Nutrition, hydration, exercise and a healthy lifestyle are the key ingredients to good health. Our state of health affects all aspects of our bodies and lives. When we look good we feel good and when we feel good, we become more active and confident. It’s no surprise that a good workout has been shown to boost positive self-esteem, fight anxiety and depression while also encouraging restful sleep.
No fitness regimen should include starving one's self, restricting caloric intake to unsafe levels or fly-by-night diet plans that just don’t work long-term. A sound, well-balanced life-long eating plan should be rich in essential vitamins and minerals while supplying you with ample calories for good nutrition.
“Dieting” to lose weight doesn’t always give the results you're looking for. When you reduce caloric intake to unsafe levels with total disregard for valuable nutrients, your body craves the missing nutrients it requires to function properly from within. Muscle tissue requires the most nutrients to maintain strength and tone. In times of stress, like starvation dieting, the body cannibalizes itself by eating away at healthy, nutrient-rich muscle tissue to satisfy its nutritional needs. This is called “wasting”.
Beware of fad diets! The weight loss you experience with them is indiscriminant. The majority of loss on such diets consists of muscle and water, leaving the dieter's body soft, weak and unhealthy. STOP FAD DIETING NOW! When attempting to lose excessive stored energy (body fat), do so slowly and in a healthy manner. The longer it takes to drop stored fat, the longer it will stay off!
If you are not in good physical condition, see your healthcare provider for a physical before starting any fitness or eating program. An hour of your time to ensure you are capable of making positive changes to your lifestyle is time well spent to ensure your safety.
You will need patience, determination and consistency for any fitness or eating plan to work effectively. Change can cause discomfort and may even seem painful at first. Be assured the temporary pain and discomfort from a positive lifestyle change will pale in comparison to how great you'll feel as as your health improves and your body takes shape. You will also help yourself avoid such conditions as heart disease, type-2 diabetes and osteoporoses.
As most people already know, a balanced eating plan is a great step to overall good health. It provides the nutrients, minerals, fats, proteins and carbohydrates that keep the body functioning in a positive and efficient way.
It's important to remember that the human body works as a whole, not as individual parts. For example; the more efficiently your lungs ingest their supply of oxygen, the better the supply delivered to your blood cells which then carry it to the organs to utilize it. To better get this message across here’s a scenario to which most of us can relate: If you fail to put oil in your car's engine and just keep filling the gas tank, eventually your engine will grind, causing irreversible damage, and eventually the engine will seize! Though the gas was important, it wasn’t the only variable for keeping the engine running in peak condition or extending its life expectancy. You cannot just fuel your body! You must provide the good fats, proteins and carbohydrates along with ample water and exercise, to keep it in peak operating condition or it will fail you!
For total wellness, you should consider structuring your eating plan according to the “Pyramid Food Guide” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This will ensure you are receiving all the proper nutrients you need for your body to function properly.
Drinking water is not optional when it comes to maintaining good health, weight loss and muscle growth. You must consume water on a regular daily basis. We can not exist without water. It is vital for all our organs, bones, blood production and the body’s digestion of food and the transportation of nutrients. Every cell of your body relies on water to function and repair itself. Some of the other benefits of keeping yourself well-hydrated are:
- Helps to regulate the body's temperature.
- Helps to convert food to energy.
- Flushes waste, toxins and chemical substances from the body.
- Helps curb appetite.
- Can enhance fat burning.
The instruction to drink “eight glasses of water a day” is flawed. We are not all created equal when it comes to our size, muscle mass, level of activity or the amount of perspiring we do throughout the day. Instead, we should maintain a constant supply of water to provide ample hydration. A healthy body, free from any genetic disorders, will not allow you to consume excessive water that could cause damage. That aside, most people are in a limbo of sorts when it comes to water consumption. Neither de-hydrated nor hydrated, instead they are in a constant state of sub-optimal hydration called hypo-hydration. Waiting until you are thirsty to drink water is a grave mistake. You can be hypo-hydrated without being thirsty. Therefore, keeping a steady supply of clean, unflavored water available to prevent being constantly hypo-hydrated is essential.
Antioxidants, like EGCG found in Green Tea, can be very helpful in preventing damage done to cells by free radicals. They help to protect cells from the harmful effects caused by the sun, chemicals and toxins. Some initial research has shown promising indications that antioxidants may play a major role in anti-aging. The powerful properties in Green Tea boost the body's natural weight loss mechanisms, energy levels and metabolic rate.†
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There are different levels of fitness appropriate for people of different ages, gender and health conditions. Before embarking on a fitness plan you must first define which fitness goal is right for you. Choose the proper methods and then work toward your goal. It is a process that will take time, determination and consistency.
When constructing a fitness regimen it is recommended that you combine resistance training with interval cardiovascular training. Resistance training includes any activity that causes the lengthening and shortening of the muscles being worked. These types of activities include weight training, yoga, calisthenics and Pilates. Such activities help to develop, firm and shape the muscles of the body, increase bone density and help elevate your metabolic rate. Interval cardiovascular training is cardio training with a twist. Running, biking, swimming and even walking at a fast pace are all considered cardiovascular activities. To increase their effectiveness, instead of performing these activities at one steady pace, try incorporating a 30-second sprint every three minutes throughout your workout. In addition to conditioning the cardiovascular system, intervals help develop endurance and power while elevating your metabolic rate when at rest.
Whichever path to fitness you decide to take, remember a few things.- Changes to your resistance and cardio training on a weekly basis are encouraged. By doing so your body will keep responding to your workouts and you will continue to progress.
- Consistency is imperative. Skipping workouts on a regular basis will hinder your progression and in some cases send you right back to the starting block.
- Don’t forget the importance of water and a well-balanced eating plan. You must keep your body well-hydrated and properly nourished in order to reap the benefits of any good fitness program.
†These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease.
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