My wife is an RN and worked in a cardiac ICU for several years. She now works in a short term rehab facility with lots of post OP patients. I get to hear all the stories, some nearly unbelievable. We talk about health and wellness a lot. We are both fairly young - in our 30's. She reads a lot of books on diet and health, and is passionate about her profession as a nurse. I would help her study when she was in nursing school. I think it helps to have a good knowledge of anatomy and body function. There are millions of books and diets and new exercises constantly flooding through society and social media. New fads, new ways to "lose weight" and "be your best self". Really it all boils down to a few basic things. Be active, and find some willpower to take control of your diet. Sitting is the new smoking. Heart disease is killing people in increasing numbers. Much of it is 100% preventable. Obesity is exploding because we cant muster the willpower to stop eating garbage. Over 40% of US adults over 20 years old now are Obese, and the number continues to rise. We are addicted to food, and to sugar. Its become an epidemic.
Simply eating a modest diet, and maintaining a good level of activity, just these 2 things can change a persons life if they actually do it. Its really not rocket science. There is a billion dollar industry out there that teaches people how to lose weight, to stay healthy, and its honestly all common sense. I know one woman I see occasionally who is over 90 years old. She gets around like a 50 year old. I heard someone ask her one day how she stays so 'spunky'. Her answer was simply "I get out and rake my yard". My 2 grandmothers were both good examples of this as well. They were complete opposites in their daily lives. One rarely went outside her house, she tended to watch tv, talk to folks on the phone, lots of sitting around the house; the other is very outdoorsy always working in the yard, growing a garden, crawling around her flower beds pulling weeds, still mows her own grass etc. I only have one grandmother still alive today and you can guess which one it is, and yes she still, at nearly 80 now, is out working in her yard all the time. You can add years to your life if you are just conscious about these 2 basic things. You dont need a special fad diet, or to count calories on everything - just use common sense.
