A lot of you out there reading this may be exercising regularly and working hard to stay healthy, but at the same time not taking the simple, but often over-looked steps to help you on your journey. What I mean by that is if you’re training hard but not eating healthy for example, you are spinning your wheels, so to speak. And there’s more to it than just eating, although that’s a huge part. I’ve outlined below some of the simpler steps to health that you may not have thought twice about.
Getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals from your daily dietary intake can be difficult, but taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement is one way to ensure you are not shorting yourself. Many reputable brands exist to choose from on the market, and if you shop around you can find one that fits you. Tablets, capsules, liquids, and even adult chewables are easily accessible in most health food stores these days. Some of them even taste downright good! If you suffer from a sensitive stomach, you can get one without iron. And if you have difficulty swallowing tablets, try a capsule, they go down much smoother. Or better yet, try a chewable or liquid vitamin. Think of a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement as part of the foundation that you will build upon, just as you would first build a solid foundation in which to put a house, before you would actually begin erecting the studs. The same goes for your body. There are other supplements out on the market that may be right for you as well, but the most obvious and basic is the multi-vitamin and mineral.
The fuel that you put into your body plays another huge part—it probably makes up about 75% of the fitness equation in achieving a strong and healthy body. A person can work out 8 hours a day, but if they gorge themselves with unhealthy foods, they won’t see the payoff. Now there will always be people that break these rules and eat horribly and don’t seem to suffer from the repercussions. But they aren’t the norm, and they’re usually young, blessed with good genetics, or damaging themselves from the inside out with high blood cholesterol levels, lipid levels, or stress on their organs that often go unseen for a long time. Now most of you know that you should at least stay away from eating foods high in saturated fats, sugars, and sodium, although many of you may not abide by that. You should also be aware of processed foods and what goes into them in order to make them convenient for the average person to grab or heat up without much hassle. I recently saw the movie, Super-Size Me, and I can’t say enough that you should see it if you haven’t already. I don’t recall the rating, but it won awards at the Sundance Film Festival and is very enlightening as to the eating habits of the average American.
And finally—sleep! While this may not seem as important as some of the other factors in the quest for a healthy body, it is actually of the utmost importance. Many people live such busy lives that they often deprive themselves of adequate amounts of it, and as a result slow their progress towards their goals. If your working hard to get in shape, or stay in shape, you will see a lot more progress if you devote enough time to sleep so that your body can rest and rebuild. In case you didn’t know it, you get stronger on the rest periods in between exercise, so if you aren’t allowing your body enough time to recoup, it only makes sense that you’re not reaching your maximum potential. A recent study was printed in the January-February issue of Personal Fitness Professional, linking loss of sleep with weight gain. It found evidence that losing sleep raises hormone levels linked with appetite and eating behavior. One of the studies showed that people who slept four hours a night for two nights had an 18% reduction in leptin, one of the hormones that tells the brain there is no need for food, and a 28% increase in the hormone ghrelin, which triggers hunger. In a second study, it was discovered that the less people sleep, the more they weigh. Again, ghrelin and leptin levels were compared in people who slept five or less hours per night, and those that slept eight hours a night.
So take a few extra minutes to shop for a multiple vitamin and mineral that works for you, slow down and read the labels and plan your meals, and go to bed earlier. Believe me, you’ll not only feel better, you’ll see the results to back it up!
Copyright © 2010 Optimum Condition. All rights reserved. Melissa Allen, CPT, BS, CES is a certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist and Medifast health coach, is the owner of the Optimum Condition Corrective Exercise & Performance Center, located in El Cajon, in the East County of San Diego. We specialize in customized fitness training and corrective exercise for both recreational athletes and post-rehab clients, as well as guaranteed weight loss programs or your money back. You can schedule a free consultation to help you get started. Please visit her website at OptimumCondition.org.
