Seeing we are on vacation this week, I figured it was a great time to have a guest post. And who is a better person to have do the guest post than my own mother! (Who is with us on vacation). To give a little introduction, I am the youngest of 6 children. My mother had me when she was 36. I grew up in a close family that moved around frequently for a few years. This made all of us even closer. When I was in high school, my parents moved to Blacksburg, VA and I ended up attending college in Blacksburg (Virginia Tech), therefore I lived right near my parents all through college. This only led to our relationship to build and we become much closer, more friends than anything.
My mother was always very active and go-go-go my whole life. She was a runner for years until she had an unfortunate run that came into the path of some Doberman Pinchers. I guess the dogs won because she lost an ACL. She never has this repaired. My whole life my parents really pushed sports. My father was a collegiate football player. Even as a family, our vacations always included activities: bike riding, swimming, snorkeling, skiing, etc. She always served healthy, well balanced meals (which as children we hated!) and we never had soda or chips in the house (which as children we also hated) but all in all, my mother taught all of us very good exercise and eating lessons growing up.
So i asked her to write a post on what diet, nutrition, exercise, etc. means to a 60+ year old woman, just to get a different perspective on this whole subject.
Photo of mom and I (and one of my other sisters, Abby) (obviously at my wedding.)
I am a 62 year old widow. I was able to maintain the same weight from teens to 48 years and with having six children. One reason this was possible was that I grew up in a time when eating in a restaurant was a rare treat. Therefore, my mother cooked every meal, and she was very conscientious about nutrition. When I married, I was lucky to have her dietary skills as a role model. I cooked most meals and was always aware that we were eating a balanced diet. I didn’t buy sweets and had lots of fruit for snacking. As the children became adults, and as I became pre-menopausal, I had a much more difficult time. Not only did I not have the same motivation; we ate out much more.
By 50, I had gained 30 pounds. When my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer, I had to return to my healthy way of cooking, and I lost 20 pounds. He has since died, and I live alone. What a new challenge this is. At first, I was relieved not to have to cook and thought I would live on low-calorie frozen dinners. That quickly wore off! Now, I am challenged to eat properly and not live on “what taste good” at the moment. I found that I often skipped meals. None of it was healthy!
Now, I am concerned about nutrition for my long term health. Many mornings, I am trying to eat cereal for breakfast. What an adjustment! I never liked cereal, so had to try different ones. So far, Kashi Go-Lean with some splenda is my favorite. I never liked milk but find it’s OK on cereal! I try to eat fat free, sugar free yogurt for lunch with a sandwich. I have discovered that making my own whole wheat bread satisfies some of my returned desire to cook. Plus, it taste better than store bought! I buy good cheese – havarti, goat cheese etc. to put on the bread. I am not too concerned with the fat content of the cheese because the bread is very healthy, and I don’t put that much cheese on a sandwich. I eat lots of fruit – grapes, apples, bananas, peaches etc. I have found this keeps me from craving “junk” food!
My husband and I always ate dinner by ourselves on Saturday night. We usually had steak. Since Saturday night is a couple’s night, I am home most Saturday nights. I have found that keeping the same ritual, eating steak, baked potato and a salad is comforting. I usually get a movie, have a glass of wine and DO NOT have a pitty party. It, honestly, gives me a night for which to look forward. Especially during the winter, I make soups, stews, chili – something that I can eat during the week.
Cooking on Sunday is also good for my mental and physical health. Sunday is usually a family day, so it is an especially long day for a widow. Cooking takes planning, shopping and fills the time. I do go out to dinner with friends, but when I’m at home, I eat the Sunday leftovers. It’s a win/win. I don’t weigh the same as I did when I was young, but I am not over weight. I am more concerned with health than weight at this stage of my life. Good Luck!
Thanks mom! I loved her article for many different reasons (the age, the widow, etc.). I hope everyone is having a good week!!
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