Monday, August 28, 2006

Health and the Writer by Camy Tang

Whether you’re a writer who also works a full-time job or are a busy stay-at-home-mom, it’s hard to stay healthy. I researched and figured out a bunch of tips and tricks to help me stay in shape without carving out of my precious writing time. I also found some tips to help me have just general better health. Pick and choose which of these will work for you.

Limit your sodium intake.

Sodium can cause not just high blood pressure, but it can also contribute to nastier things like kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer.

I don’t know about you girls (and guys), but when I eat a lot of salty foods, I tend to drink more water, and then I bloat. Not a pleasant sight. Jeans suddenly become too tight when they fit fine yesterday. This can be a very bad thing when I’m on the verge of going out and suddenly that little black dress is a little too little.

Also, it can be bad if you intake too much sodium and then don’t drink enough water—dehydration = baaaaaaaaaad.

Check with your doctor about your sodium intake. Try to reduce the amount of salt in your diet by avoiding fast food if you can, and checking the labels of things like canned soups or frozen entrees.

You can also spice up instead of salt up. Salt substitutes are good alternatives, or just experiment with your own spice rack.

Camy Tang is a novelist also fighting the battle of the bulge. Find out more about her and her books at http://www.camytang.com/, or enjoy the read on her blog at http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Jim Thompson said...

Thanks, Camy. I'm one who thought sodium intake just hurt blood pressure. Since I've always had low blood pressure I felt free to partake of pizza or hamburgers. Hmmm ... now I have to rethink this.

9:53 AM  
Blogger Vicki said...

Thanks for the healthy reminder. I've been consuming way too much salt lately. I never add it to my food, but eat too much already-salted stuff. It's easy to guage for me--my rings get super tight.

10:12 AM  
Blogger Tricia Goyer said...

My grandma lives with us and because of a heart condition, she is on a low sodium diet. This means for the past 1 1/2 years I've had to cook without salt . . . and you know what? All of us have gotten used to it. I even like her "Healthy Pop" popcorn. SO much in fact that salty and buttery popcorn makes me ill. Thanks for the reminder, Camy!

8:47 PM  

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