Lifestyle

WHEEEE! Exuberance! Remember running or rolling down a grassy hill? Those were the days!
I'm taking a Lunch N Lose weekly seminar which has raised some questions in my mind about what amount of physical activity is optimum at my advanced age. I've learned some interesting things already (only been to two sessions). I've learned about websites which allow you to keep a food diary. Keeping one has been eye opening for me. I knew already that being of small stature, and post menopausal, and somewhat sedentary, my caloric requirements were much diminished from my youthful years, but, tracking calories and comparing my intake to what I'm burning through my daily activities, is actually fun. I really like being able to list what I've eaten, see the resulting total and then apply the activities to see how many calories I'm burning over and beyond what I've taken in. Math folks may yawn here. If I'm supposed to stay under 1500 calories a day (and I am supposed to) and my lifestyle requires 2100 a day (for functioning), then the difference of 600 calories is drawn from storage and burned every day. So, if I just did the daily minimum, I'd lose a pound a week. But, I've been averaging 800 more I'm utilizing once I figure in the rest of my activities. That translates into 1-2 pounds a week I can lose if I'll keep puttering!

I've also realized, that if I were to do more weightbearing exercise (like if we lived nearer the grandkids and were lugging them about)
or if the "uphill" walking I do were in NH in the dead of winter
or if I were rounding up horses and harnessing them and walking behind them as they plowed, that would burn more calories that casually tossing them hay and grain...

but, it is still gratifying to see that I do get credit for the walks round campus, doing the laundry, feeding animals, even taking a shower!
I can't eat like a lumberjack, but I am getting some productive exercise. I'm realizing that steaming and grilling food allows some of the fat to just run right off. Twice I've let the water boil out of the pan under the steamer basket and the resulting black syrupy stuff sticking to the bottom of the pan is sugar that I didn't consume! Sugar from lima beans!