Key Life Area: Health
Do you feel like you have enough energy to get your work done, and still have plenty left over for having fun? Or do you find yourself getting worn out by simple activities, and getting sick too often?
Preserving and keeping up good health provides you with the energy and vitality to make changes and improvements in life as well as to sustain them.
Health maintenance and prevention is one of the foundations to enjoying a fulfilling lifestyle. It’s difficult to appreciate where you are, or make progress, if you are suffering from illness or stress.
The fundamental foundation of keeping a healthy lifestyle involves granting yourself the benefits of
· good nutrition
· exercise
· wellness
Nutrition
There are all kinds of diets out there, but many reputable nutrition resources are pointing to the same types of foods for healthy eating:
Here are today’s basic guidelines on eating healthy
• Eat fresh foods whenever possible
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables
• Eat whole grains and legumes
• Eat complex, and avoid simple, carbohydrates
• Eat unsaturated, and avoid saturated and trans fats
• Grill, bake, broil, or stir fry meats or meat substitutes
• Eat lean, low sodium meats or meat substitutes
• Eat healthy oils, such as from nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados
• Have low fat dairy products
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day
For more specific, and up-to-date guidelines, go to:
and,
How much of the different kinds of nutrients should you eat, or limit yourself to?
You can look at the Daily Value on the food’s nutrition label on the package. The Daily Value shows the amount (percentage) of a nutrient you should have, based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Therefore, you will need to adjust the percentages, based on the general amount of calories you want to have per day. This can vary, based on whether you are trying to maintain, gain, or lose weight.
For information about the right amount of calories and types of food, that are right for you, you can go to the U.S. government’s My Plate Plan. It will tell you how many calories, and what types and amounts of food to have to maintain your current weight, or to achieve a healthy weight, based on your:
· age
· sex
· weight
· height
· activity level
In general, you will benefit most from eating non-processed, low-fat, low-salt foods, and to eat a balanced variety of them. Doing so will likely help lower your blood pressure, decrease your fat storage, build your immunity, and have you feeling in better spirits.
For more nutrition guidelines and tips, download my free e-book:
Enjoy Food, Lose Weight, and Gain Vitality.
Exercise
The next main component to good health, after nutrition, is exercise.
Exercise is essential for your body to continue operating at an optimal level.
Physical activity helps with:
prevention of heart disease,
improving circulation,
muscle tone and development, and
burning fat.
You don’t have to perform high impact aerobic activity for extended periods of time like a finely-tuned athlete might.
To maintain good health, you simply need to combine an adequate amount of aerobic and anaerobic (strength training) exercise. For many people, this means:
• 25 - 30 minutes of aerobic activity, such as walking, running, or swimming, 3-5 times per week
• 30-minute to 1-hour strength training workouts 2-3 times per week
For an effective basic regimen, choose from the workouts below (these are suggested, but are by no means all-encompassing).
Aerobic: Try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, spread out over a week:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise/faq-20057916
Exercises (Aerobic):
Walking Treadmill Skating
Running Elliptical Swimming
Bicycling Exercise Bike Dance
Sports
Basketball Soccer Tennis
Football Hockey Pickleball
Strength Training (Anaerobic): Try to do 2-3 workouts each week, combining to work all muscle groups.
Important: Make sure to get enough rest in between workouts for your muscles to recover, typically at least 1-3 days (depending on the intensity of the workout).
If they are still sore from the last workout, you probably need to rest them:
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/rest-day#benefits
Following, are some basic exercises you can start with, and build from, for overall strength fitness.
Chest
Bench press
Incline bench press
Decline bench press
Dumbbell flyes
Shoulder
Shoulder press
Forward raises
Side raises
Back
Pull-ups
Lat pulls
Side Rows
Biceps
Dumbbell curls
Barbell curls
Incline dumbbell curls
Triceps
Triceps pushdown
Triceps extension
Legs
Squats
Leg press
Lunges
Quadriceps
Leg extension
Hamstrings
Leg curls
Calves
Sitting calf raises
Standing calf raises
Abdominals
Crunches
Leg raises
Planks
For instructions and videos on many common workouts, such as these, go to:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046031
If you:
· are new to strength training
· have not exercised in a long time
· need more variety in your regimen
· would like to have someone to turn to for motivation and guidance,
consult a certified personal trainer for help in choosing the right exercises for you,
He or she will:
· take your current physical condition into account,
· your purpose, and
· your goals,
in order to:
lead you to the exercises best suited for you,
keep you motivated in your workouts, and
monitor and assess your progress.
A personal trainer or a nutritionist can also help you in planning out and making the best choices of food, depending on your situation.
Wellness
Wellness treatments can be a source of enhancing mental as well as physical health that can help to reduce stress and restore the mind and body.
There are flexibility exercises that you can do, such as:
• Yoga,
• Pilates
• Tai Chi
which can assist in
• improving circulation,
• de-stressing, and
• quieting the mind.
Check with your local recreation center to see if they offer classes.
Massage therapy and spa treatments are another way of relieving stress and rejuvenating the body. These can all be incorporated into a program of improving your overall health.
Since everyone's health needs are different, always consult your physician before starting any diet or exercise program.
Counseling
If you find yourself running into issues that distract you from your stated mission and purpose, or interfere with or keep you from being able to achieve your goals, you may find that seeing a qualified counselor on a regular basis can help.
A counselor can:
· Be a good resource for helping you work through problems in a healthy way.
· Provide insights for you to better understand yourself and how you generally handle things
· Suggest more effective tools and strategies for reaching your goals.
· Be a good sounding board for you to bounce off of ideas.
Meeting with a professional counselor can have many benefits, and can help keep you on a more stable and healthy path to success, as you wish to define it.
Check with a local reputable social services agency to find a counselor, or be referred to one.
For more information on finding a good counselor, go to: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/how-to-find-therapist#1
Conclusion
Way to go! Now you have the basic knowledge you need to build a foundation of good health. All it takes, is a little practice and consistency in the main areas:
• nutrition
• exercise
• wellness
You will soon have more energy, feel better, and be physically fit.
Just try to stick with these good habits, don’t worry about trying to be perfect, and you will stay healthier over the long run. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint! (pun intended ;-)
And any steps you take in these areas will help you with your long-term overall health.
Health – My Own Story
Most of my life, my body has been in relatively decent shape. I have benefited from regular exercise and eating healthy foods, for the most part.
A time came, several years ago, however, that I gained a significant amount of weight, due to unhealthy eating habits, and ineffective exercising.
I dedicated myself to lose the weight, and developed a plan of action. I wanted to lose thirty pounds, and determined that I could lose a pound to two pounds per week in a healthy manner.
My plan, since I was too heavy to run, was to ride the exercycle for about a half hour each day (this was intensive to lose weight – for maintenance, you may try alternating days), and to eat lean foods.
I ate plenty of salads and lean meals, and cut out lots of juice (which is high in sugars), bread, sodas, and sweets.
I continued with strength training, which I did on a regular basis, and which would help with my muscles continuing to burn calories.
I put the plan into action, and stayed as consistent with it as I could. When I had setbacks, I simply took a step back, regrouped, and went back to work.
The strategy worked, and I eventually ended up losing the weight over several months, due to the effective combination of healthy eating, aerobic exercise, and strength training.
This fundamental combination, along with wellness, can work for you, too, at whatever health and fitness level you want to be at.
Enjoyable Healthy Foods
Here is a list of some of the many foods that are both healthy and enjoyable. While this list does not include all healthy foods, it will give you a good place to start. Note: there are many different types of diets, so please consult your doctor before following one.
Carbohydrates
Apples
Oranges
Grapes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Bananas
Pineapple
Melons
Apricots
Pears
Plums
Peaches
Brown Rice
Wild Rice
Whole Wheat Pasta
Oatmeal
Barley
Beans
Corn
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Lowfat/Nonfat Yogurt
Pretzels
Unbuttered Popcorn
Proteins
Lean Ground Beef
Lean Ground Round
Lean Ground Turkey
Sirloin Steak
Chicken Breast
Turkey Breast
Ham
Salmon
Tuna
Mahi Mahi
Trout
Tilapia
Shrimp
Vegetarian Proteins
Quinoa
Egg Whites
Egg Substitutes
Lowfat Cheese
Lowfat Cottage Cheese
Nuts
Legumes
Soy Products
Vegetables
Lettuce
Cucumber
Spinach
Broccoli
Carrots
Green Peppers
Red Peppers
Mushrooms
Green beans
Tomatoes
Red Onions
Green Onions
Brussels Sprouts
Bean Sprouts
Artichokes
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Bamboo Shoots
Celery
Chestnuts
Green Beans
Zucchini
Eggplant