How to Live Healthy and Stay Young - Just Menong

Long life, healthy, and still look young. Maybe that's what women aspire to so that everyone competes to apply various ways of healthy and youthful living. Although, with age, my body is getting 'flowery' but there are some patterns that I still do until now.

Healthy and Youthful

Reduce Sugar

I have a hereditary form of diabetes from my father's side, and my blood sugar spiked a few years ago. Although my father and mother are both healthy and do not have diabetes, I have been reducing the sugar in the food or drinks I consume for dozens of years.

I still eat normally and buy lots of snacks; I am used to not adding sugar and juice or rarely buying instant drinks. In addition, plain water is still our choice. Zauji and I have never intentionally bought instant drinks; even the ones we get from parcels are more often given to others than we consume ourselves.

So does it feel strange?

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Everything is plain. Alhamdulillah, my tongue is already familiar with the taste without sugar. I never add white sugar to any juice or drink except for fruit flavors that are too sour, like strawberry or mango.

In fact, my tongue is a little sensitive if there is food or drink that is too sweet or uses artificial sweeteners like saccharin (sugar) or aspartame. My nose can even smell the sweetness in a cup of tea.

Because I am used to it, in the end I can restrain myself a little if there are sweet foods, including cakes and chocolates, which of course are contrary to my hobby as a chocolate lover.

For the sake of health and 'tolerating' with Zauji, who has had to stop sugar altogether, this hobby of mine clearly has to be reduced.

Alhamdulillah, until now, our sugar levels are still within the normal threshold.

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Reduce Fried Foods

Well, this is the hardest habit for me to leave. Gehu and bala-bala are the most delicious breakfasts for me. Fried tofu served hot with soy sauce can be a super luxurious meal for me. One day without fried food is certainly a big challenge for me.

Still trying to reduce my favorite food, fried food, that is served almost every day at home or anywhere. Now, I am starting to limit buying fried food except for Zauji's mother, who provides it at home.

So what about other types of fried food?

Well, until now, we still consume fried food. Of course it will be very difficult to stop completely. In addition to the limited amount, don't forget to always include fruits and vegetables in sufficient quantities.

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Reduce White Rice

Since Zauji was diagnosed with diabetes, I have limited white rice as the main source of carbohydrates. Alhamdulillah, Zauji followed my advice and replaced it with brown rice. Although I had to cook two different types of rice, especially since we still cook in the traditional way using a steamer, this method is quite effective in lowering Zauji's sugar levels.

I myself have eaten white rice as a requirement for my tongue. Like most Indonesians, it feels incomplete or not eating if you don't eat rice first. Sometimes my mother protests this habit because my portion size is getting 'smaller'.

Because it feels bland, I trick brown rice with grains to make it taste better as a way to live a healthy and youthful life. This multigrain rice is made by mixing brown rice with multigrain during the aron process. Not only as a staple rice, multigrain rice can be processed into Zauji's favorite fried rice without changing the taste.

Multigrain mixed fried rice

Sport

I am not the type of person who likes to exercise, but for about 4 years I regularly attended yoga classes in between my work days. This pleasure ended when I often had vertigo, which made it difficult for me to do yoga movements freely. Swimming lessons were also stopped because some movements actually triggered vertigo to recur.

When I was on study leave, I was moved to take a gym class that could choose various types of different sports, such as zumba, line dancing, and yoga, depending on my free time. And the fate of this class was the same as my previous classes.

Measuring Walking Distance with Amazfit Smartwatch

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The last three years, I finally chose a cheap and super simple sport, which is walking. Since Zauji had retinal ablation, heavy or shock-prone sports are no longer allowed, so morning walks have become our choice.

This is not a bad choice because this morning's activities can be enjoyed together while chatting and shopping (always, yeah)

Think positively

There may be one thing that is hard to get out of my mind. I always feel fat.
Yup, that feeling has been there since dozens of kilograms ago.

Body positivity, learning to love and be grateful for our own bodies. Many people say that a wife must always take care of her appearance. Alhamdulillah, Zauji does not demand much and is always grateful for the appearance and shape of my body.

Body positivity is not for the judgment of others but for our own hearts and souls so that we continue to choose a healthy and youthful lifestyle as a form of gratitude for the blessings that Allah has given us.