Working Out for Health

Think you have to be a gym rat in order to be healthier and have the body you were meant to have? Worried because you don't have time to spend hours in the gym?

You know that if you exercise regularly you will begin to feel better. You know that 30 minutes of cardio several days a week will keep you healthy for the rest of your life. The problem is that you don't seem to be able to fit an extra 30 minutes a day into your life . . . . and you don't have a gym membership . . . . and it's cold outside . . . . and you're not even sure what 'cardio' means . . . .

Being Healthy

A fad diet or diet cult usually promises longer life and other health benefits, but relies on partial truths rather than actual facts to guide food choices.

Health means more than a fad diet or an extreme exercise program you commit to in a moment of desperation. Health means making changes that you can stick with. Health means doing things to impact your life longterm. Health means small, sustainable changes rather than quick, hard sacrifices.

Diet Recommendations

The best way to make long lasting change in your diet is to start by keeping a food diary of everything you eat for two weeks. Everything you eat needs to go in the diary. No matter how small or embarrassing it has to go in the diary. Once you are clear on what you eat you can see where the changes need to be made. Don't follow diet plans that advise you to cut out ALL of any one type of food. Don't follow diet plans that encourage eating only one type of food. Your body has needs that include a lot of different food sources.

Exercise Recommendations

In some ways, exercise is like a medication that can be used to prevent or treat chronic diseases. As with prescription drugs, though, it is possible to "overdose" on exercise. ~Men's Journal

Activity level changes are the same as diet changes - start small and slow with something sustainable. It is better to increase little by little and stick with it then to try and commit to something that is too difficult to continue. Again, the best way to start to make some changes to your activity level is to first realize what you are doing that can be improved upon. Make a list of the ways that you move throughout the day. Then see how much time you spend up and moving. Work towards making the up and moving time happen in 30 minute blocks. You want to consolidate your activity time so that your heart rate stays elevated for 30 minutes a day several days a week. Most importantly, if you miss a day or three or a whole week just dive back in and start where you left off without giving up on yourself. You are worth it.