Too Busy for Your Own Good (56 page)

Eat a sensible diet
rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products plus modest amounts of fish and low-fat meat and chicken.

If you need help, consult a
registered dietician
(R.D.)
. A “nutritionist” is usually trying to sell you something, and it's
not
science.

Make a weekly meal plan (including snacks) and shop regularly
. If it isn't in the house, you can't make or eat it.

Carry food or brown bag it frequently
. You don't need to have a whole meal with you, just healthier snacks.

Get It Done Cookies
. Ever since I discovered cookies and books at the foot of my crib on Saturday mornings, I've loved cookies (and books). It was my mother's way to keep me occupied so she and Dad could sleep in just a bit. Keeping with this “tradition,” I still want to read and eat cookies first thing every morning. I've modified this recipe over the years, and I want to share it. The name came from being able to check off “breakfast,” “fiber,” and “snack” from my shopping and to-do list, plus the cookies' “regularity-inducing” properties.

Cream together:

¾ cup cholesterol-smart buttery spread

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

Add in:

½ cup egg substitute

1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix separately, then add to above mixture:

¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Mix in:

2 cups oat bran

2½ cups oats

1 cup puffed rice cereal

1 cup golden raisins (I don't like the dark ones.)

½ cup nuts (optional)

½ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Drop by cookie scoop (generous tablespoonful) onto nonstick cookie pan and bake at 375° in oven for 13 to 14 minutes. Cool and store in tight container.

Crazy busy can drastically affect your balance. Consider this scenario: Your big project makes you too busy to cook, so you eat in restaurants and grab fast food. You don't have time to exercise, so you gain a few extra pounds. The knees start to hurt, so you hire someone to walk your dog. You mask the pain with something over-the-counter and gain
more weight. Your bowels rebel with diarrhea, your electrolytes get unbalanced, and your natural immunity is lowered. You catch the nasty cold that's going around, and your doctor can't see you for two days. As you nurse your fatigue, fever, and hacking cough, you miss a critical deadline and jeopardize a big project.

After years of working with sick people as a nurse and having had my share of health challenges, I know that if you don't have a healthy, pain-free body, nothing else really matters in life. While working in intensive care, I adjusted the morphine pumps of cancer patients and pumped the chests of heart attack victims. It's true, they would have given everything they had to be healthy. Our bodies change over time, but this doesn't necessarily have to be for the worse. Even though our health-care system is flawed (geared to
fixing
, rather than
preventing
, poor health), you can ensure your future wellness. Here are some important tips to help you do just that:

Find a doctor you can talk to, ask questions, and e-mail
. If money is an issue, don't discount your local free community clinic, because many fine health-care providers volunteer their services to these facilities.

Get a baseline checkup with blood work and urinalysis
. Many serious conditions and diseases show up here
way
before you get symptoms.

Use sunscreen and have a skin check
. A dermatologist can perform a “mole patrol” to catch cancer early and help you sidestep premature wrinkles.

Get your eyes checked
. Besides enabling you to see better, your eye doctor might identify why you have those blinding headaches or spot a problem before it affects your vision.

See a dentist
. Along with fixing cavities that release bacteria responsible for heart, lung, and gastrointestinal (GI) damage, regular visits to the dentist help you
keep
your teeth longer, improve (or brighten) your smile, and freshen your breath.

Learn to use a blood pressure machine
. Your blood pressure is not only a clear indication of your heart's function but of your overall health. Numbers don't lie; knowing your range and checking your blood pressure yourself allows you to “hear” what your heart may be telling you.