Sept 20, 2024 – Finding a movement for life, trans fats, and doing better

Happy Friday! Each week, I’m sharing two nano health habits, a lesson, and an inspirational quote to ponder on your health journey.

No one’s yet discovered the elixir of youth. There is no one fix for a longer, healthier life. What we do have, though, are nano or micro habits that together make all the difference.

Two Nano Health Habits

Find a movement you can love for life: We don’t need to be an elite athlete to be healthy. But we do need at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity; ideally more. That could be broken down into say five weekly sessions of 30 minutes each.

So, what movement do you love that you will keep up for life? Walking while listening to a podcast in the morning? Dancing? Hiking? Tennis? Squash? Yoga? It really doesn’t matter what, so long as it’s consistent.

Try a standing or treadmill desk: One easy way to move at work is to try a standing desk, or even one with a treadmill.

A standing desk will reduce the time you’re sitting still and give you more flexibility in movement. A treadmill desk has shown improvements in glucose and cholesterol levels.

One Lesson

Zero trans fats doesn’t mean it’s trans free: Trans fats are man made to increase the shelf life of foods, particularly vegetable oils. Trans fats are the worst kind of fat for our health, increasing so-called bad cholesterol and lowering what’s known as our good cholesterol.

The trouble is, in the US, regulators have allowed food manufacturers to label a product as having 0 grams of trans fats if it contains less than 0.5 grams per serving. But those tiny amounts can add up. So, another way of checking is to look at the ingredient list.

If the ingredient list includes partially hydrogenated oils, then it contains trans fats. It belongs back on the shelf.

One Quote

“Do the best until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou