I’ve always strived to stay healthy by exercising and eating properly. Ever since my heart bypass surgery nearly two years ago, I’ve tried even harder and have armed myself with more knowledge by reading several good health-related books. The books all have three main messages: (1) Exercise (2) Avoid bad fats such as saturated fat and trans fat (3) Eat lots of fruits and vegetables a day. Exercise Anything will pass as exercise as long as it gets your heart rate up for a half hour or more. When I work around the house, I approach it as exercise, not as a chore. The other day I decided I wanted to increase my firewood supply from two years to three years, so I chose a storage spot on the side of my house that would be convenient to my primary wood storage area, a covered area off the kitchen that allows me to chop wood out of the rain. I’ve already worked several days on the spot, cutting out a big bush that still has massive roots in the ground that must come out. Then I drove in 12 metal posts with a post driver, over which I placed wooden pallets that will serve as a backstop for one side of the woodpile. I’ve got another couple of days of good exercise waiting for me. It’s better than going to a gym, at least for me. I get bored at the gym, or riding a stationery bike, but I feel as though I’m accomplishing something while getting my heart rate up when I do chores. Avoid bad fats Avoiding bad fats is easy. Don’t eat a lot of meat, except for chicken, and then don’t eat the skin. What could be simpler. Of course, you have to become a label reader when you shop at the grocery store to make sure you don’t buy packaged and canned stuff that is loaded with saturated fat or trans fat. Other fats–the polys and monos–are not so bad. The omega 3s you get from fish are the best. They are fatty acids. Eat fish three times a week and you‘ll live long, unless you get unlucky. Japanese eat lots of fish and have very low rates of heart problems; Americans eat lots of meat and have very high rates of heart problems. With these facts I convinced my wife that I needed to buy a fishing boat so I could live longer. Which goes to show that healthy living is good on many levels. How many guys can convince their wives that blowing $50K on a boat is a good idea? Eat fruits and veggies Eating fruits and vegetables is on a par with the first two. The research varies only in the amount you should eat. At least five servings a day, but more likely about nine. No one really knows. Eating healthy has to involve a lifestyle commitment to fresh vegetables and fruits. We have a big garden and a number of fruit trees so we’re positioned well to eat healthy as a way of life. The other day we had a stir fry consisting of tomatoes, cukes, squash, and Swiss chard picked fresh from our garden. Some skinless chicken chunks made it a protein-rich meal. On the side we had corn on the cob, also picked from the garden. My boys and I make a big deal of our many stir frys, taking out our private sets of chop sticks to eat them. Lenie likes to put up some of our garden veggies, and she’s made it an enjoyable break from the usual routine of running the magazine. The other day she and her friends spent the day on our deck pealing and cutting up our apples after our sons had harvested them from our several trees. She also made a bunch of jars of sweet pickles, which is probably my favorite treat, out of our garden’s cucumbers. While John Silveira was visiting the other day, he, my sons, and I picked all of our kale and blanched and froze it for future batches of kale soup. Kale soup is probably the healthiest soup on the planet. You’ll have to do a search of the website if you want the recipe. I’m making some tomorrow. We’ve still got some ears of corn in the garden, which I eat without butter or salt. Plain corn on the cob is delicious. Most people have convinced themselves that they have to smear corn on the cob with butter and salt. Not so! You just have to let your taste buds adapt to the wonderful flavor of plain corn. We also have plenty of cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, squash, and pumpkins left in the garden. But the growing and harvesting season is almost over. In a few weeks we’ll begin letting our chickens free-range in the garden and all over our property. That will enrich their eggs with the many phytochemicals pharmacy houses have yet to synthesize in pill form. More healthy food in the form of phytochemical-rich eggs! And remember that an egg a day does not cause a cholesterol problem; a number of studies have shown that. Well, it’s raining now in Oregon. That means winter and woodstove fires are soon to come, which I welcome as more opportunities for healthy exercise for me. I am the main wood cutter in the house, although my 16-year-old son, Jake, has lately taken to this delightful pastime. Chopping wood is a mix of aerobic exercise and transcendental meditation, which I’ll explain in a future blog.