Spinning is my therapy. Not spinning yarn or even spinning a tale, but spinning on a bike. I go twice a week to sweat like mad while seeing how fast I can make my legs fly to obnoxiously loud rock music while my beloved teacher, Val, yells. It’s an awesome workout to combat stress, burn calories, and build endurance. It’s also one of the few intense exercise classes I am still allowed to do. I was born with abnormal knee structure and had surgery on both of them when I was 15. I refused to let them limit me as a long distance runner in track in high school, and ran harder than ever the year after the surgeries. When I was 24, my doctor in California told me that I’d have a double knee replacement by the time I was 50 if I didn’t stop high impact aerobics or give up running. When I was 40, I had major knee surgery that left me flat on my back for weeks. It taught me exercise is a privilege, and health is an investment.  Sure, it’s easier to sit on the couch and with potato chips and ignore nutrition, but what you invest in your body today pays off years later. That is true in both food and exercise.

         “Disease states, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, are progressive. Unless you are taking preventative measures, the disease are going to start taking control of your life. Every day is an opportunity to take preventative measure – a chance for you be mindful of what you’re consuming, your portion and your activity level.” points out Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, Jessica Crandall.

        She likens it to your retirement plan; many people not start thinking about it until they get older. “And then people realize it’s not just about longevity, but also the quality of life. They want to be healthy and active, but also be with their grandkids – not just sitting on the sidelines.”      

         One of the fastest growing trends is for food retailers to involve dietitians. Leah McGrath is a registered dietitian who has worked for Ingles Markets in North Carolina.  She suggested checking your supermarket’s website in their health and nutrition section to see if a retail store dietitian is available. “It’s very chain or retailer dependent. Some chains offer medical nutrition therapy for counseling on obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Other stores are doing group activities, such as store tours and cooking demonstrations.”    

         Whether you work with a dietitian or not, here’s the bottom-line. It may be cheaper to buy Coke instead of milk for your kids today, but the long-term health consequences will be expensive. It’s faster to grab water bottles than fill your own travel bottle, but what are the consequences in the landfill?  It may be easier to grab a highly processed, fully cooked meal, but if you’re not evaluating nutrient balance in your diet, your life won’t be easier long-term. 

         Healthy behavior requires discipline. I choose more life. You decide what is right for you long-term. 

Read more at  Food Truths from Farm to Table to arm yourself with 25 truths you urgently need to know about food so you can shop without guilt, confusion, or judgment. A new book, Food Bullying, releases November 5 to upend the way you think about eating choices.