Fine living is often associated with people of a higher socioeconomic class. This is simply not the case though, and it seems people are finding ways to give their lifestyle lift, perhaps in the form of a healthy lifestyle choices such as planting an herb garden, growing ones own vegetables and participating in family activities that are fun but not necessarily cost much.
There are a variety of magazines, websites, blogs and television shows now dedicated to fine living, and healthy life style options. Life style lift is a term that often refers to enhancing, or improving ones life and others in positive ways. Because feeling good and living well are often associated with one another, such features draw attention among affluent consumers and those looking to pinch pennies alike. To enjoy life money is not the center around which the universe revolves, and so the spreading of luxury ideas at little to no cost has become quite a popular subject. It used to be that eating organic foods came at a high price. This is still the case, especially if you shop at luxury type food stores.
How is it possible that something straight from mother earth actually costs more than a processed item? Well for starters, mass produced food is just that, less attention is paid to each and every item while there is more direct human contact and control with organic crops that are naturally limited in size and number. Fine living can start in your own backyard with a few simple tips, techniques and know how of planting a full herb garden.
People are often surprised buy the flavorful effect herbs have on food, even with little to no added calories most of the time. What is a luxury to buy at the store is easily attainable in your own backyard, and this can even be a life style lift project your kids and the whole family can take part in.
Planting a vegetable garden is another way to bring fine living associated goods usually high in price at the grocery store, down to a relatively cheap price and healthy life style choice the whole family can get excited about. Healthy life style projects such as planting a garden will inspire children to start good habits early on that hopefully continue into adult life.
It is a luxury to eat fresh, delicious and healthy life style types of foods like broccoli and other greens, but what many people do not know is they have the ability to give their own life style lift right in their own backyards.
Here in America, we have built a thriving industry trying to control our weight and treat the consequences of over-indulgence. The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care treatments is staggering...Americans alone spend around $114 billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before...
- A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese...up about eight percent from earlier estimates.
- Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine million are overweight...triple the rate in 1980!
- Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese.
For Americans, modern life may be getting TOO easy. Our cushy lifestyle means we expend less energy and consequently need fewer calories to sustain our normal body weight.
Think about it for a moment...
Entertainment no longer requires energy expenditure. In fact, it's usually quite the opposite. We now entertain ourselves in the comfort of our own home while watching TV and munching on our favorite snack. Whether it's television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we are moving less and burning fewer calories. Common activities that were once a part of our normal routine have disappeared...activities like climbing stairs, pushing a lawn mower or walking to get somewhere.
And please do not misunderstand me...I appreciate comfortable living just as much as the next person. But, here is the problem...
With all of our modern day conveniences and "cushy" style of living we have not adjusted our caloric intake to compensate for our decreased caloric expenditure. We consume more calorie rich and nutrient deficient foods than ever before. Consider a few of the following examples comparing what we eat "today" vs the 1970's (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):
- We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970's, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.
- Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because French fries and potato chips are included as vegetables. Potato products account for almost a third of our "produce" choices.
- We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source of saturated fat in our diets.
- We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 1970's.
- We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970's, when milk consumption was twice that of pop.
- We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent.
- Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. People are consuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet. The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies. In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent of the average person's calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers!
Unfortunately, it would seem that the days of wholesome and nutritious family dinners are being replaced by fast food and eating on-the-run. We have gradually come to accept that it's "OK" to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving portions equate to better value.
It's time recognize that we are consuming too many calories and time to start doing something about it! Each of us can decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits WILL become a normal part of our life!
We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits... slowly and deliberately weed-out the unhealthy habits and activities and start living a more productive and rewarding life. And remember, it has taken a long time to develop bad habits, so be patient as you work toward your goal!
Both Phoenix Delray & Nicky Pilkington are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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