Labor Day Update

Happy Labor Day and a big welcome to new subscribers! I had hoped to reach 100 subscribers by Labor Day. And yesterday, with the addition of a new sign-up, I got there! Exactly 100! I know… A modest community for sure, but double where I was last summer! Thanks to everyone for your interest in SecondFifty, and for your patience while I figure out how best to provide useful and interesting information about healthy aging. Pretty ironic that Labor Day, a holiday conceived as a rest day to commemorate the sacrifices and hard physical labor of industrial workers at the end of the 19th century, is now a time when many of us seek out a final weekend of physical activity at the unofficial end of the summer season. Desk-bound, home-bound recently, and removed from physical challenges, our inactive population suffers the many ills of chronic obesity. Only 20% of jobs today require even modest physical exertion. According to the CDC, 80% of Americans don't get sufficient exercise. Poor diet exacerbates the situation.  It doesn't have to be this way…Too many people confuse healthy exercise with arduous athletic training for sport-specific performance. They overcommit to a program, become overwhelmed or injured, get discouraged, and then quit. Achieving general health and fitness doesn't require heroic effort or great expertise. Recent research confirms the commonsense notion that a manageable schedule of moderate physical activity is well within reach. Consistency is more important than intensity as a baseline to wellness. Here's an example to prove my point. The linked New York Times Article below highlights the significant health benefits of simply walking several times a week. You won't be training for a marathon or conditioning for serious sports performance. But you will be taking care of yourself in a sustainable way.

Do We Really Need  to Take10,000 Steps A Day For Our Health?

SECONDFIFTY HEALTH MUFFINS RECIPE

Labor Day for me is also a time to re-commit to a healthier diet after a more relaxed summer. 

Several years ago, I came across a muffin recipe using Bob’s Red Mill High Fiber Cereal. I've modified it over time, adding and subtracting from the original, and have now perfected a very healthy, high fiber muffin that's easy to make and tastes great. Friends and family ask me for the recipe all the time, so I thought I would share it here.

The recipe calls for nuts, and the muffins are not gluten-free or fat-free, or sugar-free, but they're made from healthy whole food with very little added sugar and fat. They taste good and are good for you! Feel free to modify the core recipe to suit your preference. It's quite resilient to additions and subtractions.

The blue button below will take you to a printable PDF recipe...

Thank you, George. 

Stay Strong. Age Well.

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Who sent this letter:

I'm George Harrop, founder of

SecondFifty.Blog

—an online resource for people who want to prioritize their health and wellbeing by taking a common-sense approach to nutrition and fitness. Many modern middle-aged people have spent the previous decades building careers and raising families. 

Now we're committed to getting and staying fit during the second half of our lives. We're on a mission to age with more agility and ease! Join us →