Healthy plan during recession ...by Dr. Chong

Family dinners

Want to start a revolution? Try eating dinner together as a family.Recessions tend to foster family mealtimes as the pin money that drives fast-food meals and overscheduled lives dries up.

Shorter lines at the pump

It seems like only yesterday we witnessed the thrilling rush-hour road rage exchanges at every metropolitan gas station

Less junk mail

Thanks to the presumptive recession, many of us have recently glimpsed the back of our mailboxes for the first time in years.

More coupons

When the going gets tough, the tough clip coupons to help maintain their lifestyles.

A February survey by ICOM Information and Communications in Toronto found that 67% of Americans are likely to use coupons during a recession, regardless of their income.

Free fitness

What's the official vegetable of good times? The couch potato, of course.

But as gas prices skyrocket, alternative modes of transportation are once again gaining traction. When you ride a bike, walk to the bus stop or hoof it to the train station to commute to work, you get a free workout along with saving gas money.

You can extend your free workout in other ways. Throw in a little cardio (by skipping rope, jogging or rowing) and add some upper body (with push-ups, sit-ups and free weights) and you can save the $35 to $40 a month

Bargain SUVs

Not all prices go up in a recession. Case in point

Business startup opportunities

What do Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Disney have in common? They all started during economic downturns, as did more than half of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

In fact, entrepreneurial startups by laid-off and downsized employees, managers and executives often help get the economy growing again.

Recessions are a great time to open your own shop: Wages are down, rents are cheaper, competition is scarce and goods and services can be found at a discount.

Growth in gardening

A recession is the perfect time to get back to nature. Bid your lawn service adieu and put your mind and body to work tending your grounds yourself.

The benefits are numerous. Regular gardening provides cardio and strength training, improves flexibility and relieves stress. These health benefits help fight heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

The fruits and vegetables you grow also encourage a healthier diet. And the money you save by doing the mowing, raking, pruning and mulching yourself will more than pay for your equipment, fuel and next year's plantings.

Musical inspiration

Do economic downturns inspire great music? A case can be made that hard times help produce heartfelt anthems that cut through the anesthetic musical drone of the day.

New perspectives

Perhaps the greatest boon of a recession is the time to reflect and reassess the true meaning and goals of our lives.
history is any indication, we humans are inclined to resume our consumption full speed once the economic engine starts rolling again. But our progress toward a more sustainable future comes in increments during those times when we are forced to do without.We may not yet be ideal stewards of the planet, but we're making progress. Temporary setbacks like recessions prompt our new hope.

wishing you health....happiness...success ( greetings from Dr. J. Chong)