Christine Mooney shares her insight on staying happy and healthy
In my experience, people have a tendency to create complex algorithms to determine how much exercise they need to counteract the devastating effects of the calories from the French Fries/scoops of ice cream/bottles of Sam Adams they consumed over the weekend or for dinner on a particularly busy worknight. Hamburgers slathered in ketchup and washed down with a soda (diet or otherwise) or a basket of wings paired with a few pints of a favorite brew are magically transformed into an hour on the treadmill at a 6.2-mph pace, a turn on every abdominal machine in the gym, or some other form of uninspiring exercise that you slog through merely so you can get back to the “fun” parts of your life sans guilt. Then there are those people who try to never eat anything “bad” for fear that they can never make one side of the equation equal the other.
But take the old adage “You are what you eat” and flip it around. You’re also not what you don’t eat. My family physician growing up was a firm believer in moderation. Eating and drinking in moderation meant living well in the long run. But that can be a tricky thing. What exactly is moderation? And during the times when you are eating well, does that mean eating boringly?
Let’s briefly tackle that first question: Few of us, if any, can eat immaculately 100% of the time. It’s not a feasible strategy and is usually one that devolves into an 11pm trip to the grocery store for donuts and sugary cereal. Try to eat well 80-90% of the time, and you’re golden. Meaning if you eat five times a day, that’s 42 times a week. If you have roughly four “cheat” meals a week, you’re still eating well 90% of the time.
And, does eating well mean eating foods that are plain? Uninspiring? It certainly doesn’t have to be. Magazines, television networks, blogs — so many sources are available today that show that eating well can consist of compelling and appetizing meals. Locally, I’ve found a perfect place to turn for such inspiration — the West Chester Growers Market at the corner of North Church and West Chestnut Streets. On Saturdays during the warm months of the year you can walk through the market and pick locally grown produce, blocks of cheese and loaves of multigrain bread, even a bouquet of flowers to serve as a centerpiece for your dining room table. It’s great for a family outing (it’s small enough that kids won’t get bored) as you wonder outside in the sun for a spell.
The perfect equation for eating well is simple. Take a few minutes to choose your food – really choose it – and you’ll find that what you pick will not only nourish your body but ensure that you won’t have to do any advanced math to work off the excess later.
