You’ve heard this health advice before: Eat more vegetables and get up off the couch. That worked for a day or two, but then what happened? Life takes up most of your time. After working, transporting, getting ready, doing chores, sleeping a little and having some screen time, there is precious little left over for prepping vegetables and going to 
the gym. Voices in your head often contribute to your demise. They offer worry, doubt, insecurity and questions of self worth. Life is challenging.
It is possible to employ self-selected strategies to support you on your path of optimal wellness. Here are a couple of ideas.
If you are convinced you have neither time nor extra funds, the first suggestion is, at least, still possible for you. You might actually be impressed with both the short-term and long-term positive results. What’s this miracle activity? You do it all day long (without thinking). Take a few moments to do it with thinking. It’s breathing. Sit or stand in one place as you take 10 full-body breaths. Inhale through your nose to fill your stomach with air. That means your stomach will actually inflate. Placing a hand on your belly will help you get the proper feeling. Then exhale. You can let go through your mouth, quietly or with a sigh. You can exhale through your nose. Now do that nine more times.
This brief session can lower your blood pressure. If you do it in your car before you get out, it offers a transition from one place or activity to the next. It’s great when you get home from work, before you even get in the house. You can practice these 10 deep breaths before you get out of bed, at a red light (but you probably won’t get in 10), in the line at the grocery store or again when you get into bed at night. This is modest, but important, self care. It’s free and won’t wreck your schedule. See for yourself.
This second strategy takes a tiny amount of time and funds. Include a fresh fruit and vegetable into your daily eating. I usually eat an apple every day. I dislike eating it in one piece, so in the morning I cut it into many small pieces, put it in a glass container and take it with me. It’s sweet and crunchy and far superior to choices at the gas station. Start easy with the vegetables. Pick up a bag of baby carrots. They are ready to eat. You are developing daily practices. You can change up the vegetables as you go along. We’re on the cusp of our bountiful growing season so choices will abound. Get one you like, so you’ll eat it. It won’t be any good rotting in your refrigerator. Try cucumber slices with a dash of salt and squirt of lime juice.
Maybe you are way past these introductory steps or maybe you just needed a little reminder. Either way, they are easy to put into your busy days.
As a nutrition educator, I notice many people are aware of potential health steps such as eating vegetables, but have trouble enacting them. To that end, I’m offering a class called Nutrition Ignition through Senior Services of South Sound. It’s a four-week program in May that integrates mindful actions with food choices with a dash of cooking. We’ll be taking metrics and assessing our current state of health. Then we will make plans and measure our progress. We will add strategies that work and identify and let go of those that get in our way. It will be fun, safe and energizing.
My own personal food and eating path continues to evolve. I was the fortunate columnist for The Olympian for 11 years bringing recipes from chefs and kitchens all over the world. Meeting so many knowledgeable professionals over the years ignited my hunger for food facts, cooking solutions, nutrition, growing food and all the ways eating impacts health.
I became certified as a nutrition and wellness consultant and last year added a senior nutrition specialist certification. My 92-year-old mom and her 98-year-old husband live in Tumwater. I see my future on a regular basis. What are the best ways to care for my body today so that I age with grace, dignity, maximum cognition and optimal health? There’s no time like today to step into a healthier life and a healthier body.
Classes begin on Tuesday morning May 8 and continue until May 29. We will be meeting at the downtown Olympia location from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon. If you have questions please write at TheRecipeWriter@hotmail.com or give me a call at 360-280-1408.
Eat Well – Be Well
