Dinnertime Dining Mistakes

 I’ll start with the one I think is the most important. As much as we know about healthy eating. Our dinner meal is still the biggest meal of the day. I realize that’s a hard habit to break but this is the most important. For some reason, we are always too busy during the day to eat a proper meal. We race out of the house in the morning with a drink in our hand and that carries us until we get to work and if we can’t find anything else we get something in the snack machine. That carries us until break time when we get something else from the snack machine, then have some coffee and return to work. If we have time to go out to lunch, we usually end up at a drive-thru window somewhere and then hit the snack machine later in the afternoon. 

By the time we get home, we need some real food. Eating crap all day long has left your body crying for something better. Dinner is the only time we have to eat something healthy and most of us do, but is that one real meal going to make up for the whole day of sitting behind a desk or behind the wheel of a car or truck and eating nothing but junk. No, it won’t. This is the worst time of the day to be eating a big meal. You're probably going to sit the rest of the day and all evening. Even if you have to go out again, you’re not going to get any exercise. 

After dark we go into hibernation mode to get ready for sleep, so that food inside your belly will sit there all night and rot. You won’t have any appetite in the morning so you run out of the house with that drink in your hand and the cycle starts all over again. 

Ten years go by and your pants don’t fit or you have to buy a bigger size. You go see your doctor and he tells you that you weigh 30 pounds than you did 5 years years ago and you scratch your head. It’s not always about that large meal at night, it's a combination of things. 

We are all very busy people in this new world we live in. I’ve been retired now for about 5 years and I don’t know how I had time to work. I write blogs and volunteer at a Senior Learning Center show people how to use a computer and that’s only two days a week. I do workout but it’s hard to find time for that. Sometimes it’s 10 pm before I finish writing. 

I’m not complaining, I’m just stating a fact. We are all busy today even if you don’t have a regular job, but I find time for everything. Maybe I don’t watch as much TV as some people but I think of TV as a way to entertain yourself and the way I look at my life, “I have things to do” and if I don’t have time for entertainment then it will wait until I have time. I’m not going to make time just to entertain myself. 

I live a healthy lifestyle not because I took a class that taught me how, I did the work and read about how to live better and live healthy, now I do. Don’t wait to fix your life until you have nothing better to do. The longer you wait the more work it will be. 

I’m not telling you to exercise after dinner, that never works out well. Everyone will find a way to live healthy and eat healthy themselves. It will be different for everyone. I found a six-meal-a-day plan that worked well for me. You can find an example on the internet. The idea of eating more frequently is to eliminate food cravings. A lot of food cravings come from an addiction to things like salt and sugar. Food manufacturers got smart and found chemical substitutes for both of these. They can save money by using substitutes but also they can hide these things on the food label so you don’t know what’s really in the food you buy.

Now I just eat fresh foods and fresh seafood. I feel better about what I’m eating if I can make it myself. When I’m out of the house for the day I pack food and take it along. If I have to eat out, I’ll get a salad and use wine vinegar or lemon juice for seasoning. When you follow the six meal a day plan you want to make all the meals about the same size. I’m talking about the calorie count. As a rule of thumb, I use 300 calories per meal and eat every 3 hours. With the exercise program I followed all I needed was about 1800 calories a day. I saved all my calories for the food. I didn’t drink any calories. 

So if you want to lose body fat the key is to change your eating habits, the food you eat, don’t drink calories, don’t eat before bed, and cut out salt, sodium, sugar, and fructose of any kind. Stop the food addiction. 

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Which Diet Is Right For You?

 Trying to lose weight? If you’re a more-meat-than-potatoes kind of person, two new studies should encourage you.

That’s because both concluded that a low-carbohydrate diet appears to be at least as effective as a low-fat diet, challenging the long-held notion that eating fat is what makes you fat.

Ok, If you’ve been dieting for a while you probably know that all diets don’t work on everyone and it’s almost impossible to find one that works for you. I’ll explain, whatever you choose as a meal plan may work for a short time but your body will adjust to the changes after a few weeks and you stop losing. So what’s the answer, Well this is not only true with diets but the same thing applies to exercise. Whatever changes you make in your routine your body will adjust to the change after a couple weeks. Don’t fight your body, go with it and you change up what you're doing. 

You can trick your body. The body’s primary function is to keep you from starving. Sounds crazy, ah. Millions of years ago, humans couldn’t always find food and your body would store fat to preserve life between meals. We know that finding food today isn’t a problem but the body doesn’t know that, so it stores the excess food that it doesn’t process. Your body doesn’t dispose of the excess. It has no mechanism to do that. It only disposes waste from the food it processes and it only processes what it needs to supply you with the energy you need at that moment. Your system is working in real-time.

I’ll explain, low-carb diets have always been high protein like meats and low-carbs like potatoes or rice. Which meant we should eat more meat and less of the other stuff. But the low-fat diet is the opposite, low-fat means less animal fat and more carbs like potatoes and vegetables.

One study, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, randomly assigned 148 men and women to follow either a low-carb or low-fat diet. After a year, the people on the low-carb diet had, on average, lost nearly 8 pounds more than those on the low-fat diet. The low-carb dieters also saw more improvement in their blood cholesterol levels than the low-fat dieters.

The other study, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, pooled the results of 48 randomized trials, involving nearly 7,300 people, of brand-name diet programs, such as Atkins, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and the Ornish diet. It found that all of the diets, whether low-carb, low-fat, or somewhere in between, led to weight loss, and the differences between them were small.

Writer Rita Rubin asked obesity expert Ken Fujioka, MD, who was not involved with either study, to help sort out the low-carb vs. low-fat research. Fujioka, an internist, treats people with weight problems at the Scripps Clinic in California.

Q: Were you surprised by what these new studies found?

A: I wasn’t surprised at all. Believe me, I was on the low-fat bandwagon for eons. You get twice as many calories from a gram of fat vs. a gram of carbs or a gram of protein. But it’s clearly more complicated than that. The type of fat also is an issue. I would agree a lot of saturated fat may not be a good thing. But if you look at olive oil and canola oil, these are clearly not bad things and, if anything, can be very good.

Q: Besides what foods they prefer, are there other factors people should consider when deciding what diet will help them lose weight?

A: There are certain groups of people who clearly do better on a low-carb diet. They’re pre-diabetic, they’re patients with polycystic ovary syndrome — what we call insulin-resistant diseases. Patients with insulin resistance do better on a low-carb diet and will lose more weight on a low-carb 1,300-calorie [diet] versus a low-fat or balanced 1,300-calorie diet. But not everybody can follow a low-carb diet.

We really want to find what diet that patient can follow. (If they say) ‘You know, I really will do well on Weight Watchers,’ we tell them, ‘Okay, enroll in Weight Watchers.’ Admittedly, we may tweak it a little bit, but in general, we’re looking at what’s going to work.

Q: Do certain people tend to prefer low-carb over low-fat, and vice versa?

A: As a group, men really seem to find a low-carb diet relatively easy to do and actually relatively easy to do long-term. They’re fine eating steak one night, a lot of chicken the next night, and pork loin the next. They’re really happy. A lot of women don’t gravitate toward a low-carb diet. It’s not a diet that they find interesting or fun or something they can adhere to. As a group, they’re more comfortable with a balanced diet.

Q: After people slim down on a low-carb diet, can they stick with it to maintain their weight loss?

A: Typically, just like anyone else, they really would like to have some carbs and pasta and bread. In our practice, I will have them see a dietitian who will teach them how to follow a more balanced diet after they’ve lost the initial weight. There’s one study, it’s called the National Weight-Loss Registry, and they noticed that people who kept off weight for a long period of time do in fact have low-fat diets.

I actually follow a low-carb diet. I find it easier. I can eat more protein and feel satiated, and then I don’t have to have all those carbs. A typical lunch for me is a salad with chicken on top. For dinner, I typically will have at least one starch and meat. I’m very fortunate — I’m married to a dietitian. When I come home, I have freshly cut-up vegetables waiting for me. I think the secret to long-term weight loss is to marry a dietitian.

Q: What does the future hold as far as helping people pick the diet that’s best for them?

A: We’re not there yet, but eventually we’ll be taking somebody’s genetics and we’ll be looking at markers for what’s the best diet to do. It sounds sci-fi: In the next 5 to 10 years we’ll be able to use someone’s genomic information, with just a mouth swab or spitting into a tube, and give them a good idea of the best diet for their genetic makeup.

Like the Doctor said, “We’re not there yet”, but soon your doctor can tell you the best type of diet for you. Today, we can still do it the old-school way. If low-carb diets don’t work for you, try a low-fat diet, just don’t give up just because your diet doesn’t work.

When picking a diet, you can be eating all the right foods but still can't lose weight. That's when you should start counting calories. You may be eating too many calories for your activity level. Simply reduce the calorie count per day by 200 calories. If you were eating 1500 calories a day, drop it to 1300 per day by lowering the portion size. If you feel sluggish and have lost some energy, stay with the 1500 calories and increase your exercise program to burn more calories. 

Another tip is not to worry about your weight but to track the inches you lose. Losing inches is the real goal, forget the scale, and get a measuring tape.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

How Many Carbs Do We Need?

 According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, about half your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. So that’s quite a lot. But, there’s more to it than how many carbs you need — some sources of carbohydrates are better for you than others. What the mean by “carbs” is vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, dairy, eggs, and whole grains.

First, what are carbs? Carbohydrates are mostly found in plants where they provide energy and structure. Sugars, starches, and fibers fall into this category.

And although animals need and consume carbohydrates, you won’t find any carbs in meat, fish or poultry. But you will find carbs in milk and dairy products because they contain lactose, which is also a type of sugar.

This is a good article that was first published by WebMD, but though dairy is a good source of carbs I substitute dairy with a plant based milk like Almond milk or Oat milk, there are several others on the market they may even be better for you then dairy.  

How Many Carbs Do You Need?

Your carbohydrate need can be based on your caloric intake. If you know how many calories you need each day, you can figure out how many grams of carbs you need:

Start by determining your daily calorie need and divide that number in half. That’s how many calories should come from carbohydrates.
Each gram of carbohydrate has four calories. Divide the number you got from the first step by four.
The final number is equal to the amount of carbohydrates in grams you need each day.
For example, a person who eats approximately 2,000 calories per day should take in about 250 grams of carbohydrates (2,000 divided by 2 = 1,000 and 1,000 divided by 4 = 250).

I think that way is too complicated, it's easier to count the carbs by calories, in the example above if you need 2000 calories a day, 1000 calories should come from carbs. This next tips is important. If you eat food in cans or boxes your calorie count will add up fast and you will have to eat less food. This also holds true for restaurant food. If you stick to whole foods, all natural foods, you will be able to eat more food per day and still stick to the 1000 calorie count of your carbs.

Tracking Your Carbohydrate Intake

Find the carbohydrate grams on the Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods. You’ll find calorie information there too, but be sure to double-check the serving size and number of servings per package.
Use the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference to calculate carbohydrate amounts for fresh foods. It’s a large database that’s regularly updated.
Keep a food diary to track your information. You can print out your own pages and keep them in a notebook.
Join Calorie Count to track calories, carbohydrates, and all the other nutrients, plus you’ll find suggestions for a healthy diet. They also have a great smart-phone app so you can track your calories when you’re away from your computer.

Which Carbs are Best

This illustration make it easy to choose the best carbs.

Carbohydrates include complex carbohydrates, like starches, and simple sugars such as white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and honey. As far as plant-based carbs go, choose 100-percent whole grains, and fruits and vegetables for most of your carbohydrates. The standard tip is to ‘make half of your grains whole.’ That way, as long as you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, you’ll add a substantial amount of fiber to your diet.

Of course, you don’t want to consume carbs only. You need protein and fat, just not as much. Balance your carbohydrate choices with protein sources such as lean meat, poultry, eggs, or fish, and some healthy fat such as olive oil, avocado or nuts, and seeds. Protein combined with high-fiber carbs helps keep you feel full between meals. The protein that is recommended by most professionals is seafood and poultry. The fat in these two food groups won’t contain any animal fats.

Watch Out for Sugars

The worst carbohydrates sources may be sugary foods, including things made with sugar, honey, corn syrup or maple syrup. These foods usually have too many calories and little or no nutritional value. Remember, you can't go over the 1000 calories a day so choose wisely. The trick to losing weight is to get the most nutrients possible from every calorie. My calorie intake is 1500 per day. 2000 calories may be too much for you and you won't lose weight. Try 2000 at first and after one month you judge for yourself, you might have to reduce your calories. Not everyone needs the same amount of calories.

Avoid sugary snacks, pastries, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, candy, and cookies. Watch out for heavily processed foods that often contain added sugars, even those that don’t taste sweet. A good rule-of-thumb is “don’t drink your calories”.

Follow me on Twitter or X @ray0369

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

For Those Losing Weight, Why Is Your Pulse Important

 

What Is Your Pulse? And why is the important?

I understand you just want to lose weight and you don’t care about the “How and Why”. But if you have been wondering why your having so much trouble losing weight, then maybe you need to read this. 

Your pulse is your heart rate, or the number of times your heart beats in one minute. Heart rates vary from person to person. Your pulse is lower when you are at rest and increases when you exercise (because more oxygen-rich blood is needed by the body during exercise). 

Knowing how to take your pulse can help you evaluate your exercise program. If you are taking heart medications, recording your pulse on a daily basis and reporting the results to your doctor can help your provider determine if the drugs are working properly. And it also helps you know if your exercise is really doing any good. 

How Do I Take My Pulse?

1. Place the tips of your index (second finger) and third finger on the palm side of your other wrist, below the base of the thumb. Or, place the tips of your index and second finger on your lower neck, on either side of your windpipe.

2. Press lightly with your fingers until you feel the blood pulsing beneath your fingers. You may need to move your fingers around slightly up or down until you feel the pulsing.

3. Look at a watch or clock with a second hand.

4. Count the beats you feel for 10 seconds. Multiply this number by six to get your heart rate (pulse) per minute.

Check your pulse: (beats in 10 seconds) x 6 = (your pulse)

What Is a Normal Pulse?

A normal resting heart rate is generally considered to be 60-100 beats per minute. The exact number will vary among individuals. Children tend to have higher resting heart rates than adults. Now, and I’m talking about adults, not children, If your at-rest heart rate is over 85 beats a minute and you have no heart problems, your probably overweight or in poor physical condition. If your not someone who regularly exercises then exercise will help you, but you need to be careful. You want to know your maximum heart rate and you need to monitor that so your not exceeding it. 

What Is Maximum Heart Rate?

The maximum heart rate is, on average, the highest your pulse rate can get based on your age. To calculate your predicted maximum heart rate, use this formula:

220 - Your Age = Predicted Maximum Heart Rate

Example: a 40-year-old's predicted maximum heart rate is 180.

Read carefully this next section because the formula above does work, but if your under a doctor’s care and taking prescription drugs then ask your doctor what your maximum heart rate is and then depending on your age, your target heart rate would be 60% - 80% of the maximum. 

Your actual maximum heart rate can be determined by a graded exercise test. Please note that some medications and medical conditions may affect your maximum heart rate. If you are taking drugs or have a medical condition (such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes), always ask your doctor if your maximum heart rate (and target heart rate) should be adjusted.

What Is Target Heart Rate?

You gain the most benefits and lessen the risks when you exercise in your ''target heart rate zone.'' Usually this is when your exercise heart rate (pulse) is 60%-80% of your maximum heart rate. In some cases, your doctor may decrease your target heart rate zone to begin with 50%.

Be careful not to exceed your target heart rate. This increases both cardiovascular and orthopedic risk and does not add any extra benefit. Instead, slow down until your heart rate gets into the proper range. 

The reason all of this is important is because, and this is a simple example, You want to start exercising so you start walking everyday. But after a few weeks you don’t think the exercise is doing any good. That’s when you should be monitoring your pulse. For example, if your target heart rate is 140 beats a minute and you walk 30 minutes a day, then for 20 minutes your heart rate should be at 140 beats a minutes. The first 5 minutes you start slowly building up and the last 5 minutes slowly cooling down. If you do this properly it’s good for your heart and it works to speed up your metabolism. I know what your thinking, for beginners keeping track of your pulse is very difficult. But they make fitness trackers that help you with that. It straps on your arm and tells you your heart rate. Some do much more, they can tell time, keep track of your steps and even how many calories you burn during your work out or during the day.

If your not monitoring your heart rate your can do damage to your heart, or if your going to slow you might not be doing yourself any good. 

To sum this up, You should have a resting heart rate at 70 or below and when you exercise depending on your age and health your heart rate can be twice your resting heart rate. When you have a higher resting rate you need to talk with your doctor and he will advise you how high your heart rate should be during exercise. It will vary with age and weight.

The reason for this post is that some beginners with exercise can't seem to make any progress and give up. That can be because you need to exercise for about 20 minutes at max heart rate in order to boost your metabolism. But you can't rush into that max heart rate, you have to warm up for about 5 minutes, gradually increasing to your max rate. Then later do a post-workout slowing bringing the rate back down.

It can be very dangerous for beginners to stress the heart muscle.

Follow me on X, the former twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my lastest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

More Protein, Less Body Fat

 Americans seem to be very interested in protein these days. According to market research by Statista, more than 2 in 5 Americans drink protein shakes daily. But are protein shakes as beneficial as they're made out to be? Can they help you achieve your weight-loss goals? While protein is an essential macronutrient that plays a critical role in muscle growth, bone health, immune support and blood sugar control, it's also crucial for maintaining a healthy weight.

The Role of Protein in Weight Management

Protein offers several benefits that can help support your weight-loss goals. High-protein foods are highly satiating, meaning they help keep you full and satisfied for longer time periods, reducing the likelihood of overeating or excess snacking. Additionally, research shows protein can help preserve and build lean muscle mass.

During weight loss, it's common to lose both fat and muscle. However, according to a 2019 study published in Nutrients, getting enough protein may help minimize muscle loss and preserve muscle mass. This is because muscle mass is metabolically active and burns more calories than fat mass—even at rest.

"The thermic effect of food (TEF) refers to the energy expenditure required to digest, absorb and process nutrients from food," says Trista Best, RD, a registered dietitian with Balance One Supplements. "Protein has a higher TEF than carbohydrates and fats, meaning it requires more energy to metabolize. This increased energy expenditure contributes to the overall calorie burn and can support weight-management efforts."

I have a protein shake every morning, My doctor told me to pick a power that is plant-based. The power I use is a blend of Pea protein and Quinoa protein. The shake is 180 calories plus the calories I get in one banana and the coconut milk I add, the total calories is about 300. Besides the 30 gm of protein I also get potassium, some sodium, iron, and calcium. It's a well blanced breakfast that's quick and easy to make and you can take it with you.

I eat my main meal in the middle of the day around 1pm. I try and get 60 gm a day of protein so if I'm short grams I make another shake in the late afternoon. 

For inbetween snacks I carry fruit, like an apple or pear. I try and pick a fruit that's not messy. I don't eat excess calories like desserts (cakes, cookies, pie or ice cream) Except for hard cheese and Greek yogurt, I don't eat dairy and I have reduced my gluten intake. Also, I stopped drinking calories. This diet has reduced my calorie intake to less than 1500 calories a day and still gives me all my nutrients.

Follow me on X, the former twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my lastest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Summary of My Posts on Living Longer

 I have posted more than once about the fact that science doesn't know how long humans could live under the right conditions. If you can watch the series on Netflix running now called Living to 100. I took the info for my posts from the series. It's about the Blue Zones around the world where a high percentage of people are living over 100. It's a great series and if your interested I can recommend that documentary. 

In North American our average life span is just under 80. Actually it's 77 years for men and 81 years for women. Those numbers are pretty good compared to other countries. That's not a very good average overall. My grandparents were born in the 1880s and lived longer than that. We seem to be going in the wrong direction. Life expectances should be much long considing the wonders of modern medicine. What is the problem?

A big part of the problem is the cost of healthcare. Most seniors are living at poverty level. Because of medical conditions that most seniors have, most are not able to work any longer. And some can't efford to drive either. 

Our healthcare is great in this country if your able to pay for the insurance. Not everyone is. Medicare by it self isn't enought coverage. You can still be stuck with a big bill if all you have is Medicare. Medicaid can be okay if you don't have any serious problems and only need minimum care. Medicare Advantage may be okay if you done have a lot of health problems. 

Living a long life is about staying healthy. If you see the Netflix series you will realize what it takes to be healthy. Those people in the Blue Zones were somewhere between 100 and 109 years old and nobody was in a wheelchair or used a walker. These were healthy, fit people who were still enjoying life. 

Follow me on X, the former twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my lastest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

To Live Longer Get Regular Exams

 Get Health Screenings and Tests

Maintaining your health is vital to ensuring your optimal life expectancy. This means seeing your healthcare provider at least once yearly for a comprehensive physical exam and evaluation.

If you have one or more chronic medical conditions, you may need to see our provider more often or see other specialists to ensure your medications are working and the treatment goals are being met.

In addition, you need to get your recommended vaccines, including annual ones like the flu and COVID shots and scheduled ones like the shingles and meningococcal vaccines.

Routine screenings are needed based on your age and sex. This may include mammograms, colonoscopies, Pap smears, and STI screenings.

By preventing diseases or treating them during the early stages, you will be better assured of uninterrupted good health over the long term.

Check-ups should always include blood tests, EKG, and possibly a chest x-ray depending on your condition. Your doctor knows best what you need. As our bodies age, changes will occur quicker than normal, so see your doctor as often as necessary. Sometimes a simple cough can develop into a serious lung condition if not treated. 

If you're serious about living longer, listen to your doctor and make changes in your diet. 

Follow me on X or Twitter @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.