Baby Boomers Are Ready For Earth Day 2012!

By Kathi Casey, ERYT, CPI –

According to a magazine article I read the other day, Baby Boomers are now growing their own organic vegetables and purchasing more organic food than any generation before them. This is good news for our earth! With all the bad press that Monsanto and their “Frankenfood” have generated lately, many of us are afraid to eat just about anything that’s conventionally grown these days. In fact, I’m planning to turn my entire front yard into a vegetable garden this year. Growing our own organic greens and tomatoes assures us that we’ll be eating the nutrients that our bodies need, without added chemicals. I had a small garden last year, but this year’s is going to be much larger. I’ve noticed that it’s a little easier to find organic and heirloom seeds this year; seems a lot of us are fed up with genetically modified food!

When my mom was growing up, her family grew their own vegetables and raised chickens. Another family down the road had a small herd of cows. Neighbors bartered so that everyone had meat, poultry and veggies. There was an orchard not far away where families picked their own apples in the fall and stored some in the “cold cellar,” they made applesauce and, of course, apple pies too. And as a kid, I remember going out to our own garden in the summer to pick green beans, tomatoes galore, peppers and other veggies and we canned them. My parents also piled all of us kids into the car and spent a day at one of those “pick your own” strawberry farms in early summer and then blueberries later in the year and we froze the fruit to have all winter long. At the time I vowed never to have a garden when I grew up, I would much rather have spent my days playing outside or reading, rather than picking fruits and veggies. Funny how your views can change as you get older…

I wonder if perhaps one of the reasons that so many of us Baby Boomers are planting our own gardens again is that we remember what real food tastes like! It’s not just nostalgia – everything did taste better when we were kids. It was real food.

If you’re going to plant your own this year, remember that gardening can be tough on the body. It’s important to stretch before you start your gardening project, and repeat afterward, to avoid back pain from stooping over your plants, digging and raking. One of my favorite back exercises is a slightly different take on the yoga pose, Bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip distance apart. Bring your arms up toward the ceiling and clasp your hands together. Inhale as you tuck your tailbone in and slowly arch your back up into a strong bridge pose, then push your arms toward the ceiling and exhale your back slowly down to the floor, one vertebra at a time. When you do it this way, it’s easier to really feel one vertebra at a time. Repeat three or four times before gardening and then again afterword and your back will thank you!

This year on Earth Day, let’s also take a look around and take stock of what we are doing to help keep both ourselves and the planet a little healthier. Mother earth has kept us fed, hydrated, and provided us with shelter since we arrived here. Perhaps it’s time to give her some tender loving care as well.

Fresh air is so important to the health of every living thing on the planet. Another idea for helping preserve mother earth’s gifts is to plant a tree. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and then release the oxygen we need to breathe. For generations we have been cutting them all down and I think it’s time to reverse that trend. Many parks and nature preserves have provisions for the planting of trees by schools or community groups, in memory of a loved one, or families simply wanting to give back to the community. And this time of year, most garden clubs have spring planting sales. So, let’s find a sale, pick up a small tree and plant it in our yards or in a park and then sit down by our tree and breathe deeply for several minutes. Take in the fresh air with the knowledge that you have just helped to provide fresh air for the next generation. This deep breathing will also bring fresh oxygen throughout your whole body, helping your organs, glands and muscles become healthier.

Gardening – veggies for nutrition, trees for oxygen – that’s multi-tasking at its best!

Best of Health,

Kathi