A Healthy Diet Is Extremely Important For Overall Fitness
So once again I had my annual medical physical check out complete with blood and urine lab tests to assess my overall health. Last year everything was good except I was a touch low on blood iron so for the last year, I made sure I added iron rich foods into my diet, particularly spinach and one single serving of lean red meat per week which is a departure of my past no red meat at home diet. My family doctor revealed to me yesterday that my iron was back up to decent levels and everything else like cholesterol and other important measurements came back within acceptable healthy standards. My blood pressure was 110/70 and body weight stable.
The only ‘negative’ result that came out of the lab tests was my minor thalessemia which is something I had all my life and is genetic without any cure. But this doesn’t impact my health especially since I keep up with my cardiovascular fitness. My doctor did mention that the levels indicating minor thalessemia has not changed over the years too so this is an expected annual lab result.
PSA Levels For Prostate Cancer Detection
A major element we always check each year is my prostate health via both a digital exam as well as a PSA blood test (which I actually have to pay $35 extra for each time). There was one incident a few years ago where my PSA level actually spiked up to the gray zone for no apparent reason but since adding tomatoes to my diet on a daily basis for the lycopene which is thought to help prevent against prostate cancer plus two 500 mg of ginseng capsules each day, my PSA levels have returned to within acceptable numbers. This latest reading actually had my PSA level lower than last year’s number.
I’m certain that this has to do with the tomatoes and ginseng even though my doctor says that there’s not enough evidence to definitely conclude that. But tomatoes and ginseng capsules are not expensive plus they can be part of a healthy diet so there’s certainly no harm in maintaining them as part of my daily intake. At this point, I would honestly be too scared to go off tomatoes and ginseng.
The way I take this prostate cancer prevention strategy is add either 1/2 to a full tomato to my dinner and pop a 500 mg ginseng capsule in the morning along with my multi-vitamin, additional vitamin C and additional vitamin E tablets. I pop another 500 mg ginseng capsule with my dinner.
My Continued Commitment To Nutrition & Fitness
My medical checkup this year was interesting timing. Not only was it during the Covid-19 pandemic when many people out there have gained extra weight due to no physical activity at home, this recent checkup is a few weeks just before I start another decade in age as I turn the big 60 this February. As I observe most of my fellow middle agers out there who have clearly let themselves go from a health and fitness point of view, I’m going to be as committed as ever to maintain my health and fitness.
The results from my most recent medical checkup clearly reveals that what you eat is so important that I consider diet to be 50% of the overall fitness equation. What you put in your mouth over time is extremely important when it comes to keeping fit and healthy especially as one gets older. Even though there’s no problems eating everything on the table every once in a while when dining out with friends, the vast majority of your diet should be at home with very nutritious food.
As per the latest Canada Food Guide recommendations, 50% of my dinner plate is vegetables (usually about three different types each dinner) with 25% carbs and 25% proteins. My proteins are usually fish or chicken (plus the one single weekly serving of lean red meat as already mentioned). Carbs are either 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice or pasta. I also do not stock any junk food in my kitchen shelves as snacking these days tend to be nuts, whole wheat crackers (like Triscuit or Wheat Thins) or fig biscuits which are very low in fat.
So if you are not happy with your current physical fitness, you definitely need to get more active but in addition to that, take an honest look at what you have in your kitchen along with how often you eat out. I’ve proven without a doubt that what you eat has a huge impact. As my doctor and I agreed at the end of my appointment, I should keep doing what I’m doing as I enter my new decade of life.
