A Chocolate Pedometer Makes a Happy Heart

2007-02 February is here again to remind us that it is heart month - on two levels. First, the strictly practical matters dealing with the health of the heart, which will be dealt with quite quickly. Then we'll talk about the good stuff, like chocolate. Our theme for February is 'doing things you enjoy helps to keep you healthy' We are reminded on a daily basis that exercise and diet are essential for good health- thirty minutes of exercise three times a week is the minimum for maintenance. We are told and told again that ten servings of fruits and vegetables are necessary, especially the vegetables - mother was right, green is good! Doesn't matter though, does it? If we don't like the food, and you can't make me eat Brussel sprouts for any money, then we won't eat it. If the exercise we try is boring, we soon stop doing it. So, the main point in our exercise and diet routine for 2007 is to make it a pleasure and not a penance. Walking is the cheapest and easiest exercise of all. With or without the family dog, a brisk walk is the best thing going, and it needn't be boring. If there is no dog or no walking friend, clip on a pedometer and challenge yourself to increase your daily number of steps. If you need a reason to get out and walk, then buy an inexpensive GPS and go geocaching. This is like a treasure hunt of sorts. You get the map coordinates, and off you go to find the treasure (usually a Tupper ware container filled with things from the Dollar Store). There are hundreds of 'caches' hidden through the valley, at different levels of difficulty. Once you have found a few you get permission to hide your own. I must admit I am better at hiding than at finding, but I still get the walk. More and more health experts are telling us that doing something you enjoy is more important than previously thought. One hour of line dancing or Tai Chi, if that is your pleasure, is worth three hours of something you hate, and even better fun with company. Exercising in a group is the best way to go. The time passes much faster when we're chatting with our fellow devotees, the workout is more fun, and if our friends are counting on us to be there, we are much more likely to make the effort to show up. Still not convinced that exercise and fun can go together? Well, how about dancing? Dancing of one sort or another is on the schedule four times per week in Kelowna and Vernon. Penticton wins the prize, though. As far as I can make out, those folks are out on the floor twice a day, every day - they will live forever! OK - we've got the exercise issue dealt with and after doing our thirty minutes of aerobics in one form or another, like walking our 7,000 steps, we can sit down and vegetate, right? Wrong! Now we need to exercise our 'little gray cells' as well! No one said it was going to be easy! As the tidal wave of 'baby boomers' moves into retirement, medical experts, in a valiant attempt to ward of medical overload, are publishing study after study that proclaims the importance of 'joggin' the noggin'. Now that most Canadians can expect to make it into their 80s the question of the quality of life is being studied more. While exercise has been proven to stimulate and protect the brain cells, exercise alone won't preserve our razor sharp wits - our steely minds needs to workout as well. Quality of life comes from doing things we enjoy, whether that is gardening, bird watching, photography, or biochemistry. This month we are introducing a couple from Salmon Arm who had the courage and enthusiasm to open and operate their own airport as their way of supporting pilot safety. We meet a lady who got a Bachelor or Science degree at age 50,and at 70, is back in class. Merve Wilkinson, who is teaching the world about sustainable forestry practices. Then there is the couple in Keremeos who operate a small ranch and the lady who had absorbed Ukrainian culture and now teaches Ukrainian egg decorating. What do they have in common? They are all smiling! They took 'the road less traveled' and they enjoy what they do. While the rest of us think about what we'll be doing to stay mentally and physically fit in 2007, there is still chocolate. Chocolate, dark and only one square a day, helps you think. Valentine's Day gives us a reason to think about family and friends, and to share a moment with people near and dear to us. So, for February, we wish you lots of chocolate and a happy heart.

 

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