I am not a health and fitness expert. Truth be told, I've spent far too much of my life eating chocolate muffins for breakfast and Big Macs for lunch. But I am concerned about these habits as I enter what is statistically the second half of my life, and it's been months since I ate cookie dough for breakfast. I exaggerate, of course -- it's only been weeks. But it's fair to say that I'm on the path to a healthier lifestyle.
In this column, I'll take you on a journey as I explore better health and fitness. I hope we'll avoid dead ends and quackery, but even those paths can be entertaining once in a while.
There are some basics and common sense things that should be discussed up front. As near as I can figure it, the mystical secret to better health and a happier life is to eat well and exercise regularly. I know, it sounds crazy, but all the experts I've consulted agree. They differ a bit on what that actually means, but it's a starting point.
A healthy diet is a complicated matter. There are some simple foods that are generally agreed to be best for you, but you can fall into the trap of boredom.
A yogurt commercial in the '70s featured a bunch of century-old people in Soviet Georgia claiming they owed their longevity to yogurt consumption. But living in a totalitarian country and eating yogurt two or three times a day doesn't qualify as living in most folks' minds. There's also some doubt as to the actual ages of the people in the commercials, so there are two things to learn from this little anecdote: 1) You need a diet that is not only healthy, but varied, and 2) occasionally advertisers stretch the truth.
At the same time, if you're eating only rich, intense foods, you are denying yourself most of the food palate. You will discover that once you remove the fast food, pasta buffets and double-fudge doughnuts from your diet, you'll be able to taste more. There's a world of interesting flavors out there that too many people miss because their sweet and salty taste buds do all the work.
Numerous stand-up comedians have played off the bad math of exercise. Exercise daily and you might add 10 years to your lifespan ... that you'll have wasted exercising. It's a good gag, but it's based on the false assumption that life is about quantity, not quality. Regular exercise boosts your energy level, helps you sleep better and creates a natural high. That doesn't mean it's easy, particularly at the start, but it is richly rewarding in many ways.
Of course, all this is common sense. Unfortunately common sense seems to be in short supply these days. I'll make one last point this week: The Roman dramatist Terence recommended "Moderation in all things," and I won't be the first or last to add to that, "including moderation."
F. Andrew Taylor is a Las Vegas freelance writer. His column appears twice monthly. Contact him at fandrewt@cox.net.
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