Category Archives: Exercise

Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building

Just Breathe …

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One meal… One breath… One movement at a time…

Does that sound familiar? Yes! Good job! It’s the focus of foodtalk4you!

Today, I am going to share some breathing techniques that can instantly become a part of your toolkit for stress reduction. Hmmm. Sounds like another book title. More on new books later.

Right now, we’re going to focus on three specific techniques I shared this past weekend during a Zoom meeting. Listeners seemed to be taking notes, and one participant emailed me that the techniques had helped her through a stressful situation later that day.

But first … a short intro. We are born breathing using our diaphragm, and somewhere along the way, often become chest breathers. The difference being. we switched from using the large, strong diaphragm muscle to move the air in and out of our lungs, to using the smaller, secondary muscles of the upper chest.

As a test, notice if your shoulders are rising significantly as you take a nice big breath. Yes? You’re a chest breather. No? Is your belly moving out more than your shoulders move up? Well, you’re a belly breather – and probably a singer with some training on how to breathe.

Chest breathing is associated with our response to stressful situations – a part of that fight-or-flight response. Chronic chest breathing can increase tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. Belly, abdominal, or diaphragmatic breathing is more effective in moving air and leads to calming effects and responses.

When someone tries to help you calm down by saying, “breathe,” your best response is to mindfully take some slower breaths that allow your belly to move out with each new breath.

You can practice this technique by placing one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. As you slowly breathe in and out through your nose, concentrate on shifting your breath to make your belly move more than your chest. The calming effect is almost immediate.

Armed with knowing how to breathe from your belly, let’s look at three easy techniques that can help you calm down in a jiff.

  1. Falling Out Breath – is excellent for physical tension, and we naturally do this when we groan. Try this: Inhale deeply into your belly, and at the top of the inhale, grab a bit more air. Then, exhale completely, making a sound. A sigh, groan – whatever. Do this a few times, and you’ll note a considerable sense of relaxation in your body.
  • Box Breath – is useful for clearing your mind. Not only will you be moving air more efficiently by breathing using your diaphragm, but your concentration on breathing will scatter whatever emotions or thoughts that are swirling in your head. Do this: Inhale to a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4. Exhale to a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4. Repeat several times. Magic, right? A minute or two of this each should help going to sleep.
  • Emptying breath – our last breath tool for today will deactivate that stress response and reactivate calming mechanisms. Try this for a minute or two: Inhale to a count of 3, and exhale to a count of 6, trying to get rid of as much air as possible.

Please don’t pass out from hyperventilation!

It may take some practice to do these techniques without getting woozy. Take things slow and easy, breathing using that diaphragm. Yes, your belly is going to need to move out – which may detract from your svelte profile – but you can suck it in after your nerves have calmed down.

To learn more about the benefits of deep breathing go here: Decrease stress by using your breath – Mayo Clinic

To learn more about the benefits of box breathing, check this out: Box Breathing: Techniques, Benefits, GIF, and More (healthline.com)

Many thanks to my daughter, Serena, who shared this book with me, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor.

What I have read of it online has convinced me to get a hard copy to study. You can expect some more posts in the future about this most important subject!

Breathe, dear readers.

In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, This -n- That

And I Repeat – Happy Groundhog Day!

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I feel a bit like Punxsutawney Phil today. He’s being hauled out of his snug spot to test the sunshine factor for prognostications about the duration of winter.

That’s me. Being drug out of my totally relaxed state of snugness to start the day. My gratitude each time for its opportunities, is invariably followed by the overwhelming urge to hit the snooze alarm.

I’ve told Alexa to nudge me awake with meditation music, which beats the effects of an alarm clock. Starting the day with a startle, a jolt, and an elevated heart rate seems counterproductive to greeting the day with a smile.

With nowhere to safely go, or any deadlines to meet, getting up can be problematic for me. There are still cool things to be accomplished at home, so I rely on my biggest motivator: Sunshine.

Sun streaming in my windows is my happy place. Curtains back, shades up – here comes the sun! If I dally in bed too long, the angle of the sun misses my home office, and inspiration is harder to find.

This is all said as a Segway to the fact – we need sunshine.

Remember learning about the “Sunshine Vitamin”? That vitamin we get through the sunshine that’s good for our bones? Well, it is vital for a lot more than that. Take a look:

As you can see from the chart above, this is an important part of staying healthy. Rays of sunlight trigger our skin and body to produce Vitamin D through a cascade of processes.

If strong bones and sound mind aren’t foremost on your mind, then something that is on everyone’s radar right now is the COVID-19 pandemic. I have read that 80% of those with COVID are/were deficient in Vitamin D.

Check it out HERE: New Study Found 80% of COVID-19 Patients Were Vitamin D Deficient (healthline.com) AND HERE: Low Vitamin D Levels Tied to Odds for Severe COVID (webmd.com).

The Mayo Clinic talks about this same correlation, but suggests the need for further testing –  Can vitamin D protect against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? – Mayo Clinic.

The more I read about Vitamin D, the more I think we need to know our blood levels of this vital nutrient better than our astrological sign. Request that Vitamin D levels be checked at your next doctor’s appointment. Normal values are 30-74 ng/ml. An increasing portion of the population is very deficient. Why?

We are creating the perfect storm to become deficient: Young and old, people are not getting outdoors enough. Much exercise, if done at all, is accomplished in an indoor gym. We need some skin exposure to effective sun to start the chemical processes that create this vitamin in our bodies.

But how much sun? This depends on your latitude, your skin color (darker skin needs MORE exposure), time of day, and season.

Check here for details: How Much Time in the Sun Do You Need for Vitamin D? | US News.

Overall, 5-20 minutes twice a week, when your shadow is no longer than you are tall (between 10:00 am -3:00 pm). The early morning jog does not count toward making Vitamin D. Sorry. Roll up your sleeves and take a noon-day stroll.

Of course, skin cancer is on our minds as well. Experts agree that relying on facial exposure to the sun’s beams should be avoided. Wear a hat and/or use sunscreen on your face and ears.

Use of sunscreen is another part of the perfect storm. Give your arms and legs a few minutes in the sun before slathering up.

Finally, the trifecta involving obesity, Type II Diabetes Mellites, and Vitamin D deficiency creates the capstone to this storm.

A summary of research HERE: Vitamin D Deficiency, Obesity and Diabetes – PubMed (nih.gov) says:

Vitamin D deficiency reduces insulin secretion capacity of the islet beta cells in pancreas. Moreover, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency is closely related to obesity and increased risk of T2DM. 

Just this one humble vitamin demonstrates the inner-connectedness of our wonderful bodies. Disrupting the delicate balance of proper body weight, alone, put so many other aspects dangerously out of kilter.

There are dietary risk factors I’ll touch on next week, along with where we can access Vitamin D through diet so, stay tuned.

Deidre Edwards

In the meantime, protecting face and ears, show a little skin to Mr. Sun for a few minutes each week as temperatures allow. My bundled up walk here in the Northern Hemisphere didn’t do much for my Vitamin D levels, but did wonders for my spirit and served as excellent exercise on a cold winter’s day.

In health,

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Exercise, This -n- That

Brain Food Part 2

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Don’t you love serendipity? Right in the middle of writing this series on what we can eat to boost brain power, this lovely gem plopped right into my lap: a mnemonic device to remember the ten foods that protect brain function and over-all health.

How cool is that?

While attending a virtual seminar to learn more about the Teachable platform I’ll be using for my online workshops, Jim Kwik presented a fabulous motivational program about how to learn. To prove his point that everyone can learn if the material is presented and consumed using all our senses, he shared his mnemonic for remembering the ten top brain foods.

A mnemonic (/ne’ monik) device is any learning technique that aids in information retention and retrieval. This device uses our body – head to tail.

Get ready to have some fun as we get physical and use our imaginations to expand our minds! This requires active participation on your part.

  1. Put your hand on top of your head. Don’t think about it…DO it! Imagine rubbing in our first good food for you right into your hair: some mashed up avocado. Maybe in the form of guacamole. Creamy. Maybe like a hair conditioner.

In fact, avocado oil is often used in hair conditioners. Avocados are a food source rich in antioxidants, healthy oils, and fiber. A powerhouse food.

  • Now point to your nose. Imagine blueberries coming out of your nose. Like Hammy might do in the comic strip – he’d love this one.

Last week, I talked about going for the colorful fruits and veggies. Go for the blue and you’ll be helping your heart, bones, skin, blood pressure, cancer prevention, and mental health. These little gems that you’re imaginatively popping out of your nostrils protect against cognitive decline and improve short term memory.

  • Point to your mouth and imagine you are trying to get broccoli out of your teeth. One of those little pieces of broccoli floret has lodged between your front teeth, and you’re trying to get it out.

Broccoli’s antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals help with cancer prevention by helping fight off the formation of free radicals. Along with its cruciferous cousins, broccoli benefits skin, bones, digestion, reduces inflammation. Inflammation is the cornerstone of most diseases and conditions. Yet another reason to go for the green.

Let’s review. Move your hand as we go.

Top of head: avocado/guacamole in your hair

Nose: blueberries are popping out of your nostrils

Mouth: you are getting some broccoli out from between your teeth

  • Point to your ears: Did your mom ever put warm oil into your ears as part of treatment for an earache? Imagine pouring olive oil into your ear and place an olive on top to keep the oil in.

Thanks to its antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, olives and olive oil are another one of our ten miracle foods that help the brain and body. This narrative is looking familiar: skin, digestion, lowering cognitive decline, lots of fiber, and great source of healthy fats.

  • Place your fingertips on your throat and swallow. Feel your Adam’s apple move? Imagine that is an egg.

If your diet allows, eating that egg will provide muscle-building protein, benefit cognitive function, help eyesight, improve heart health and cholesterol levels, and can be a key food for proper growth and development. All that for under 80 calories each!

  • Using both hands, pat your shoulders. Remember the era of padded shoulders? Or perhaps you can imagine the epaulettes of a military uniform. One shoulder is padded with leaves of spinach, and the other with leaves of kale.

We’re going for the green again. In addition to the truckload of vitamins and minerals found in these dark green leafy vegetables, their fiber is gut-friendly. Kiss constipation good-bye and help irritable bowel syndrome. Help vision, diabetes, anemia; reduce the risk of heart disease; strengthen bones; improve that youthful glow in your skin and hair; prevent scurvy; improve cognition … the list goes on! What’s not to love?

Time for another review. Active participation is essential:

Top of head: avocado/guacamole in your hair

Nose: blueberries are popping out of your nostrils

Mouth: you are getting some broccoli out from between your teeth

Ears: olive oil drops and olives

Throat: an egg for an Adam’s apple

Shoulders: padded with leaves of spinach and kale

  • Move your hands over to your collar bones. Imagine a necklace draped about your collar made from salmon filets. Could get a little fishy. Imagine the coolness of your salmon beads. Maybe the salmon is in the form of sushi – think about the look and feel of your necklace.

Salmon is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids that are crucial for brain health and total body wellness. Add in the minerals like iron, calcium, selenium, and phosphorus plus vitamins A, B, and D – well, say hello to another wonder food that is a lean protein.

  • Hold your hands out in front of you. You know how they would look – like you just ate Chez Doodles? That stubborn orange powder coating your fingers represents turmeric.

The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. As an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, turmeric is protective of brain function. A shake or two of this powdered spice will not do anything beyond adding flavor. This item needs to be taken as a supplement. Look for a brand that is proven to be bioavailable in pill form – meaning, your body can absorb what you give it.

  • Hand on belly now. There are walnuts coming out of your navel! Walnuts even look like little brains.

Full of brain-friendly Omega-3s fatty acids and minerals, walnuts are a powerhouse snack or addition to recipes. A handful of walnuts will give you satisfying fiber, nutrition, and are anti-inflammatory. Need I say more?

  1. Lastly is your hind end. As you pat your rear, think dark chocolate. I’ll let you use your imagination on this one.

Dark chocolate is a champion in fighting off free radicals with its antioxidant properties. Helpful for the heart, blood pressure, and cholesterol, dark chocolate also reduces insulin resistance and is shown to be an anti-inflammatory.

You can do all ten now: head … nose … mouth … ears … throat … shoulders … Collar bones -what is draped around your neck? Orange-dusted fingers? What’s popping out of your belly button? And the end …

Okay! I am not responsible for your actions at the grocery store while you go through your ten item list.

For more on total body wellness, check out my first book, Toolkit for Wellness.

In health,

Deidre

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Stress Reduction

Brain Food – Part 1

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Brain fog? Shorter concentration? Decreased ability to coordinate several processes to reach a goal? The focus here is not determining if Granny needs assistance. It’s about where we all are right now.

Age-related diseases are more of a concern now as people are living longer than any previous time in history. But, waiting until someone is ninety-five years old is too late to start building brain function.

Brain health is developed before we’re born and continues throughout our lifetime. Neglecting the promotion of brain health in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood spells disaster, not only later in life, but even earlier.

This topic is central to my studies and what I share on foodtalk4you. Much of what I am sharing in this series is derived from a nursing license renewal class I recently took: Brain Food: The Role of Nutrients in Memory and Cognitive Function by Annell St. Charles, PhD, RD, through the Institute for Natural Resources.

What and how much we eat are key factors in our brain health.

Many of us quake in our boots every time we forget something. The specter of Alzheimer’s disease seems to threaten us on every level. Epidemiological evidence is showing; however, that diet choices available to each of us every day can be key factors in reducing the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Foods good for our cognitive function share the effects of being antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. I wrote about an anti-inflammatory approach to eating and life itself in my first book, Toolkit for Wellness.

Research is finding some aspects of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be found in healthy young adults but do not become apparent until later in life. With brain maturity peaking in the 30s or 40s, there is ample time to boost brain health in the young and to continue throughout our lives.

A big predictor in developing late-life dementia is

1) mid-life obesity and

2) lower cognitive performance earlier in life.

Obesity brings on a cascade of body issues that play into body-wide inflammation and metabolic challenges. The overeating habit of poor quality of food is sweeping across America and other parts of the world under our fast food influence.

Obesity is preventable, and yet is becoming the scourge of modern society. Stress eating during this pandemic is probably at an all-time high – but our circumstances do not make it alright.

As I explained in my book, fast food and pre-packaged foods are all designed for us to eat more. Large food conglomerates employ people to find that sweet/salty spot, which will make consumers want to come back for more.

Sugar does not satisfy or quench. Sugar makes us want more sugar. It’s as simple as that.

What to eat? Nutrient dense foods as found in the Mediterranean diet will supply the nutrition our brains and bodies need for optimal health. Whereas, nutrient-poor diets rely on consuming highly-processed food, which lack the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory elements needed for brain/body health.

Diets favoring nutrient-poor foods are affecting the size of our brain part associated with learning and memory – the hippocampus. Of note – both long-term and short-term consumption of foods high in saturated fats have resulted in changes in brain function. Think how this plays out in children consuming a fast-food biscuit on their way to school each day.

A higher intake of fruits and vegetables will help prevent and reverse age-related deficiencies by decreasing inflammation and oxidative stress.

In sum, look for the following to select nutrient-dense food:

  • Go for the color in fruits and vegetables
  • Aim for fiber-rich foods
  • Seek lower-fat dairy
  • Switch to lower fat cuts of meats
  • Eat more poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds

The colorful plant food choices will ramp up protective phytochemicals that have been shown to be protective for the brain and nervous system. Talk about brain food – plant-based foods rock!

Rome wasn’t built in a day. A consistent effort in making tiny changes is a sustainable approach to build sustainable health. Choose one meal to improve each day.

On a personal note – I’m into my second week of daily, sweat-producing exercise and am loving it! Contrary to what one might think, my appetite is less than before starting this program. I needed the structure of a program and I chose to join something online. My neighbor does it for free as she taps into an endless array of YouTube routines each morning.

Everything works together – exercise energizes and creates a positive frame of mind. A better outlook will boost us all into making better choices. We can do this!

In health-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Exercise, This -n- That

What’s in Your Garden?

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What has compelled me to take up farming? Well micro-framing, to be accurate!

 I have a friend who lives in a more rural area than I, whose garden looks like four long rows in a sophisticated agricultural operation of thousands of acres.

Me? A summer garden might have a tomato bush; but I don’t do summer gardens. Why? Formerly, working as a teacher, summers were my big time off, so we traveled. No time to tend a garden.

Once retired, my big deal was growing basil, mint, and parsley as container plants on the porch. My helpful neighbor could water the herbs without much trouble; we often trade off patio plant watering during vacations.

But serious, food growing gardening? Not me … until 2020.

Ah, 2020 – the year that held such promise. The year of such positive anticipation. Things coming together; hard work paying off. Reaching dozens, hundreds, thousands of others with my message. Plans in place. Getting out of that comfort zone. Growth. Vitality!

Not.

Somebody hit the PAUSE button.

Errrt. Brakes on worldwide.

Everyone buys toilet tissue. Shelves are empty of anything related to cleanliness. My plan for world domination in the realm of helping caregivers comes to a screeching halt.

Were all our dreams dashed?

Still speaking from mid-COVID stay-at-home orders, I think not. Why? Because, despite the immediate cancellation of my workshops and speaking engagements, I felt liberated. Whew. A day off. Well, a week off. Okay, almost 2 months off – so far.

A retiree’s situation is not everyone’s situation. These long weeks and months have spelled endless and dangerous toil for some; profound stress and heartache for others, and death to over 75,000 Americans and over 1.2 million people worldwide.

Everyone is re-evaluating on all levels. What is important? Could this telemedicine and tele-education be a significant part of our future going forward, even when restrictions are lifted? Do we all want to keep driving to the office every day? Maybe family time and family dinners are something we want to keep?

The merry-go-round stopped for many of us non-essential stay-at-homers. We stopped the relentless pursuit of the future as we just tried to navigate the day at home.

All of a sudden, we were toppled off of the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Self-Actualization (achieving one’s full potential including creative activities) to the bottom where Physiological Needs (food, water, warmth, rest) are of paramount importance.

Some hoard toilet tissue thinking a basement full of Charmin will protect them from the unknown. Many of us search for something helpful to do. Masks and other forms of PPE/personal protective equipment are being generated from home sewing machines and 3D printers across the nation. School aged children continue to be fed from school buses making their daily rounds not to pick up children but to nourish them. Graduating seniors are honored by school administrators and teachers making personal home visits to deliver yard signs celebrating their accomplishments until a proper graduation ceremony can take place.

There is a need to be in control because so much control has been taken away from us. We can’t count on anything for sure except our own efforts.

So – many are turning to gardening.

Gardening for future food – not just herbs or pretty flowers. While I hope and pray the agricultural system will rebound from COVID-sick employees, there is always the possibility for future food insecurities. Just this past week, we learned of the arrival of Giant Murderous Hornets that decimate bee populations. No bees … no food.

My little garden won’t feed the masses; it will most likely only give me enough to eat and share with my neighbor in late summer, but it is giving me something I can (mostly) control – Giant Murderous Hornets aside.

How can a garden help us deal with the isolation, the lack of control, the depression, and the “ennui” as the French say? 

Aside from the obvious fresh air, exercise, and sunshine, there’s a bounty of goodness that can come from gardening:

Wonder

Grounding

Control

Partnership

Appreciation

Amazement

Anticipation

Gratitude

Patience

Dedication

Creativity

Effort

Reward

Sharing

Planning

Preparation

Self-reliance

Community

That’s just off the top of my head.

So, what’s in your garden?

In health-

Deidre – the new farmer

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Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building

Ready – Set – Go!

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Are you trapped in a cycle of plotting, planning, wishing, and dreaming but never doing? If you could just actually get started, things would be great. But you never take that first step. We look for a push, a shove, someone to take our hand…or better yet, lift us up and carry us through so we don’t actually have to do it.

Seems others are busy doing their own things; so, we continue to plot, plan, wish, and dream. Sometimes we may even be worried about the mound of unaccomplished tasks before us. How to start ticking off those boxes so we can really get going?

I want to share five points about getting started that have worked for me and others:

  1. Don’t think about it – just do it. This mantra got me through high school and college and relates to finishing reports, speeches, reading texts, and doing homework – not as an encouragement to do stupid stuff. Long before there was a Nike, I practiced and shared this phrase to get myself and others through mountains of tasks.

Don’t think about the five things you need to get done in the next little bit, just reach out and grab one and do it. Then grab the next one.

Over-thinking, over-planning, over-ruminating gets nothing done – it only delays the start.

Don’t think about it – just do it.

  • Start a change with small tweaks. If you think about it, just about everything we do is a habit. Habits require little to no thinking. Our brain has limited band width and loves to run on autopilot – it likes to save real thinking for important things.

When I want to change an old habit or start a new one, I’ll begin by breaking down that habit into such a small component – what I call a tweak – that not doing it would be silly. If I backslide from doing ab exercises, I’ll start by doing just thirty seconds of full planks (elbow to toes) followed by thirty seconds of half planks (elbow to knees).

Now, who doesn’t have one minute for exercise? Then, I note on my calendar this accomplishment. Not so hard. By the end of the week, I’m doing a minute of full planks followed by a full minute of half planks. My goal is to work back up to two-minute planks both ways.

Trying to eat better? Conquer one meal at a time. Make sure to note your change on a calendar. Those check marks, stars, or notations look mighty good as they add up. Then you can move on to add another meal.

Instead of going cold turkey on cutting out sweet tea or sodas, simply cut down by bits. Share all cans of sodas with a still addicted friend, or switch to smaller cans. Sweet tea can be cut by ever-increasing amounts of unsweet tea. Then you can experiment with drinking more water instead of tea or soda.

  • Five-hundred-pound man. A Facebook video popped up while I was scrolling through the other night that I had seen before, but something compelled me to watch it again with new eyes. Perhaps you have seen it, too. This young man, maybe in his thirties, weighed over 500 pounds. His human form was all but obliterated by the extra weight.

His doctor pretty much said lose the weight or die. Because he was engaged to a normal-sized woman who loved the man inside of him, he decided he needed to reveal that man to himself and the world.

Long story short, he started by doing something simple. He videoed himself throwing out all the junk food in his house. Then he went to the grocery store with a new kind of shopping list. Then he went to the gym. One step at a time. He did what he could that day.

Thinking about the long haul for a 500+ pound man would have crushed any hope of getting the job done. Don’t think about it; just do it. Today. Then tomorrow when it becomes today.

At the end of his story, he weighed 300 pounds less and was having skin reduction surgery. He was alive, fit, and loving his active life. Both he and his new wife could fit into one leg of his former pants.

What a wonderful story about starting, and then starting again the next day, and the day after that!

  • Help yourself. Those were the words that popped into my depressed and numb mind as I lay on the bed, unable to get up. Help yourself. Learning to live with grief was hard. I knew it was going to be hard. Maybe I’d just stay there the rest of the afternoon…

Help yourself.

Well, I realized that there was no one else who was going to help me. It boils down to me. Get my body up. Move. Go somewhere there are other people. Do it. Now. Don’t think about it – just do it. Help yourself.

Closely resembling an emotionless robot – I got up, slipped on some shoes, and drove to the riverside park.

Fresh breeze. Pretty clouds. Children playing. Folks walking their dogs. Life.

Life was around me and I had to participate. My loved one was in heaven, but I was here. I was called to actively live here and now – the choice was mine. Help myself by being a part of the life around me. So I did.

  • Dominoes. Getting started and maintaining forward motion can be almost self-perpetuating. Once you tip over that first domino, that accomplishment will help tip over the next. That’s why I like putting those notations on my calendar, so I can see that momentum.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Enjoy that exhilarating feeling as you do more exercise, eliminate toxic foods, complete those tasks, write the next chapter of your book, start that business, or take that new class.

You are doing this! You have started and you are moving forward.

Congratulations!

So, what are you desiring to start? Find the smallest part of it, don’t think about it anymore, and just do it! Pat yourself on the back. Put a star on your calendar and do it again tomorrow.

In health and accomplishment-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Food Talk 4 You!

Exercise With Jane AustEn!

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Are you ready for a timely turn-about-the-room? Are minuets’ last notes hanging in the air? Has that game of whist become boring?

Perhaps it’s a time to encourage a companion to join you!

It’s time to get off the couch during time outs from March Madness and walk about the house or take advantage of that seventh inning stretch!

Regular body movement is not exclusive to those residing in the 21st century. In fact, Brian Kozlowski, is soon to release a book about wellness via Jane Austen in his book, The Jane Austen in Diet: Secrets to Food, Health, and Incandescent Happiness.

Okay. So … There’s nothing new under the sun, right? Wrong!

With Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice as my forever favorites, I can thank the authors, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen – respectively – for the practical examples of daily exercise.

While budding romantic feelings are developing for Mr. Rochester and Mr. Darcy, our authors of old also showed us how exercise is woven into the lives of governesses and fair ladies alike.

In both the stark of winter and in the bliss of spring, our early day romance characters sought regular exercise and exposure to the fresh outdoors whenever possible.

If the weather was formidable, they literally strolled around the room. When weather was tolerable, they went for extensive walks – not only about the luxuriant gardens – but also around the country side.

Jane Fairfax, an Austen heroine, is prescribed more, “fresh air for the recovery of her health.” The total rejuvenating experience of today’s popular forest bathing – already described in our past post HERE – is described in “Persuasion” by Anne as bringing her comfort.

Today’s science brings revelations – apparently, intuitively long known – that just one day’s exercise keeps nerve cells actively revved up for two days. Seems that exercise activates a neuron, that stimulates appetite suppression, as well as reduces the activity of the neuron that ramps up appetite.

Seems that a trip to the nearest fancy gym is not required. Short bouts of DAILY exercise for 10-15 minutes are enough to keep things in balance and on the sunny side of being fit and not resembling a couch potato.

Just sixty seconds of high-intensity workout – read, jog to and from the mailbox and perhaps around the house – along with a ten-minute walk around the neighborhood will yield the same results as a 45-minute jog.

Hallelujah!

Translation to reality in March 2019: I will keep going to my group exercise class twice a week for full body activation and the awesome social connectivity AND use the time outs during March Madness as an opportunity to stretch, turn about the room, and create a pumped-up, high stepping drill to cheer on my team!

When not attending a gym class or activity, take a stroll around your countryside for one of the best workouts ever invented: walking outdoors in the fresh air.

Trust Jane and Elizabeth who knew all about keeping physically active. Take a stroll. If climbing up steep hills is not included, then jog for sixty seconds some time during your walk for maximum results.

In health-

Deidre