Blog for Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Good evening, folks! Getting a little later start than usual, as I once again got a round of disc golf in this evening. It's a great sport if you're looking for something less intense than running, and some of the courses are rather nice to look at! You can play a round in approximately an hour and a half, and probably walk 2-3 miles, depending on the course. If you want a website that can tell you more about courses near you, try Disc Golf Course Review. Follow that link, and you can learn which courses are nearby, as well as how many holes they have, and the course's difficulty! It could be a good activity to ease you back into getting regular exercise! (It's working for me!) Next up,  as we've discussed, it's National Nutrition Month, and that link contains 5 tips for eating more healthily. Several of the tips have been featured in other articles I've linked in past blogs, like "Eat Mindfully", and "Eat more fiber". There are a couple new ones, though. Cooking with spices such as cinnamon and turmeric is recommended, due to their anti-inflammatory properties, while cinnamon can also aid in controlling blood sugar and boosting metabolism. Another recommendation in this article is to track what you eat. This will increase your awareness of what you actually consume, as well as reveal any patterns. This can aid you in making healthier choices moving forward. Well if those weren't enough healthy-eating tips, here's some more. These tips are pretty broad, but practical. 1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...2. Remember that no food is "good" or "bad".....3. but know that some foods have no nutritional value at all....4.Being healthy must be easy. Those all seem pretty easy to accept, except for that last one. Maybe it's because this article originated in the United Kingdom, but I think in America we might say it a bit differently. The 2nd paragraph of that section states it more clearly however. "An important component of maintaining an adequate diet is ensuring that it is something that you find easy to do,” says Ms Daniels. “Think long term health and not short term weight loss – which very often people do." Which is all to say, if you find your diet too restrictive, you probably won't adhere to it. Make gradual, small changes, and eventually you'll have a darn healthy diet, without feeling like you're sacrificing too much. The other item in that article I found interesting was the mention of an eating disorder I hadn't heard of, "orthorexia". Orthorexia is a disorder where obsessing about healthy foods can become all consuming - and deviating from "healthy" foods may cause large amounts of guilt or self-loathing. Always good to learn something new! Last up, I've mentioned National Nutrition Month, but this week (thru Sunday, March 20) is also Nutrition and Hydration Week. So be sure to drink enough water, eat well, and be healthy, my friends!