health & wellness

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To A Happy And
Healthy New Year

Tips to make 5774 the year to
revamp into a healthier you.

Shaine Herring
Special to the Jewish News

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his time of year is often
met with two conflicting
experiences — wishing
family and friends a happy and
a healthy New Year, and gather-
ing with those same family and
friends to eat lavish, typically
unhealthy, meals.
This discrepancy goes against
A fun fruit and veggie sculpture to make with
time-honored Jewish teachings
your family
that emphasize healthy living.
For example, Deuteronomy 4:15
and fat.
implores us to be "extremely protec-
The New Year is the perfect time
tive of [our] lives," from which the
to set new goals about our fitness
rabbis derive the concept of shmirat
and nutrition. As we approach Rosh
haguf, or protecting one's body.
Hashanah, a time of reflection and
Today this is viewed to include the
renewal, how can we aim to live
protection of physical, mental and
healthier in 5774?
spiritual health.
Here at the offices of New York's
In addition, the rabbis in the
Camp Zeke, the first Jewish camp
Talmud emphasize the importance
where kids celebrate healthy living,
of exercise and caring for the body,
we have a few tips:
which they view as a container for
■ Go for a brisk walk on Shabbat
the soul. Similarly, Maimonides
afternoon with your family or
stresses the importance of staying
friends;
healthy, since humans are made in
■ Give yourself a Chanukah gift —
the divine image. He teaches that "by modify bubbe's latke recipe so it is
keeping the body in health and vigor, baked in less oil, instead of fried;
one walks in the ways of God."
■ Pledge to have at least one
Given the historical Jewish empha- unprocessed, organic, plant-based
sis on caring for our health, our
Shabbat or holiday meal every
Jewish community is an ideal setting month;
in which to work toward living a
■ Nourish your spiritual health
healthier lifestyle.
and connect with your body by try-
Yet, this is typically not the case.
ing yoga or meditation;
While we might burn some calories
■ Switch to whole wheat challah
dancing the hora, many traditional
for Shabbat to increase the amount
Jewish activities (like the typical
of whole grains in your diet;
American lifestyle) are sedentary.
■ Try to get into the gym more
Also, while food is an important
often or find some fun group fitness
part of Judaism, traditional Jewish
classes at a local JCC.
foods are not always conducive to a
Let's make a resolution as a Jewish
vibrant, energized lifestyle. Shabbat
community to encourage and sup-
and holiday meals often consist of
port healthy eating and exercise,
fatty meats, foods that are high in
and start out the New Year with an
emphasis on shmirat haguf. Don't
refined carbs and sugary desserts.
We might love the taste of deli roll, forget to bring your family and
kishke and rugalach, but these foods
friends along too, as studies show
can have a detrimental impact on
that working out with friends is bet-
our health. Traditional foods don't
ter than exercising alone. Here's to a
need to disappear from our holiday
happy and healthy New Year!
tables, but we should be looking for
ways to make them healthier. This
Shaina Herring is a master's student at
New York University studying health pol-
might include adding more fruits,
vegetables and whole grains to tra-
icy and management as well as Jewish
ditional recipes while reducing the
studies and the program developer at
butter or margarine, processed sugar Camp Zeke.

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