Fresh Produce

I was just shopping at a great, open air market and it made me start to think about fresh produce. Fresh produce is a fantastic thing - and a very important one for our lives. So often, we shop in the regular grocery store, and the produce is either not entirely fresh, or full of pesticides. Obviously, eating these vegetables and fruits is better for you than not eating any - but if you can get them more fresh and natural, you will be even better off.

So, fresh produce in a farmer's market or an open air market is a great idea. You can smell and see and feel how great and fresh these items are. Pick out cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplant. Choose from the great selection of melons, apples, bananas and crispy grapes. All of these items are less expensive than at the regular grocery store, taste better, and have a better selection. The other great thing at this open air market was the garlic! They sold these huge, amazing stocks of garlic that smelled delicious and were incredibly cheap. They still had dirt on them - as if they were just plucked from the farm!

Frozen vegetables, by the way, do not have the same great properties as do fresh vegetables - so be careful about opening that frozen package at night and assuming you are feeding the family well. It's very important to get fresh vegetable and fruits each day.
Check out your local farm or small market and enjoy the fresh, tasty produce they offer you there. Enjoy!

Regular Check Ups

I'm always amazed by how many adults don't get regular check ups at the doctor. People tend to say that they are either too busy to go, or too embarrassed by problems that they may have. Furthermore, they don't want the doctor telling them that they are fat or that they need to lose a certain amount of weight. So many problems that we have can be detected early and dealt with if you just show up once a year at the doctor's office. Many doctors put out a list of how often you need to come in for various tests, depending on your age and family history. It's very important to listen to their time line and follow it.
One group of people that really don't seem to get checked enough is young women having babies. I've fallen into that trap myself. When I've been pregnant, I end up at the doctor's office so much that I figure I'm covered. However, the OB isn't looking at all parts of my health and my body - he or she is just concerned with the growing baby! So, I feel like I've been to the doctor a bunch, but in reality I haven't had a regular check up in quite a long time.
You've only got one body - it's important to keep it healthy and to enjoy it for as long as you can!

Pilates For Everyone

Have you ever tried Pilates? It looks like such a strange thing, if you go to a Pilates center. Pilates is built on the idea of strengthening your inner core (or your stomach to those of us lay people) through a series of slow, methodical movements. They have wacky machines at their centers that force you to balance and move in certain ways, thus lengthening, toning and strengthening your body. I wasn't sure that I believed in it. It's sort of like yoga - you do it and you don't think you are actually doing anything. And then, with time you realize that you are. So, I saw one of my friends who had been doing Pilates for quite awhile, and I couldn't believe how she looked! It was amazing. She looked lean and strong - and more fit than I had ever seen her.
And that's when I started to think that maybe there was something to Pilates. So, I tried a video. It was one of those 20 minute videos - for women on the go who can't commit to too much time at anything! The video makes you laugh a bit, as they talk about strengthening your inner core and your power house...but....except for those minor details, it's really a great program. It wouldn't be your only form of exercise - as it doesn't raise your heart rate like cardio does, but it's great to feel more fit and to strengthen and tone your muscles. Give it a try - you might find that you like it!

Living to 89

So, my grandfather is turning 89 in a few weeks. 89! Can you imagine being 89! It's really an amazing accomplishment and he has a number of great grandchildren to prove it. Amazing. From his generation, he wouldn't have imagined turning 70, let along 89. I remember the day, when I was a teenager, that he had open heart surgery. He had been a heavy cigar smoker and a heavy man when he was younger, and he was very worried that day. He waved to us down the hallway and I had that lump in my throat that we all get when we don't want to cry, but know the tears are coming. And come they did. And here I am 20 something years later, wishing him congratulations on the phone on the birth of another great grandson!
So, what has helped him to make it to 89? Good genes, I guess. And in his later years, he did start to try to have a healthier lifestyle. I guess some of us are just lucky and some aren't. It is amazing to look at those who are so much older and to wonder what has kept them alive. We all hope that if we don't smoke and drink, don't eat unhealthy and try to excercise, that we will live long. But, then you speak with these older people in my grandfather's home...and you start to wonder....Anyway, healthy living certainly can't hurt!
Enjoy the loved ones in your life...and let's hope that we all make it to 89.