SOMETIMES THE BEST EXAMPLES ARE RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE AND WITHIN YOUR OWN FAMILY
As time progressed with the new blog posts for AN APPLE A DAY; I was very excited about beginning to write about daily health matters. Soon I had several interesting articles in place. I realized as I looked around for good dependable sources that I already had a lot of good resources to draw from.
Of all places; my apples were falling from my own family tree.
One of my greatest blessings is the fact that my own family is full of healthy; thriving people! These family members have actually became the source of some of my greatest inspiration for writing this column.
MY OWN CHILDREN ARE AMAZING
I truly do give credit to the many long conversations with all four of my grown children. They have actually been pushing me in this healthy direction for a long, long time.
It is doubtful they even realize how much they have influenced and contributed to my thinking on this subject. For their generation; seeking after good health has become as natural as breathing. It is something you simply do every minute of the day as you go along in life.
LIFE IS A LOT EASIER WHEN YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY GOOD EXAMPLES OF HEALTHY LIVING
The smiling girl in the photo is our oldest daughter.
I’m proud to say she is a very successful speech pathologist.
The other thing I can tell you is that she is the most health-conscious person I’ve ever known. She eats right; she exercises every day, and she is constantly educating those around her; especially her own children.
She definitely could be a perfect role model for the first recipient of the “golden apple” award from this new section of the blog! A lot of my health tips will be things I’ve learned simply from hanging out with her.
Isn’t it great when the kids teach their parents?
MOST OF MY GENERATION HAD THEIR HEALTH FACTS WRONG
That has truly been the case with me when it comes to health matters. One reason I’m having to re-educate myself so late in life is the fact that most of my generation had a lot of the health facts totally wrong. We are having to be re-programmed. We’ve had to throw away a lot of the old out-dated facts that were drilled into our daily living routines and start over again.
Fortunately; we did get one thing right. We raised up a generation of very health-conscious adult children who are now extremely well-equipped with the correct facts. Now many of them are teaching us how to live a healthier lifestyle.
This seems to be very backwards; but I suppose at least it does speak highly of the educational system from which our children were educated.
For my now grown children’s generation; seeking after good health has become as natural as breathing. It is something you simply do every minute of the day as you go along in life. They do that themselves; and they are diligently teaching their own children to be healthy too.
Even their fun and down-time activities are healthy.
Every year the girl in the first photo goes apple picking! It is a very healthy hobby. Apple picking is great exercise while outside in the fresh air and sunshine . The happy activity also provides good, nutritious food for the dinner table.
My daughter makes this an annual family fun day with her family and friends and her children always look forward to this traditional family outing.
THESE PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS RUNNING!
Another of our daughters has become a marathon runner. She is the lovely face in the next photo; the one wearing the dark blue shirt.
This particular photo was taken to remember the metal she received after her very first half-marathon.
She has now gone on to run many more marathons. The last one she told me about had her treking through the Smokey Mountains. Hey; if you have to be running; why not enjoy the scenery?
GOOD HEALTHY HABITS CAN ALSO BE GOOD HEALTHY HOBBIES
Not long after giving birth to her first child she decided that running would make a great hobby. I think it has been life-changing for her. This daughter always “glowed” with natural beauty anyway; but now it is more obvious than ever.
Not only does she stay healthy; she comes in contact with many interesting people and is always making great new friends while participating in these marathons. Her husband is very supportive and sometimes he drives with the crew providing water and equipment. They make it a family affair.
GOOD HEALTH REALLY SHOULD BE A FAMILY AFFAIR
I’ve really been amused at how much this part of her lifestyle has already been absorbed by her three year old daughter.
The other day this little girl was patiently teaching me (her old grandmother) how to do stretching exercises. She says “G-Ma; just act like a “mingo!” “Mingo” is her way of saying “flamingo.” Then she stands on one leg with the other foot held behind her as she looks up at me with a knowing grin.
Before I even knew what I was doing I was bending and stretching my legs similar to a flamingo. You know I was simply enchanted with how her Mom’s good habits were forming in her life too. I guess you can’t start too early. Here is a photo of the little “mingo.” (She is the flamingo standing next to the cute little puppy dog….)
THREE IS A CHARM
Our other beautiful daughter is also very health conscious.
She watches what she eats and works out at the gym every week. Bike riding is a fun hobby for her. She and her boyfriend often take off on long bike rides through the city and/or the country. One family event not too long was focused on their photos of hiking and biking through Oregon.
This daughter is blessed with all the natural grace and beauty of a model; but she isn’t even aware of these wonderful traits at work in her life. I’m always amused at how humble she is.
The most interesting part about her own consistent health/maintenance lifestyle is in the many simple little ways she has learned to incorporate intentional living into her days.
She is just as interested in the intellect and the spirit becoming healthy as in the physical body. We’ve had many long conversations about “living with intention and purpose.” She definitely does that; and watching her in action truly inspires me to do the same.
LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IS ONE ADVENTURE AFTER ANOTHER
We have a son too! He climbs mountains and enjoys some very rugged camping trips.
To say he is an avid hiker would be an understatement. The great outdoors are more of a home to him than the place he lays his head at night.
I am hoping to cover the struggles we all go through in these posts about maintaining good health. We all have struggles in this life ;and we all have much to overcome. Our son will freely admit to you that he has struggled with addiction problems. He has tried to put all addictions out of his life now and turn a new page. It has not been easy for him.
His struggles have given me more of an education than I ever wanted on the dangers of putting the wrong things into our bodies. It is also my hope to pass some of this knowledge on to others. I know he would consider that a very good thing. He would feel his story worth telling if it could be helpful to someone else with the same struggle.
I believe this son is on a steady up-hill climb right now, and I’m proud of him for taking one day at a time while making huge strides toward maintaining a healthier lifestyle free of drugs and alcohol. This is yet another mountain that he will master!
I hope this column will be able to educate people in this area (especially concerned parents) and give the victims of addiction helpful information for overcoming. I would also love to encourage parents who are struggling with helping their children through these things; whether they be teens or adults.
SHARING OUR STORIES IS ALWAYS HELPFUL, HEALTHY AND ENCOURAGING
On a more cheerful and less serious note; I may be sharing some of this guy’s more positive stories from the year he walked across America, starting at the east coast and moving to the west coast with only his faithful dog as a companion.
That was quite an accomplishment. He loved the challenge and adventure of that journey. Many adult survival techniques were gained on that trip. Surviving and thriving is all part of remaining healthy too. We may speak of many such things in these blog posts for AN APPLE A DAY in the time ahead.
You know I couldn’t be prouder of these kids and their goals and their healthy ambitions. How many parents can say that? I’m so grateful to God for leading them instead of letting me.
HELPING THOSE WITH HEART PROBLEMS
My husband is also a daily inspiration toward healthier living. He has struggled with cardiac problems; and yet he has managed to overcome any limitations; even after three heart attacks.
His particular problem is genetic; and he has taught me much about the importance of having good medical professionals on your side.
We have learned how to eat heart-healthy, and we have discovered how critical daily exercise can be if you are genetically inclined to high triglycerides. As you can see in the photo; his favorite place to exercise is the beach.
You will hear me talk a lot in these columns and articles about maintaining a healthy heart. It is all about nutrition and exercise. I’ve learned these valuable lessons first-hand and the hard way – from the days of waiting in intensive care and hoping my husband survives the latest health set-back. Thank God he is doing well.
ATTITUDE IS KEY WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS
My husband has had to overcome so much; and he has managed to do that well.
Any award for being a champion over-comer would definitely go to him. Attitude is so important when you are battling health problems. We may be discussing this aspect of staying healthy as we journey on together.
MY MOM IS AN AMAZING WOMAN
Another person with a great attitude is My Mother. That is her in the photo with my husband.
She is yet another great example of good healthy living in our family.
I wondered if my father’s death would deter her from her good health practices. I’m so pleased to say she only became more determined to pursue healthy living.
How many women over 80 do you know who get up, go to the gym, work out every day; then turn around and walk sometimes up to five miles?
My Mom does that on a regular basis and thinks nothing of it. She far outshines me in the area of healthy living.
She has definitely taught me much about being consistent in daily health routines. I’ve seen her exercise faithfully since I was a young girl.
THESE GREAT REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES ARE INSPIRING ME EVERY DAY TO STAY HEALTHY
I could actually go on and on with this list of the healthy people who surround me; but you are most likely getting the picture. My two son-in-laws and one daughter’s boyfriend are also prime examples of living healthy. All of these adults are teaching all of my grands how to live healthy. How could I not write about it?
Being surrounded by healthy people who constantly put good examples before you is very inspiring.
I am so blessed; but I also have a LOT to catch up on and live up to! Maybe one day I’ll be half as healthy as all of my loved ones. That is a goal I’m going to strive for.
Just think; at the end of this 365 day journey; we too may be providing the inspiration that someone else needs along the way. That would be awesome.
A LOVING, NURTURING FAMILY CAN PLAY A GOOD ROLE IN MAINTAINING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
You will hear me harp constantly on the importance of family relationships in maintaining good health.
It doesn’t matter if you are single or married, have children or not; SOMEONE is going to be like family to you. This is what I am speaking about. Your family isn’t always made up of blood relatives, but you do need to be nurturing good relationships with others in order to truly thrive. It is so healthy to develop such relationships.
Because of this fact, I will be talking a lot about how important it is to have a circle of love, support and friendship around you; and how we all need to develop friends and relationships that are healthy and life-giving.
Sharing good health with those you love around you is one of life’s greatest blessings!
NOTE TO THE READER: This is just one post in a series of post about why I write AN APPLE A DAY. If you enjoyed this article you might enjoy these too: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/sorting-information/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/health/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/ordinary/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/ordinary/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/new-healthy-practices/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/maintaining-a-healthier-lifestyle/