Healthy Living
Are you taking care of your physical self these days? Our bodies, according to the Bible, are temples of the Lord. My temple, I fear, needs a bit of work. I have allowed habits, definitively unhealthy habits, to enter in. I won't name the specific one I am referring to--let's just say that if I don't toss it out, it's likely to cause me many problems in the future. I have allowed my good habits to fall by the wayside of late--I feel totally unmotivated. Or should I say, felt totally unmotivated. Today is a new day.
I did my exercising, I'm drinking my oh-so-healthy and anti-oxidant rich green tea as I type, and when I went to the grocery store, I simply refused to buy anything that I knew to be junky. Okay, I did buy ONE bag of potato chips.
We are overwhelmed with all the health news we hear in any given day. It can be mindboggling, to say the least. I think we need to break it down into more manageable bites. It's really very simple--no matter how complicated everyone tries to make it out to be.
Here are the basics. I'm determined to do better. Will you join me, and let me know if the following helps you? Or just let me know--maybe we can encourage each other along the way.
1) Get enough sleep. I realize that everyone has a different amount they need in order to function at their peak. Mine is seven to seven and a half hours. Any less and I can't clear my head, any more and I feel tired all day. That's why I never nap unless I'm sick. You probably know what your number is too.
2) Forget dieting. Diets don't work. Unless you have been living under a rock, you already know what's healthy for you to eat. Have a treat if you feel like it--just don't overdo. Moderation, and portion control, is the key. Never supersize anything you're eating. Have two cookies--not ten. A very simple switch from regular soft drinks to diet, or regular sugar to artificial sugars, like Splenda (if you want, check with your doctor first), really can help if you're trying to lose weight. Add more veggies and fruits until you're eating more of them than anything else. I LOVE flavored water--try some! Water helps you fill up. Some people don't like plain water, that's why I recommend flavored. A lot of times we feel like we're hungry but we're really thirsty! Drink as much water as you can throughout the day. Switch from white bread to wheat. Not only does it taste really good--the fiber in wheat and multigrain products makes you feel full longer.
3) Take a good multivitamin every day. This will help ensure that you're getting all the nutritional bases covered. I also take calcium and Vitamin C. There are so many other good vitamin supplements out there but I definitely advise you to check with your doc first, especially if you're taking prescription meds. Some of the supplements can interact with these, and the results can be unpleasant, to say the least.
4) Get up and move around more than you sit. Doesn't matter what you do as long as you're moving a lot. I'm lucky. My job requires me to be on my feet, six hours daily, but I also use walking tapes (Leslie Sansone is excellent) on a fairly regular basis. I lift free weights and do floor exercises at least 3 to 4 times a week also. You can cover all your bases with weights in fifteen minutes or less. Self magazine is great for finding workouts that don't require a lot of time. Mix things up often. Just get up and move!
5) Consider your mental health. This does affect how you feel physically. How's your relationship with God? How's your prayer life? If you're not attending to these two things, none of the other stuff matters. All of the things I mentioned above also contribute to your mental health but these two are key. If things seem out of balance somehow, fix these and then worry about the rest.
I am forty six. I've read that how you take care of yourself in your forties and fifties affects how you'll be feeling when you get to your sixties and seventies. I want to get there strong, and I want you there with me. I don't feel forty six. I don't want to feel seventy when I'm seventy either.
Please, if I can encourage you, e mail me at [email protected]. I'll be your cheerleader. Will you be mine?
Here's to a healthier future for all of us!
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