Healthy Lifestyle
A guide to healthy lving including exercise routines and gentle easy exercise to long walks and stretches. Ideas for a healty balanced food meals with a seasonal twist and for a pension budget.
By adopting healthy lifestyles people can remain healthy throughout their life. Older people should take particular care to keep moving and retain their mobility through daily activity. We do not all have to be Rosemary Connollys or Mick Jaggers to keep fit. For general health benefits adults should achieve 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on 5 or more days of the week.
How about going for a walk? It is the perfect form of exercise, you don't need a gym or any special kit, just sensible footwear. Joining a walking group is good for increasing your
social life and your circle of friends (Walkwife Programme
).
If you don't fancy that how about a weekly swim or perhaps you could take up
dancing. Look at what that has done for Bruce Forsyth!
Choose an activity that is right for you, something that you can enjoy doing, be it paragliding or gardening.
With regular frequent exercise people can dramatically improve their heart health as well as their mobility, balance and mental well being.
Remember too that stopping smoking at any age increases your life expectancy before you develop a serious disease such as cancer. Quitting smoking is the greatest single step smokers can take to improve their health.
Eating sensibly is also important. Ensure you eat a varied and balanced diet and make sure you eat the right amounts of food. Remember your 5 portions a day of fruit and vegetables.
Be active, think positive and enjoy your life to the full.
Food
Some ideas for some recipes:
Brain Boosting Smoothie
Ingredients
3 cups of low fat milk or substitute
1 ½ cups of plain low fat yoghurt
1 banana
1 cup of fresh/frozen blueberries
½ cup each of mixed fruits
2 tbsp flax oil or ½ cup flaxseeds
2 tbsp peanut butter (optional)
1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
Blend and enjoy!!!!!!
Other nutritious breakfasts include:
Muesli, yoghurt and apple or banana
Scambled eggs on wholewheat or rye toast
Cottage Cheese on Wholewheat bagel
Cinnamon and Raisin Porridge
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups of water
Dash of salt
1 cup of regular rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped walnuts
Soya milk or skimmed milk
Honey
Instructions
Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high.
When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts, stir, cover the pan and turn off heat. Leave to set for five minutes.
Serve with milk and honey.
Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 skinless chicken breast fillets (cut into chunks)
¼ oz shiitake mushrooms (dried)
8 oz button mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic crushed
1 red onion
1 red pepper finely diced
1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
1 tin tomatoes
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 oz butterfly pasta
¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Place shiitake mushrooms in boiling water and leave for 15-20 minutes until the mushrooms soften. Remove from the water and cut into chunks. Strain the remaining stock and put to one side.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. On a medium heat, add the diced onion and garlic and cook until it is golden brown. Stir in the Shiitake and button mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes until tender, stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes, diced red pepper, rosemary and mushroom stock and bring to the boil before adding the chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Once the above ingredients have been added, start heating a large saucepan of water for the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water and follow the timing instructions.
Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. Serve and sprinkle parmesan on top.