Health and Nutrition That Is AboveNBeyond

In the last two posts, I’ve touched on how important nutrition is to the body and how fitness and nutrition can build a strong foundation for the immune system. If you don’t have a good immune system, then all your other efforts are a waste of time unless your immune system has been weakened for other reasons. I recently found an interesting article on the Immune System. Here is a brief excerpt on the article: You can read the full article – Diet, Stress and the Immune System This article is from the Cleveland Clinic website.

Under normal circumstances, the immune system is highly efficient, providing multiple defenses against the onslaught of outside invaders. These defenses include physical barriers (such as skin); the non-specific inflammatory response, which is brought about by changes in blood flow that bring chemical substances to the injured area; and specific immune responses, in which the body learns to recognize specific invaders and destroy them after subsequent exposures.

Ways to Boost your Immune System:

Two products (from Herbalife) called Roseguard and Best Defense, both of which provides immune system support. Roseguard aids in the defense of environmental toxins, and Best Defense helps boosts the immune system. Other ways to boost your immune system are:

1. Regular exercise
2. Get more Antioxidants
3. Adequate sleep, rest and/or relaxation
4. Be careful that you are not the problem – see below
5. Combat any developing ailments right away (cough, cold symptoms, soar throat etc)
6. Smile

Immune System negatives:

1. Lack of exercise
2. Overweight
3. Eating foods high in sugar
4. Eating foods high in fat
5. Experiencing lots of STRESS
6. Social Isolation – being lonely is not a good thing.

I wasn’t really planning on a part two here, but, it seems like I have to “run” with it. I am going to go back beyond 12 years ago (as of the date of this post) when I used to drink beer and follow other habits. I was in quite an up and down hill trend with my weight at that time. I joined a local gym and was meeting people and making good effort on my slowly evolving new lifestyle. At that time, I had no idea where it was leading. I was even making the usual or typical mistake of only focusing on my workouts and not on nutrition. Two years later, I found “running” and boy, did that put a new twist on my active fitness life. Nothing else for me even touched the tip of the iceberg as to the impact it had on me. Then, something happened, I saw my lifestyle slowly going in a different direction. I started going to a local church, continuing my membership at the gym, continuing with running and other workouts, and I was starting to make choices that was leading me into a completely different lifestyle. I gave up drinking beer and other habits / foods about 3 years later (1998). My weight issues started to improve a little bit, where some did come off. But, again, still was not fully focusing on nutrition yet.
However, some of the changes I’ve been making were having the right impact. I started to develop a much stronger immune system over the time with the choices that I was making. While things were improving, and unfortunately, it wasn’t until 2008, until the “light bulb” turned on for me. It was then, when I started to realize the whole picture. This is when I began my real weight loss & fitness journey. I lost slightly over 20 pounds and felt the best that I’ve been in years. This is also when I was applying nutrition to my program as well.

You don’t have to be a runner to achieve this. You just have to find the right activity that works for you. A simple equation could be ACTIVITY + NUTRITION = A Healthy New You! Activity is so important, and there is so much to choose from, whether it be running, biking, swimming, walking, weight lifting, aerobics, volley ball, basketball, etc, you should be able to find the right niche that works for you.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon how you look at it, a Couch Potato only sprouts roots and turns into mush after a while.

One way to look at this is that while Fitness is what the body needs, Nutrition is Fitness for the body underneath your skin. It’s great that people are getting more fitness minded, but, one needs to start getting concerned about what is going on “inside” the body. Some don’t think that supplements work and are a waist of money. Not so, just because you don’t always feel like superman after taking them, doesn’t mean they aren’t working. Supplements need to be taken daily and consistently to have the right impact, because they work over time.

See below for Healthy Meal Planning…

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For healthy meal planning, I found this very good article online:
How to Develop a Meal Plan This article is by:
Kaleena Lawless
Personal Training Specialist
http://www.kalisthenixfitnessblog.com

If you don’t venture down the road of fitness, you are missing out on a world that will blow your mind! So what if you are lazy. We all have those days, the secret is not to let every day be lazy. Not only that, you have the rest of the day to be lazy after your workout. A little bit of pain and lots to gain. Fitness if not taken advantage of is like a door that was never opened. You never know what awaits on the other side. It doesn’t matter if you are a teenager or past the age of 70, fitness rocks!

Having a life of fitness is a great way of lessening health issues as you get older. Granted, there are no guarantees, but, why ask for it. Having an active fitness life is another way of save guarding your health. Think of it this way, your computer has or should have anti-virus software to protect it from viruses. Well, having an active fitness life is like having your own anti-virus software for your life. Now, fitness is only one third of the dish, and one must not forget weight management and nutrition. For all 3 work together and does the body good!

By staying physically fit and getting proper nutrition, there can be those hidden values that add to your life. One benefit that I get is that I can walk really fast when I am in a hurry. Now, I know that that may not seem like much, but, while others take 5 minutes to walk from one side of Walmart to the other, it only takes me 2 minutes. Ok, laugh now, I am Before or after you start a new fitness endeavor, you may not always realize whats ahead or how things will be for you later on. In my case, I’m stronger, have an increased breathing capacity, can walk and run faster, and best of all, I hardly ever get sick. Not to mention that my weight is down. You see, there is a whole great package that comes along with fitness. The thing is, in order to benefit from it, you must first get started. It’s not all just about loosing weight or weight management. That is only one side of the dish. Consider the other side – nutrition and exercise. You see, you need all three to complete the puzzle of good health. If you are only concerned with weight loss or weight management, then you are missing the point. I do understand that for some, this can be a HUGE issue, but, in order to secure weight management, the other side of the dish must be considered as well. It’s a balancing act for all three peaces of the puzzle work together to accomplish a single objective called good health.

Picking up from the previous post – Secrets about getting active – It’s a good addiction. Along the way, you see yourself changing with the new activities you are getting involved with. You are getting out, getting active, quitting certain behaviors, and lessening the consumption of certain foods and drinks. Weight is coming off, you are feeling better and the tide of change is happening.
Sounds good doesn’t it? But, the truth is that nothing happens until you do 2 things. The first is the decision to be committed and get started. The second thing is to start getting active and making choices.
It won’t always be easy along the way. Some choices won’t happen overnight. It can take months before you see results and find yourself making additional choices.

I started blogging about Health and Fitness, not because I have learned a lot, but, it’s my passion. With my experiences, both as a runner, and also as one who works out and have had weight loss issues, I decided to be a source of inspiration to others.

You will find that while getting started isn’t an easy decision, it’s the first of many decisions to be made down this road. It doesn’t matter if it’s about weight loss, fitness, getting better nutrition, you’ll find a lot of different choices along the way.

Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can get started today! Life Doesn’t Stand Still, Why Should You?

Always remember, it is best that you should see a doctor before starting any health regiment. You never know what could be happening beneath the skin?

Keep your foods colorful and keep it to a minimum with foods that are brown or beige. These types of carbohydrates are high in calories. Such items include pasta, beans and potatoes. Just because something tastes good, does not mean it’s good for you. It’s just good tasting. Now there is no reason to give up all the foods, deserts you eat each day. You want to remember to eat in moderation.

Eating healthy, is not about following a strict diet or trying to stay unreasonably thin, or staying away from the foods you love and look forward to eating. Instead, it’s about getting good nutrition, having more energy and maintaining a healthy balance to have a strong immune system for every day life.
Eating colorful foods (fruits and vegetables) is a good way to get those powerful antioxidants that the body needs to fight off diseases.

Food Myth:

You need to cut out all the fat you eat to loose weight

Food Fact:

Foods that are reduced fat, often have the same amount of calories and at times even more calories than full fat products due to added sugar. You may be tempted to eat more when they say “low fat”.

The doctor says:

Colorful foods are important, because, they provide nutrition from the chemicals called phytonutrients or “plant” nutrients. These nutrients contribute to your healthy-food plan.

There are many forms of addiction, and some are not that bad. In fact, there is one addiction that is actually really good for you. The addiction that I’m talking about is the one that comes from “Getting Active”. Here is a true example and this one is about me:

In 1995, I joined a local gym because of being depressed and needed to get out. It did help a little, but, it wasn’t until I discovered running that the real cure came. I can’t promise that this works for everyone, but, it sure did for me. Running for me had such an effect that it became addictive. In 1997, I started to race in local 5k and 10k races as the addiction grew. Talk about the feeling of being revitalized. Now, over 14 years later, I’m still running and racing and have no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

By getting active, and not necessarily with running, you actually find that your lifestyle starts to change. After a while, I stopped drinking beer and eating all the food that goes along with that sort of thing. With being active and making specific changes, your overall perspective, health, weight starts to change for the better. Now, I am not indicating that you give up all the foods that you like. Now and then I still eat pizza, I just don’t live off it With some foods, like Pizza, you need to start thinking about them as though it’s a treat to have now and then and not all the time. Some really like candy, but, can’t get enough of it. Candy isn’t meant to have every single day, for, it’s a treat to have. I love chocolate, and even consider myself to be a choco-holic, but I don’t have it all the time despite my love for it.

You see, by getting active, changes start happening. You start to get a picture of yourself going in a new direction and you start evolving that way. So, if you realize that you need to make some changes, how about start with getting active. You may just plant a seed that sprouts into something you can’t even imagine now.

Everyone gets mad now and then when something just isn’t right or isn’t going your way. Everyone has a bad day, at work, home or elsewhere. But, now and then, something else happens. An issue or crisis develops that just won’t go away. This is when you have to be careful and watchful about someone very close. That person is YOU! Here is a true example of what can happen:

There was this guy who was dealing with a family crisis and now and then, he found himself getting madder and madder when certain things were not going well. Not being aware of the affects on him as this was going on. There were 2 times in which he got real sick after getting really mad. It wasn’t until after the second time that he realized what was going on. He then woke up and started to change his ways. Unfortunately, it took a while for the effects of anger to go away.

While this was only a brief summary of a true situation, I am trying to point out the serious effects of anger on the brain. Some effects can be as follows: Unclear thinking, depression, more anger, sleepiness, beginning stages of mental illness. One has to be very careful when it comes to anger. If you are not careful, the effects will creep up on you and before you know it, you are engulfed in a dark mental world that can seem never ending. One of the problems, that I understand that this guy had was he did not have anyone to “unload” to and kept everything “locked up” in his mind while dealing with his issues. From what I understand, the guy being referenced above, is doing ok now.

Anger is hard enough when focused on a person or group, but, when it comes to the person who is angry, it can be the hardest.

See also:

Bad Attitude Secrets and Health

Remember, first, you should never starve yourself regardless of what your health and fitness goals are. Activity should also be increased to burn off those calories. With that said, it seems at times that it is forgotten that loosing weight (weight management) is only part of the puzzle. You don’t want to just loose the weight and get on with life. In a perfect world, that would be great.

The other side of the dish is the nutrition factor. You also want to focus on how good your nutrition is. You’ve heard it before, and there is something to be said that “You are what you eat”! Getting proper nutrition can be accomplished in a number of ways. Eating right and taking dietary supplements will help you along the way. There are those who feel that supplements don’t work and are a waste of money. That is not true! Just because one doesn’t always feel some sort of super change by taking supplements doesn’t mean they are not doing there job. It’s the consistent use of them that makes the difference. When I was selling Herbalife, my favorite supplement was their Total Control. This supplement helps build energy, promotes weight loss and boosts metabolism all at the same time. But, again, consistent usage of supplements are where the results come from.

So, by eating right, and taking supplements, you will start laying a foundation of good health which will develop and strengthen your immune system. Not to long ago, my wife was having a conversation with a friend and she said during the time we’ve been married, my husband has only been really sick twice. This is because, of my being active, and taking supplements and eating right.

As stated in other posts, you should also consider changing your habits. I don’t smoke, drink, or do anything else that would be detrimental to my health. I am an avid runner and I work out on a regular basis. Despite your interests, sometimes an overhaul of what you are doing could be the answer.
Who knows, you may end up meeting the new you some day like I did.

So, in concluding, never starve yourself, get active, eat right and take supplements and you’ll start finding yourself going down a better path to a whole new you.

See also:
Do I Eat Today? (D.I.E.T) Part #1 ,
Avoid The Gimics, Change Habits

After my wife lost at least 20 pounds, she noticed a big difference. She used to be out of breath just climbing the stairs to our upper level of the house. I no longer have the back pains I used to since loosing my weight. While, the effort can be hard at times, it’s worth it in the long run. You open the door to a whole new you when you loose even just 20 pounds. The door you open automatically closes the door behind you. The door to increased odds of bad health. Because of my efforts, my recent annual checkup was perfect. I had perfect blood pressure, and all my “numbers” were good or near good. Having a active and healthy lifestyle is the name of the game. The biggest secret here is that the secret to better health, starts and ends with YOU. You have to make the decision to change direction. You have to be committed. You have to change. I say this with personal experience here. I used to drink, eat what ever I wanted when I wanted. I’ve been through a lot of personal issues and seen what I did not want in my life and can tell you that it does start and end with you. You have to cut away what isn’t worth it and discard it. I eliminated alcohol from my life and haven’t looked back. Yes, my wife and I have a little bit on our anniversary, but, not much to speak of. I became an avid runner about 3 years into my depression to help clear it up. For me, it was one of the biggest aspects that pulled me out of the gutter. This also helped me loose weight. I did go through the usual ups and downs of weight loss. It wasn’t until I found Herbalife that I was able to start keeping it off. See My Testimony for more information on this.

See Part one of Better Health Secrets.