Good Health is a Weighty Issue

Since my "mostly retirement" I've been working my way through my backlog of professional journals and related publications.  Today I read an article on "Chronic Non-communicable Diseases".  That's a sort of silly designation for things like Type II Diabetes, coronary artery disease, chronic lung disease and the like.  Apparently they share a chronic inflammatory state that encourages these diseases to destroy our health.  The popular press reported this in the recent past with the emphasis on c-reactive protein levels as the indicator of these unhealthy conditions that I was surprise to learn cause 60% of the deaths worldwide.

And what can we do to counteract these conditions?  Avoid obesity, maintain weight and exercise. 

I actually like the constant reminders of why I want to lose weight and improve my diet.  It helps me to remember the big picture.  Lately I've come to realize that some of my food choices are not as healthy as I thought.  I read the ingredients on some oatmeal breakfast bars that I love only to find out that they are sweetened with corn syrup and have a host of ingredients I don't recognize.  I don't think I'll buy those again. I wish I could eat more fresh produce, but in the winter I seem to look for foods that are room temperature or warmer and having a cold orange or apple just doesn't appeal to me.  I have no desire to eat salads in the winter.  I hope to buy more carrots on my next shopping trip. And I enjoy cooked spinach (is that weird).  I even noticed that some of the frozen vegetables I bought on my last grocery trip (I'll soon post about my poor relationship with the grocery store!) are smothered in high fat sauces so they're off my list too.

And I think I need to add in some light strength training to my schedule.  I used to swim weekly but since my almost retirement I just like being home.  I know that will change, but for now I'm enjoying just hanging at my house.  I actually go days without going anywhere in the car.  I'm sure that will pass, but right now I'm just enjoying the tranquility and slower pace of life.