Can you relate to these two things I am discovering about myself?
- It’s hard to sustain all the good things I want to do for my health all the time without reminders.
- While I don’t believe in a ‘magic pill’ approach to anything, there’s a part of me that wants to.
Take lunges, for instance. I’ve written about them in foodtalk4you and in my books several times. Lunges are a great movement to do to stretch those muscles that tighten up from too much sitting.
If you have a watch or device that reminds you to stand and move every hour, just take a minute to lunge.
Why did I forget that?
For now, my goal is to do lunges several times a day when I get that reminder. Lunges keep us tuned in to balance and stretching.
Out of practice? Make sure to start out easy, no big deep knee bending, but enough to get you going. Check out this link for beginner lunge techniques.
On to the “magic pill” mentality.
In the October 10th post last year, I was sharing various fiber sources in foods and the benefits of stir-in fiber goodness found in seeds and products like Metamucil. As faithful readers know, fiber feeds the ‘good guy’ inhabitants of our microbiome, adds bulk to the end product of digestion, and making stool easier to pass.
Our household was consuming a lot of fiber, but the results were less than stellar in terms of time spent in the bathroom.
What we neglected was remembering that there are other ways to feed gut bacteria: ingesting live bacteria found in yogurt, unpasteurized sauerkraut, and supplementation of live probiotics in capsules.
So, when recently taking an antibiotic to put the kibosh on my 5 week URI/crud, I naturally turned to an old friend, a probiotic pill briming with live bacteria, to repopulate my gut from the effects of the antibiotic.
Not only did I get my voice and overall health back, but my digestive system was functioning like a champ. Eureka!
And no Metamucil!
One easy to take capsule every morning. I used to do that way back when.
Why did I forget?
See discovery #1 which so conveniently ties into discovery #2.
Our good health is so interrelated to everything. Yes, there’s a lot we can do on so many levels that we may feel it’s hard to work it all in most of the time.
Will my “magic pill” be the sole answer to “keep me going?”
Not without daily exercise, adequate hydration, good sources of fiber from whole food, and creating an inner balance to managing stress.
So, here’s a friendly reminder to consider adding or beefing up probiotics from various sources to your daily diet along with the many other things you are already doing. Oh, and try some lunges when your device reminds you to move.
I may secretly long for that “magic pill,” but answers come from understanding the bigger picture and applying myself every day.
In health –
Deidre
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