One Big Health Nut

We live in a society that focuses on appearance.  Beautiful and skinny people are accorded an elevated and lofty standing. Because of the importance placed on beauty and weight, many people are willing to sacrifice their health to realize a goal of thinness and perfection.  The impact of these misplaced priorities has been substantial. 

People that do not meet the accepted standards for attractiveness suffer.  Jobs may be lost to applicants perceived as more attractive.  Dating is more challenging.  Even friendships can be harder to develop.  This can often result in poor body image and low self esteem.  Consequently, many people take drastic efforts to conform more closely to the accepted level of attractiveness.   

Plastic surgery and expensive skin procedures have become acceptable and sometimes expected.  Health is disregarded and has become an acceptable sacrifice in the pursuit of beauty.  Even though the risks are well-known and the cost substantial, the number of people that are undergoing these chancy procedures are staggering.  People, especially women, are willing to accept the costs, financial and otherwise.  But is it really worth it? 

Diet and exercise is not the easiest route to pursue.  You do have to sacrifice time, energy, effort, and yes even some of your favorite foods.  But, unlike plastic surgery, the results are always worth the cost.  What you get out of it far outweighs what you have to put in to it.  Eating right and exercising will keep your body functioning properly and the results will be reflected in your appearance.  Your skin will look healthy.  Your metabolism will increase.  And the results will persist as long as you do. 

Do you remember how your mom always used to tell you not to go outside or else you’d catch a cold?  Well, it wasn’t bad advice.  Of course the cold weather doesn’t cause colds, but it does depress the strength of your immune system.

But even worse than cold weather is the immuno-depressant of everyday stress.   In fact, stress may be the number one immuno-depressant in the modern world, especially since almost everyone has indoor heat.

Reducing the stress in your life can be one of the most effective methods you have for staying cold and flu free, other than getting a flu shot (sorry, there still is no vaccination against the common cold).

Give your body the nutrition it needs, try to eliminate the sources of stress in your life, and you’ll find that the frequency of getting sick will decrease significantly, if not completely.

It’s that time of year.  Everyone is coming down with one illness or another.  And those that aren’t already sick are trying to avoid anyone that is sick.  If it were possible, many of us would probably walk around during the months of December, January, and February with hospital masks on our faces and rubber gloves on our hands at all times.  But since that is not feasible without someone calling in the mental health professionals to evaluate us, we must content ourselves with doing what we can to avoid contracting any of the bugs hovering about. 

1.     Wash your hands.  Experts claim that 80% of infections are spread through touch.  The more you wash your hands, the less likely you will be to contract an illness.  Washing your hands several times a day can reduce your risk of infection by almost 50%.  Don’t forget that you must lather up for at least 16 seconds to ensure you have successfully washed away dangerous bacteria. 

2.     Boost your immune system.  Although evidence doesn’t support the claims that the products like Airborne will prevent you from getting sick, the immune boosting properties of the products may prove to be helpful in combating potential germs that have found their way into your system.  Even if the products don’t prevent you from getting sick, they could help you recover faster. 

3.     Diet and exercise are always essential to staying healthy.  Eating right and exercising ensure your body is functioning at its peak.  The stronger your body is, the less likely it will be to become seriously ill. 

4.     Relax.  Taking time to relax and relieve stress is essential to maintaining a healthy body.  Stress wears your body down.  And chronic stress will deplete your immune system and could result in illness.  So don’t feel guilty taking time out for yourself.   

5.     Consider the Flu shot.  A flu shot may prevent you from becoming seriously ill during the season.  You will want to discuss this option with your doctor to determine if you would benefit.   

Diet and exercise are requisite factors that must be focused on to achieve weight loss and fitness goals.  You need to exercise to lose weight and stay healthy.  And your body requires adequate nutrients to fuel the body for exercise.  Vitamins regulate and boost your metabolism, are the main energy source for the body, and facilitate the repair and growth of muscles. 

Many people striving to lose weight attempt to achieve weight loss through diet alone.  Admittedly, it is possible.  But it is extremely difficult.  To lose one pound, you must have a deficit of 3500 calories in your body.  If you try to achieve this through dieting alone, you must deprive yourself of that number of calories.  So you will have to strictly limit the number of calories you consume every day.   

The average body requires around 1800 to 2000 calories per day.  (This varies based on age, sex, and height/weight) In order to lose weight, you will need to limit your daily caloric intake to around 1500 calories.  If you do not cheat at all (not even a little bit) after one week you will have lost only one pound.  Depending on the amount of weight you are striving to lose, it could take quite a while to succeed.   

Restricting your diet is difficult for just about everyone.  It is difficult to resist the constant reminders of food that are present everywhere.  If you try to lose weight by dieting alone, you are setting yourself up for failure.  It is nearly impossible to avoid indulging once in a while.  And if there is no room for leniency, the chances of success are slim.  Even if you do succeed, eventually most people revert back to a more relaxed diet and end up gaining back the pounds previously lost. 

Exercise is the answer.  Exercising at least four days a week will substantially increase the number of calories you burn.  Instead of striving to create a deficit of 3500 calories by a strict diet, you will burn significant numbers of calories during your workout.  This will allow you to be more lenient with your diet.  Your body will begin to burn more calories on average, even when you are not exercising.  And you will lose weight much faster.  It may be hard to exercise at first, but once your mind and body become accustomed to working out, you may begin to enjoy it. 

Go into any sports store or shoe store and you will find endless rows displaying a countless variety of footwear.  The colors and styles entice consumers to peruse the merchandise.  The skillful arrangement of the shoes is almost hypnotic.  Each shoe is labeled with a different function; running, walking, cross country.  After a few minutes of browsing, it becomes difficult to focus on any one particular shoe.  Each shoe examined looks even better than the previous one.   

So how do you know which shoe is best for you?  And is there really a difference between a running and a walking shoe or are the shoe conglomerates just assaulting the public with incognito marketing techniques meant to convince consumers there is a need to purchase multiple expensive shoes? 

In actuality, there is a difference.  Shoes are now technologically enhanced, offering features such as shocks, pump air cushioning, and even iPod compatible plug-ins to assist with your workout.  Companies are performing studies to determine the needs of the foot based on intricacies of each individual foot and the demands placed on feet by various tasks.   

Again the question remains, how do you know which shoe is best for you? 

There are several factors you should take into consideration. 

1.     What type of arch does your foot have?  If you have a low arch or a flat foot, you need a shoe that is straight or very slightly curved on the bottom.  Some individuals may require a special insert or “arch”.  If you have a high arch, you will need a shoe that has a curve on the bottom to properly support your foot. 

2.     What type of socks do you wear and what time of day do you perform the activity for which the shoe is intended?  You will need to know this to determine what size and fit you will need.  If you exercise after work and your feet swell by this time of day, you will need a wider shoe.  Otherwise, your feet will be pinched and uncomfortable and this will hinder your work out. 

3.     What exercise/activity will you be performing in the shoe?  There have been significant advances over the years in the athletic shoe industry.  Shoes that are labeled for a specific activity have been developed to provide the best support and comfort based on the movement and fall of the foot.  Even the surface the foot will be on is taken into consideration during the development of the shoe.  Due to these factors, it is important that you select a shoe that is intended for your activity. 

It may sound like a lot of factors to consider for the purchase of a shoe.  And it probably is more information than you thought you would have to consider.  But shoes today can be expensive.  And the purchase of the wrong shoe could adversely affect your work out.  Some days it is difficult enough motivating yourself to ‘just do it’ without having something as simple as the wrong shoe add to the ‘reasons not to exercise’ list you are battling in your head.   

Don’t panic!  You don’t have to wade through the sea of shoes without expert help.  Many of the stores have sales associates that are trained to help.  If you are not sure which shoe you need, just ask for help.  Be sure to provide the associate with all of the pertinent information so they can help you choose the shoe best suited to your activity and your feet.