OT Exercise and food

[Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney]

Thanks, Philo, for starting that great thread on blood pressure. I started to add this to it, but though it might be too much of a stretch....

I've been walking 1-2 miles every morning and it has done wonders for my eating habits. I don't eat or drink anything first but do drink a 1/2 liter of water during the walk. Then back home, I'm not hongry. How much do you chubby non-athletes (like me) walk and what time of day?

Funny thing - I have never been an early riser until I started these walks. Now that fall's here, I'm getting irritated because I have to wait longer each day for the sun to come up. I don't mind walking in the dark but don't want to get shot by mistake by a jealous husband.... hyuk, hyuk...

About foods.... I would like to know what regular food types can help keep the blood in good shape. I have always heard that peppers and vinegar are good. Every day or so I have a glass of water with a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and some honey. Actually tastes better to me than soda and I have cut way back on sugary & diet drinks, although I still down a liter of Diet Shasta Cola about every day.

When they have one of those "lets interview 100 year olds" segments on the (pardon the expression) "news," a lot of them say the take a spoonful of Worcestershire sauce every day. Another one of my favorites, so that's a good excuse to (when the lovely miseries ain't looking) drink some right out of the bottle....

[AL]

I have a desert heat problem here that often makes outside walking uncomfortable. So I've gotten used to using a treadmill. I just set it at 3 MPH and walk daily for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the length of the particular Netflix episode I'm watching at the time.

[ralf]

[My 2 Cents]

On 10/16/2016 9:06 PM, Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney wrote: drink some right out of the bottle....

Walking gets easier as your body gets backs in shape. When I first started walking for exercise it took a while to get things settled down, something would stop hurting and something new would start hurting. Wear light colored clothing and face traffic when walking in the street. I've passed people with the dark clothing after dark and never saw till I'd almost driven past them. And a dog, when I think of putting walking off for a day, the look from my dog... and I get the leash and off we go. What foods? Google nutrition and watch the youtubes. A lot of misinformation but also some good information, if nothing else it's good motivation. There is no magic except the magic of the human body, Lordy it's complex! Read the labels on the packages. Get the pounds off and keep them off, mobility becomes a major problem as we age. You wouldn't carry a sack of cement around all day but that's what it amounts to with many Americans. We also lose our balance as we age, the number one cause of emergency room visits for the elderly is "falls". Mother Nature did a great job of preparing us for times when food was scarce, but not very good at appetite control now that calories are plentiful. The common thing I've noticed about those that live to their 80's is they ate lots of veggies. Really our diets are so messed up it's a wonder any of us made it past 60. Genetics, sure, but we can do what we can to enjoy this life as long as possible.

[Meanie]

The best thing you're doing is exercising and controlling your diet. The more weight you lose the better your health becomes and part of that is reducing high blood pressure.

You can do a simple google search for foods to eat but the general foods are vegetables and fruits and reduce your red meat intake along with sodium and high carbs.

Apple cider vinegar and honey is good but don't rely on one concoction to be the cure all. Your body requires a variety of nutrients to function at peak performance. Consuming the same foods and doing the same exercise consistently results in plateau. The body needs a shock of differences in order for it to adapt and function efficiently.

Foods containing fats was once thought to be the taboo of the food chain but that's not true. If anything, the carbs are a bigger culprit for weight gain. Though carbs are essential for our diet, keep away from most simple carbs and maintain moderate complex carbs. As for fats, keep away from the saturated and maintain moderate monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.

I also encourage weight training with cardio exercise. Many people think that entails body building style workouts but it isn't. During your walks you can carry small dumbells and do curls, uprights, lifts, etc. to help increase muscle mass. As you gain strength and stamina, increase the regime with bodyweight exercises if you don't have weights. The objective is to increase muscle mass which helps reduce fat.

You'll feel great once your regime becomes a habit. Good luck

[Mr. Man-wai Chang]

For grown-up, east less starch and carbohydrate stuff (noodle, rice, bread...). Eat more fruits and vegetables as replacement.