The other thing that seems to key to staying healthy, besides diet and social connection, is fitness. But, not, like "drive to the gym and do some reps then the elliptical" fitness. What pops up over and over when I read these articles on Blue Zones and health is "activeness".
Things like, um, not sitting at the computer to blog [sheepish grin] and instead shelf reading the Juvenile section [I'll get to it after breakfast, okay!] lead to staying fit & healthy. Walking to the post office instead of driving, cooking a meal instead of going out to eat, etc. There's activity going on there, and every little bit helps.
I totally see that. As I got older (not that I'm that old or anything), I had increasingly less active jobs. So, while my metabolism began slowing, I also became more sedentary. Notsogood. That's one of the key things that lead to the 20-25 pound weight gain over this 5 year period. (Along with all the silly stressers that seems relentless - you know, little things, like job loss, family deaths and moving. No big whoop, right?)
I started out as an elementary school assitant teacher, following the kids around all day long, then working at a book store, where I was on my feet all day. Then I was a high school teacher or library clerk, running drama practice, going to meetings, walking the classroom to keep everyone's attention or up between every period to keep the library neat. In summers, I tutored or was on my feet all day folding clothes and cleaning the fitting room at Old Slavery. Then I went to the cubicle & wrote about steam cleaners and attic insulation covers while staring at a keyboard. All. Day. Long. And had an hour commute home after that. V. b.
Here at the college library, I don't have to be nearly as active as at the high school, but I'm not nearly as sedentary as the cube job. I can also do things like shelve one book at a time to get more walking in...I might do that with each two letter code instead today. We've got a lot.
See all the posts on longevity, Blue Zones and Icaria here.
Things like, um, not sitting at the computer to blog [sheepish grin] and instead shelf reading the Juvenile section [I'll get to it after breakfast, okay!] lead to staying fit & healthy. Walking to the post office instead of driving, cooking a meal instead of going out to eat, etc. There's activity going on there, and every little bit helps.
I totally see that. As I got older (not that I'm that old or anything), I had increasingly less active jobs. So, while my metabolism began slowing, I also became more sedentary. Notsogood. That's one of the key things that lead to the 20-25 pound weight gain over this 5 year period. (Along with all the silly stressers that seems relentless - you know, little things, like job loss, family deaths and moving. No big whoop, right?)
I started out as an elementary school assitant teacher, following the kids around all day long, then working at a book store, where I was on my feet all day. Then I was a high school teacher or library clerk, running drama practice, going to meetings, walking the classroom to keep everyone's attention or up between every period to keep the library neat. In summers, I tutored or was on my feet all day folding clothes and cleaning the fitting room at Old Slavery. Then I went to the cubicle & wrote about steam cleaners and attic insulation covers while staring at a keyboard. All. Day. Long. And had an hour commute home after that. V. b.
Here at the college library, I don't have to be nearly as active as at the high school, but I'm not nearly as sedentary as the cube job. I can also do things like shelve one book at a time to get more walking in...I might do that with each two letter code instead today. We've got a lot.
And now that I live in West Roxbury, where everything is in walking distance, as opposed to suburban Weymouth, where you mostly have to drive to get things done, I'm more active in day-to-day stuff.
See all the posts on longevity, Blue Zones and Icaria here.