soy, almond, and coconut milk.
One of the most dedicated advocates for me to start my journey to becoming healthier is my Chiropractor, Dr. Dave, he coached me on learning to make superfood smoothies. Him and his wife started a business for superfood smoothies and raw food (food that is not cooked), in the same building as the Chiropractor Business.
I enjoy aerobics classes, it strengthens your heart, lungs and builds endurance. Strength training is vital to keeping you strong as you age.
I worked in the field walking all day in the forest. In the winter we would use snowshoes. With my job and my aerobics, I stayed in pretty good shape. We had access to wellness screenings with a wide range of tests with a thorough CBC (Complete Blood Count) panel to evaluate your overall health to detect a wide range of disorders. My CBC panel was always in the acceptable range for good health, my cholesterol has always been under 200 the recommended number it should be under. Your HDL's (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), labeled the good cholesterol, what your body can produce HDL’s to help keep your cholesterol in check. Your LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) the bad cholesterol that is produced when you don't get enough exercise.
When I was out in the field, I would only take water to drink, I didn't take soda or juice. That began in 1988. I stopped drinking soda about 12 years ago when I learned it was just empty calories, but I will have every once in a while, or drink the flavored carbonated drinks.
When I began learning to eat healthier, I experimented with different vegetables. My favorites are roasted zucchini and red bell peppers.
I hope you will join me in a journey to become healthier as we age. What we put in our bodies does matter.