Wealthy people and healthy people- and the link between the two.

Now, I’m not talking about how rich people are in their health, because we all know that health is worth more than money can buy,  but the fact that it feels like ONLY well-off people can buy a healthy lifestyle is down-right depressing.

This was my number one reason for putting my diet on hold.
I could no longer afford to feed the bill for health. Healthy foods were not only more expensive but were also smaller in portions and lacking ingredients that higher-calorie foods had. Whoever said ‘Less is More’ was right on the target.

Society wonders why the lower class have obesity issues- well let’s start at food prices.
If  ’healthy’ food was affordable, would the income restricted choose them? What if there was a gym that only catered to people with limited income guidelines. It would be attached to a health food grocery store that did the same. How would it change the lives of people so desperately wanting to make a change in their lives, and how quickly would those people not only better themselves through health knowledge, feeling better physically and the examples they set before the people around them- but also in their own financial lives?

• Maybe they would feel less depressed and more likely to try for that college degree to get a better job, or start a business?
• Maybe they would gain confidence to dump the abusive boyfriend and find real husband material who would cherish them and encourage them?
• Maybe they would find the strength to dump the smoking habit or the alcohol and invest that money elsewhere?

Not to say that all income restricted are that way out of choice, but there is a tie between those who have an opportunity  to change but somehow feel strapped or unable to change their lives due to the pressures of income restrictions and an unhealthy lifestyle. In her introduction to her article, Reaching for a Healthier Life, Nancy Adler from the MacArthur Foundation says,

 ”Societies are structured like ladders. The rungs of the ladder represent the resources that determine whether people can live a good life – prosperous, healthy, and secure – or a life plagued by difficulties – insufficient income, poor health, and vulnerability. People standing on the top rungs are the best educated, have the most respected jobs, ample savings, and comfortable housing. On the bottom rungs are people who are poorly educated, experience long bouts of unemployment or low wage jobs, have nothing to fall back on in the way of savings, and live in substandard homes. The people in the middle have more resources to rely on than do people at the bottom, but far less than people on the top. In reaching for health, every step up makes a difference. “

So, what can we do to help change this? I certainly do not use our limited resources as an excuse to live an unhealthy lifestyle but I have to say- it is VERY difficult for us to purchase grass fed beef at $6.44 lb.

What do you think about this?

I have some sort of intestinal flu. I made some healthy lemongrass soup today to try and combat whatever is draining my insides. This really isn’t how I want to lose weight, guys.

So I took it slow today. Without counting what I lost over the past 24 hours, I am still at 140. I figure everything else SHOULD get back to normal within the next few days, hopefully sooner.

Either way Im being good! For breakfast I had rolled oats, a few raisins, and sliced apples with sugarfree maple syrup. For dinner, lean ground turkey on whole wheat with lettuce.
I’m really looking forward to nicer weather so I can go outside for walks. This rainy COLD weather is so hard on me.

In the mean time, I am washing clothes OLD SKOOL. And I’m not talking ghetto laundro mat, friends. Im talking BATHTUB. Hey, it’s a workout. But in all the chaos, I havent been able to record my meals this week. I CAN TELL YOU, however, that I am officially 140! That is ELEVEN POUNDS! I have been eating basicly any lean meats I can and any veggies I can because I was getting SO LOW!

Tonight I had Buckwheat Pancakes made from this recipe (instead of wheat) for dinner because There wasnt anything else quick to make. I had a whole wheat tortilla wrap with lettuce and 2 pieces of turkey bacon in it for breakfast, but lunch was a goner due to the fact I was covering a shooting in my neighborhood as a local reporter and missed it.

I DID go shopping though and got a few foods, so I should be ALL SET FOR THIS WEEK! Oh… and here is my accountability shot for the week. Enjoy!

-Jyn