Peaches from the Cellar Give Fruit from the Tree

When I was growing up we had two peach trees in the backyard. I can still remember climbing the trees. In fact, I dug up this old picture out of the attic this morning. My sister Natalie and I are in one of the trees together.

What do you think about those bangs?!

The peach trees produced bushels of peaches. My mom used to can them in glass mason jars and store them in the cellar. So when fruit was scarce (or seasonally expensive) during the winter months, we would have plenty of fruit to eat.

I can remember when my mom gave us the okay to grab the first jar of the season.

We would get excited as my parents opened thé basement door in the kitchen floor. The trap door led us to creepy steep stairs that took us into the dark basement. We would search blindly to find the old fashioned light ,which was just a string hanging from one dim light bulb.

There we would find mason jars filled with peaches, pears, beets and pickled cucumbers.

We would drool in anticipation as my mother opened the first jar of peaches and dish them out to everyone.

Making us fat and happy.

Way back before we had refrigeration, fresh fruits and vegetables were scarce in the winter time. And people actually had to hunt for their food.
There’s a theory that the reason people gain weight and beef up for the winter, is that we had to fatten up because food was scarce.

Similar to the theory which explains why we need to go out of our way to exercise. Our bodies were built to walk and work on the farm. Instead, we now spend most of our time sitting. For work, sitting at the computer, sitting in the car or taking the train.

This is exactly why it’s so important to exercise. If we don’t get enough exercise, our bodies hold the extra calories and turn them into fat.

According to Huffpost millions of Americans gain weight over the winter holidays. Women’s Health claims that 59% of women gain an average of 4.5 pounds in the winter.

Ouch!

If you are like so many millions of other Americans and have about 5 pounds to lose, check out my brand new book, “Zipping It Up: How to lose 5 pounds fast – and look great in that little black dress!”