"He who enjoys good health is rich, though he knows it not."
~ Italian proverb
We hear this constantly yet when we are in perfect condition we near-to-never think of our health, till illness strikes. Many of us work and most likely not just one job but two or three or some of us are in school and work at the same time so it's hard to find the motivation for exercise and staying healthy because of our schedule. Believe me I KNOW we're in the same boat! But I find that making daily or regular adjustments within the week help create a bit of time later on for other activities and avoid being extremely sluggish and in the end make the most of the day healthwise.
Being on the road a third of my day robs me of time plus energy and I wish I could take that back for a good workout instead. As I've said I know how it feels to not have much time but remember 'a little goes a long way'. Here are a few basics to think about and what you can do to help power up your day ---
Hydrate ~ I prefer water over other drinks. Though other health beverages are probably good I find that H2O is suffice. It helps lower stress and boosts energy (after working hard for a moment our bodies trigger us to drink water), maintains the overall health of our skin, keeps our excretory system regular, and if you are already exercising it keeps you going longer and stronger. Also, what you waste you replace... drink water after each bathroom visit :)
Power Naps ~ My personal favorite. When you're anticipating a long day and know you haven't had enough rest, power naps serve as an awesome recharge for the rest of the day. I always incorporate a 30 minute nap during the days I work and it makes a huge difference.
Right Choice of Food ~ Notice how I didn't use the word DIET? Making the right choices of foods for daily consumption plays a key role for our overall health. As I have consulted with my cardiologist and nephrologist recently, they enlightened me on how to make the right decisions when it comes to food:
white meat > red meat
fish > turkey > chicken > pork > beef
vegetables > meat
Consuming more vegetables (raw or steamed) and fruits daily, lessening my carbs, red meat and most especially lowering NA aka. salt in everything I eat. - the last part was hard because Filipino food is so savory and I am use to cooking at that level. Lowering sodium in my diet lessened water retention and my goal is to reduce force in the blood vessels to achieve normal blood pressure.
Vitamins/Supplements/Probiotics ~ We cannot get everything our bodies need in food so supplements are another way of providing nutrients with the goal of improving health. Depending on your current condition, first consult your doctor because some vitamins may have adverse effects on you. Also consider taking or increasing the good bacteria. We all have naturally occurring Probiotics "good bacteria" and they aid in peristalsis. We may not realize that good bacteria helps and increase absorption but our cells, tissues, organ systems, our body as a whole will reap the nutritional benefits of the food we eat - assuming we made the right choice of food. We want our bodies to work the way they should.
Cardiovascular Activity ~ Get moving! However you can, whenever you can... you have to get up and move and keep at it within a set duration and intensity. You might be the type who takes walk breaks while at work, and that's great but consider the level of your walks. Are you just brisk walking or jamming a power walk? Are you watching you breath? Mind proper breathing when you are doing this activity and make it conscious. You shouldn't be gasping for air, instead you should start off breathing in through your nose and out through the mouth. Even when you gain speed walking or jogging keep a steady breath while you want to break a sweat. Your heart will get stronger at this and soon enough you won't labor as much. Bursts of cardiovascular exercises will benefit you because it directly affects your metabolism - as you consume more O2, at a cellular level, the Mitochondria works harder and is forced to burn more energy. Need I say more?
Weighted Exercise ~ Use your body weight if you're a beginner. There are numerous exercises out there you can Google on how to use your own body weight as resistance if you're just getting started. But what benefits do we get from this?
- reduce bad cholesterol, and other major illnesses
- lowers the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure
- decrease chances of osteoporosis because you increase bone density
- reduces PMS, stress and anxiety
- you improve the body's flexibility and are at less risk of injury
- aids in boosting metabolism (burning more calories even at rest)
- improves posture, state of mind and aids in longer and deeper sleep
Do you love your life? Your health matters not just work, bills, chores... etc.
Those won't go away and you won't have much of your life left to enjoy if you don't take care of Yourself.
