A healthy diet and regular exercise are important to overall health and necessary to prevent obesity and other lifestyle related illnesses. Both of these variables are important parts of the three priority lifestyles: healthy diet, physical activity and stress management. Regular exercise and a well regulated diet more often than not result in a significant reduction in overall stress levels.
A major factor in the ability of someone to participate in the three priority lifestyles is access to healthy foods and physical activity. According Lane and Davis (2022), 18.4% of the state of Alabama is located in what has been termed a health desert. These are areas defined has having limited access to both fresh groceries and areas in which to exercise. Of these health deserts, 87.6% percent are located in rural areas.
These health deserts present a major problem for people living in these communities and often result in significant cases of obesity and morbidity. Accordingly, poor, rural, minority communities are the most affected and are the least impacted by effective policy measures.
To avoid any adverse health events and improve long-term health problems, there are a few nontraditional and localized methods which can help to improve health and build active communities.
One of the most effective way to improve diet and build community is the implementation of a community garden. These gardens are gaining in popularity these days but due to the amount of time necessary to grow and maintain a community garden, many do not last past the first growing season. However, a new method, called Straw Bale gardening, can provide a cost effective means to growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
Few materials are needed to grow a successful straw bale garden and cleanup is easy. According to the developer of straw bale gardening, Joel Karsten, just about anything, except for sweet corn, can grow and a bale of straw. Due to the nutrients in straw, early growth vegetation receives the necessary nutrients to successfully grow without the addition of any artificial chemicals. We here at BaledIt! are making it our mission to bring the straw bale gardening technique to communities in need of fresh foods.
We are also working to develop nontraditional methods of physical activity. These activities involve the use of everyday utensils such as parallettes for L-sits, pushups, handstands, and handstand pushups; tubular webbing for weighted pulls; sand-filled basketballs used as medicine balls; sandbags for kettle bell exercise, Turkish get-ups, farmer walk, and squats; and towels for pullups,
If you are interested in learning more about cheap and effective nontraditional methods for growing your own food and keeping physically active. Please contact us at…
Baled It! 