never been a gym guy as my work is was very physical. lifting/carrying various car/ truck components and repairing cars gave me a nice 250lb physique for 25 plus years.however being a business owner, chair jockey for the last 5 have put me out of shape. walks and exercise are in my future..
Like you; I've had a very physical jobs ... construction, environmental, and missionary (more than you think). I now work as a QC receiving technician and while there is some strenuous work; it is in short burst and not enough to keep myself fit. I now daily go with my 23 year old son for 5 mile walks every other day and weight lift and core workout the opposite days.
very cool..i am changing my lifestyle on a slow daily basis..sometimes like watching paint dry but measurable...
I had a health screening last week that we are required to do annually as part of our insurance. Checks cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, etc. My cholesterol number was a little high. It was up 15 points from last year's screening. So I'm trying to make some adjustments to bring that down naturally and see what happens in a year. I have some prunes and some cashews and almonds in my office. My goal is to eat just a few of those on workdays, maybe a couple of prunes and a small serving of nuts. This morning (after a breakfast of Grape Nuts cereal) I had two prunes and about 8-10 almonds as snack. It's easy to overeat peanuts and stock up on calories so I have to be intentional and just eat a few. We'll see what happens but those foods have other benefits, too.
Good luck with the changes, Perry. I have been eating avocados and either oatmeal, Cheerios, or Grape Nuts most every day for the last couple of months. It was hard, but I mostly gave up dairy products. I drink Almond milk instead of dairy milk. And salads...lots of salads. I have some repeat blood work coming up in November. I hope to see a reduction in my numbers also. Prunes and nuts are healthy favorites of mine also. They're calorie dense, so I have to be careful with serving sizes.
I'm still using 2% milk but have tried Grape Nuts the past couple of weeks. I may try oatmeal as it gets a little colder. Oatmeal is good and I like it, but I eat breakfast in my office at school and need things that work well for that. You're right about calorie dense foods like nuts. That's why I just eat a scant few.
I like a quick breakfast too. I get this brand of steel cut oats at Walmart. Once a week, my Bride cooks a pot of them, and then it's a matter of reheating a bowl in the microwave. It's very filling and stays with me a long time. It's good with milk, cinnamon, nuts, and prunes. I went from eating Quaker Quick Oatmeal to the steel cut oats this past summer. FWIW.
Well, colour me stunned. I decided a first step to improving my health would be to know where I was starting, so I ditched my old spring scale that seemed to understate my weight by 40lbs or so and bought an EatSmart digital scale from Amazon. (Thanks for the recommendation, Charlie @wristwatchb!) When I was last accurately weighed at my doctor's office during my annual physical on July 25, I weighed 182 lbs. My weight has fluctuated between 180 and 190 lbs. for the last decade. Allowing for clothes and loaded pockets, my July weight was probably about 180. Today, my new scale arrived. After calibrating it, I weighed myself in my pajamas. 168.2 lbs!!!! I have lost about 12 lbs. in the last 2 1/2 months! And I haven't even been seriously dieting! All I did was quit buying pop, candy and cookies and bringing them home to snack on. Also, today I stopped at Tim Hortons and got an Iced Cappuccino and a donut. Thinking it over, they are the first iced capp and donut I have bought there in about two months ... A few years ago, I bought them almost every day, and until I broke my leg it was still at least weekly. Today, they taste too rich... It's funny how little changes can add up. I am now motivated to continue leaving pop, chocolate bars and cookies off my grocery list and to switch my cereal now either to Cheerios or Grape Nuts. Makes me wonder what would happen if I actually started counting calories and exercising...
Thanks, Charlie. It's the first time my weight has moved seriously down instead of up in about 20 years!
I once read where Chia seeds could be the "new Flax Seeds". I believe it. (Still use Flax, but Chia's healthier-more fiber).
Following up from my previous post, I'm trying an "experiment", which is essentially a suggestion for a chia seed consumption idea. At this writing, I am waiting to try a glass of water into which I just mixed in some chia seeds. Supposedly, the water-absorbed chias will strengthen their content, thus their fiber. OK, the experiment has begun. I'm drinking the water. I wonder if I did something wrong, as it the seeds are supposed to form a gel in the water, but instead, they're all over the place inside. Oh well, at least they are being absorbed by the H2O. This was a good thing to try today before lunch, as I just had eggs on toast for breakfast today-Sundays I skip cereal. I should add-I didn't make up this experiment...rread it from one of the many chia seed related sites.
working on smaller portions, less beer, and not eating after 7.pm ,no snacks. 2 meals a day in a 12 hour period 7-7. still no elevator..lots of stairs..all is well.
Oh-it may be that Hood is sold just up in my area-I don't know that, but I'd like for other brands to do the "Fat-Free, But Tastes Like 2% Fat" thing.
Hood is a regional New England brand. Chances are they are using ultra filtered milk to achieve that effect.
My son and I have been walking every other day 5 miles ... tonight my wife is joining us. The opposite days we lift weights. I'm switching from second shift to first shift tomorrow. I've been on second for last six months, so not looking forward to this transitional period.
