Super Size This!

We live in a day of convenience and ease.  Have you ever seen the process our pioneer fore bearers went through to just make soap?  It took about a week of stirring pot ash over a fire, separating impurities and repeating the process over and over.  Think about the work to eat a piece of bread.  The wheat was often grown by the family itself.  Fields had to be seeded, crops had to be cut.  The grain was taken into town to be milled into flour.  The rest of the ingredients had to be procured.  The dough needed to be kneaded and allowed to rise.  The oven had to be heated by a fire until the correct temperature was achieved.  We don't even think twice about such things now.  We walk down an isle, plop items in our cart, wave a piece of plastic and go on our merry way.

Not long ago, most professions in our country required physical labor.  This is not the case any more.  Even farmers are not as active as they once were.  Vast tracts of land can be plowed from an air conditioned cab on large equipment.  A farmer patient of mine recently told me that in ten years he suspects that most farms will be worked by unmanned equipment.  Many of us spend a large part of the day sitting in front of a computer screen.  Our cars take us right to the doorstep of almost any destination.  If we have to walk more than 100 feet after parking, we get cranky.  I know because I hear it from my patients all the time.

My point is this, most of us cannot live our lives and expect to be active enough to stay healthy.  Obesity is a huge problem world wide and especially in our country.  My patients ask for pills and hope beyond hope that the latest dietary supplement will truly help them lose weight.  I talk to them about diet and exercise and most people recognize that what I am saying is correct.  It is one thing to know it; it is another to do it.  Let me share with you, two ways to view your day to maximize your health.

First of all, you must move.  The reason why we eat is to provide fuel for our muscles.  If we don't use our muscles, there is no reason to eat.  Here's my offer: you only have to exercise on the days that you eat.  Now of course we all eat every day, but every time you open your mouth for a bite you should think about how much activity you have done for the day.  I have a daughter that was a swimmer up to and all four years of college.  While in training, I have seen her and her friends eat more calories than I can imagine eating myself. That is OK, they needed those calories.  Conversely, I have seen her bypass a dessert, saying "I didn't swim today, I can't eat that."  She has figured out that we must earn every bite that we take.

The last point I want to make is this:  eat all the fruits and vegetables you want.  Even if there was no exercise  in your day, you can sit down to an all-you-can-eat buffet with fruits and vegetables for all three of your meals.  No one ever died from super-sizing their fruits and veggies.  It is recommended that we get 4-5 servings a day.  Not a week, a day!  More is even better.  Use it for a snack.  A banana or other piece of fruit in the morning is a great way to start your day.  A salad will often be 2-3 servings of vegetables.  If you get the munchies before bed, eat a few grapes.  Sure it takes more effort to buy the fruit.  I know that it is more expensive, but it is worth it.  Go ahead, super size it!