Q: I’m cutting back on a lot of things to save money, and the gym, vitamins, and nutritious food are expensive. How can I stay healthy while keeping costs down?
A: I once asked the great Florida Atlantic University biomedical science professor Dr. Charles H. Hennekens what would get Americans eating right, to curb obesity and diabetes. His answer? Global economic collapse. His rationale was that only with such a crisis would people have to cut back on rich foods, sweets, and taking cabs. So: Suspend your gym membership and go outdoors to exercise (until winter, when, we hope, the economy starts to recover). Instead of weight machines, do push-ups, pull-ups, triceps dips, and crunches for your routine. These “complex” movements build core strength. Also, doing yoga — at home with a $10 mat and The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga ($13) — will let you maintain muscle tone and build incredible flexibility. I was in Iraq during the marine invasion in 2003, and running was out of the question. Instead I’d gather a few soldiers and (protected by M1A1 tanks) do yoga every evening while watching the “triple A” fire in the distance. When it comes to diet, you can save a great deal of money. Beans, brown rice, and vegetables are good foods to help you control your appetite and decrease your body fat while maintaining high energy levels. In addition, the combination of the three can provide 80 percent of all the macro- and micro-nutrients you need. (While reporting on the Burundi civil war for CBS News, I would buy enormous bags of beans for around $2.50, and they’d last our whole team for about two weeks.) Finally, add big bags of frozen veggies to your freezer; they’re frozen at the peak of their freshness and haven’t lost any nutrients. This way, you can eat for $4 a day and feel great. And don’t worry about vitamin supplements; if you’re eating this well you shouldn’t need them.
Email your questions for Dr. Bob Arnot to dr.bob@mensjournal.com.
This article originally appeared in the June issue of Men’s Journal.
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