The Foundation of Health

My Go-To Dietary Approach:

It’s simple: if God put it on this earth, it’s probably good to eat. If man revolutionized it up in a factory, it’s probably a bad idea.

When shopping for groceries, I make it a point to buy food products in their simplest form. While I could go on about reading labels, I’ll keep it short for now: if you don’t know what the ingredient is, don’t buy it. We will go further in depth about reading labels at a later time. At this point though, you’re looking for straightforward ingredients. This typically means shopping on the outskirts of the isles in the produce, meats, and dairy. Dip into the isles only for your grains and a few other select items.

When I first started to eat healthier, I began by gradually swapping out bad choices for better ones. I started small. So small in fact, that I cant even say I swapped out bad choices for good ones. I just tried to make better decisions, the lesser of two evils. Eventually though, from continually doing that, the bad option was completely eliminated and was replaced with a good, healthy one. I was able to go from never eating fruit to eating chocolate covered fruit to eating just plain fruit. I gradually transitioned my diet to where the majority of what I was eating was nutritious food with a purpose for my body.

But guess what. It took years in the making! And that’s ok. Had I gone from where I was with my eating habits straight to where I am now overnight, I would have fallen back and binged to a dangerous degree. We’ve all heard the term “yo-yo dieting”. This is why I urge you not to go on a diet and make drastic decisions all at once. Don’t run to your pantry and clear out every bit of junk food. You will regret it, and your body will only suffer more-so than the state it was in prior. Let the changes you make be effective, lasting decisions.

Have you become so caught up in diet that you’ve forgotten about the second most crucial part for your health?

Exercise

Ahh, let the dreaded sighs commence. But remember this, the same rule that applies to diet applies to exercise: start small and gradually.

It is forever my motto: an object in motion tends to stay in motion (thank you Sir Isaac Newton). And of course the other half, an object at rest tends to stay at rest. Which object are you?

We all have our unmotivated moments and days, but if we can simply push past that force and get up, we will stand. If we can stand, we can walk. If we can walk, we can start cleaning up around the house. Once we get moving, we can only keep moving.

My personal trick is to put on workout clothes as early as possible. Right away, I feel inspiration to be active and productive. Keeping on my sweatpants or baggy tee only makes me want to call it a lazy day, but putting a spirited pair of running shoes, I cant help but move with determination.

Now, I’m not sure how far deep into your pillows you are as you read this, but I challenge you to make it a point to just be slightly more active today than usual. You can even begin by doing five minutes of stretching right where you are, even if you are lying down! If you’re at your computer at work, move your legs under your desk as if you’re riding a bike. On your lunch break? Go for a quick walk, get some fresh air in the process.

Exercise doesn’t have to start off at a high intensity rate. It just has to start. Eventually, you will get there. Start off setting small goals and enjoy the gratification when you accomplish them. In time, your five minutes of stretching will only be the precursor to the fat burning, muscle strengthening exercise routine you develop.

What’s In It For Me?

I cannot even begin to name how many sicknesses and diseases can be cured simply by eating the right things and doing the right things. Your mood alone can improve if you provide your body with the balance that it craves.

Think about how intricately your body was designed, with each system having a job to help your body function the way it is supposed to. Now think about the foods that we have been given on this earth, all with their own special qualities and nutrients meant to nourish and sustain each atom in our bodies. Why feed it empty calories? Why sit around and let the pieces decay?

Our bodies are incredible. Let’s start making them feel that way.