What It Means to Be Healthy: 5 simple guidelines from a normal person
I've always been interested in fitness and health. I say it in that order, fitness first, because it was originally all about the fitness. When I was in junior high and high school I enjoyed and played many sports and realized that it produced a pretty awesome side effect.... being in great shape and having a toned body.
As I've gotten older I've realized that just because my body is in shape doesn't mean I'm healthy. And then after having kids it was blatantly clear that I needed to keep up with my overall health, including diet, exercise and de-stressing, if I wanted to stay in good shape and look good. Over the past 7 years I have been much more interested in the nutrition aspect of health because 1) I can no longer just exercise and eat whatever I want with the expectation that my body will be lean and mean like it used to be, and 2) I can literally feel the difference in how I function on a daily basis when I eat nutritious food as opposed to not. When you get older, you have more responsibility than when you were a kid and people depend on you to do things every single day. Let's face it, even the simple task of reading through emails at work is harder if you're tired and can't focus, and a lot of that has to do with what we're putting into our bodies to keep it fueled.
I'm sure this is nothing new to you. Health is such a major topic of discussion across the world. The latest statistics show that the Global Wellness Industry is a $3.7 trillion market. So you can imagine how many tips, ideas, rules, recommendations we are presented with on a daily basis. And that can make some people shut down and ignore it altogether or you can try to do it all but that can cause chaos and inconsistency. Can we just weed out the extra details and narrow it down to some legitimate and simple guidelines to start with?
I recently got back into (consistent) running as a hobby (I run races when I'm able), as a de-stresser, and as my main point of exercise. I enjoy it and it motivates me to keep an overall healthy diet (have you ever tried to run 3 miles 24 hours after eating Chinese food?). After the first couple months of having a regular running routine, I started to feel my muscles tone and my clothes started fitting better. It made me remember and, again, desire that fit and in shape body I used to easily obtain. But then I had to stop myself and really think about what I want my motivation to be. Looking fit is great, but that shouldn't be what it's all about. Society already puts so much pressure on us to look good, and I don't want that to overshadow my personal reasons to be healthy; to live a long life without pain or disease and be physically and mentally active with my kids and hubby as long as possible. So I started doing some research to really boil it down to a handful of things I can focus on to achieve this.
Here is what I found:
- Eat well and exercise regularly. Focus on getting balanced nutrition every day (about 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 20% protein, by calories). Nutrition is a beast of a subject so try to keep it simple. No short lived diets unless it's to flush out your system or to kick start you... but be certain you can handle it, that you won't pig out on junk the day it's over. When in doubt, go for the veggies. Exercising regularly technically means 30 minutes every day. Start with 30-45 minutes 3 times a week and go from there. Get creative, try new activities. Even if you are outside playing with the kids for 30 minutes, it counts if you are getting your heart rate up. Be sure to incorporate strength training and stretching with cardio to work out your entire body. Exercise produces endorphins, so you will scientifically start to feel better about yourself and be happier.
- Establish a support group. You need people in your life who will motivate you to reach your goals. Find a couple people who will cheer you on, and even better if they go on the journey with you. I have a great 'running family', including my hubby, and we run races together and share our workouts (via technology) with each other all the time. It inspires me and keeps me focused.
- Know what triggers your bad habits and find a better way to cope. How many of us stress eat? Or even worse, don't eat when stressed? Or who out there stops exercising when something in their schedule changes? Figure out exactly what causes you to stray from your goals. Stop giving excuses, watch less TV, read more, stop smoking, get more sleep. Spend some time in prayer and self-reflection. We need to be spiritually and mentally fit on the inside for it to work on the outside.
- Don't allow yourself to get too hungry. I'm putting this separate from diet because this can be the beginning of a setback. If we get too hungry we make bad decisions... and not just about food. 'Hangry' is so real and it can effect how you treat people around you and how you think about yourself. Plan out the timing of your meals and, more importantly, plan out your snacks. Always have a nutritious backup in your bag/purse/car, like a protein bar.
- Find a realistic goal for motivation. Too many times we focus on something that might be a little unattainable for our bodies. After birthing 2 kids, I know I will never fit into my size 4 jeans again... it's literally the way my hips are placed now. Some of you think you can get to your official goal within 2 week... most likely not. Understand who you are and what your body is realistically able to do. Don't set yourself up for failure and then get frustrated and give up when you don't succeed.
Okay, now get off your phone/computer/tablet and get active:)
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