Fitness Tips For Health and Well-being

What Will You Do If You Should Lose Your Health?

2009-06-05T00:12:00.003+01:00

The old saying 'health is wealth' never runs truer as the state of your health will always be the major determining factor in your quality of life, your life span, your energy level, and your outlook and enjoyment of life. The vast majority of people claim their health is of paramount importance to them yet they are unwilling to invest the time and effort to do the most basic things to ensure it.

Take your own health for example – everything in life is moving in a single direction, either it is getting better or it is getting worse. Nothing is frozen in time waiting. Which direction is your health heading in and how is it now as compared to five years ago? What do you think your health will be like five or even ten years from now?

It is a shame that many people go through life believing that they do not need to make an effort to achieve wellness thinking that if they are not sick they are 'well'. How do we get off believing that having 'health' insurance will keep us healthy when it only pays for disease care? Isn't that by definition a bit late?

We can go through our life hoping the 'Lady Luck" will be kind to us and spare us from a life threatening disease or illness. But how much is our health really worth to us? Do we stick with the deluded belief that taking numerous medications, drugs and pills to control this and manage that is going to keep us healthy? If we were healthy would we need toxic drugs?

Take a long hard look at what are you doing, each and every day to improve your health. If the answer is "very little" you are riding on a knife edge as there is a 95% chance you will eventually end up with one of the 'big three' modern chronic lifestyle diseases, heart disease, cancer or diabetes. One can only imagine the horror of being presented with a diagnosis such as this.

How much time and effort would then be needed – doctors, tests, specialists, procedures, surgery, travelling time and expense, time off work, maybe even losing your job. How much precious time would be spent waiting in doctor's offices, running around taking tests and more tests?

How much would the thought of losing not only your health but maybe your life be worth to you then? Would it be the old "Spare no expense man, give me the works, I want every test, and the latest and greatest technology. Money is not an option I don't want to die".

Wouldn't it be easier to spend some time each and every week ensuring you do not have to go through this? Just two simple things that you yourself can do would protect you by up to 70% from these diseases. How much better would this be?
It starts by you taking full responsibility for your health and wellness and making daily decisions to take care of your health. Then those decisions need to take the highest priority and commitment from you to achieve it.

The first thing you will need is a proper exercise program. This program should contain strength building and maintaining exercise. It should be set up by a fitness professional who will teach you not only exercise technique but at what level of intensity (degree of difficulty) to work at.
And no, going for a walk or doing a bit of gardening is not going to cut it. These activities are merely part of an active lifestyle and cannot ever replace a proper exercise program. You will be very disappointed in the results if you believe this. Next you need to eat right. This should include as little processed food as possible. Try for 4-6 small meals each day that include a source of protein at each meal.

Investing in things that promote health, like going for wellness care before you get sick, having a gym membership and buying quality foods are the things you need to achieve good health and to keep it right throughout your life. Make these things the only prescription you ever need to get filled.

About The Author:
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "I've Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!" here: Health Related Fitness For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.

Take Control Of Your Health And Fitness

2008-10-04T17:19:00.000+01:00

Health and fitness is your business and taking personal responsibility for one's own health is the key. Your health and fitness is in your power, and activity is a fundamental element of keeping healthy and fit. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and husbands, health is truly a family issue. Health care and fitness is in our hands and can ultimately influence every aspect of life.

In its most general meaning, physical fitness is a general state of good physical health. Discover healthy tips on exercise, eating right and personal care. Choose physical activities that fit in with your daily routine, or choose recreational or structured exercise programs, or both. Exercise offers extra benefits for health compared to calorie restriction but prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. 60 percent of American adults do not get enough exercise to improve their health but exercise physiology is rapidly becoming increasingly important in the delivery of health care.
The Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity recommends getting 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. So just why should you get active and how little exercise can you get away with? A single session of exercise improves lipids and vascular function so even a single session of exercise will improve your health. Research confirms how important exercise and physical activity are to maintaining health and independence for older adults, and those on a traditional cardio exercise program saw their health improve more than twice as much as those on a walking regimen. There is some evidence that links exercise to better prostate health, and vigorous exercise helps to reduce abdominal fat. Walking is a popular form of exercise, but may not be enough to experience significant health benefits, a University of Alberta study shows. Remember that how well you eat and how much or little you exercise now affects not only your present state of health but also later life. Vigorous exercise involves minimal health risks for persons in good health or those following a doctor's advice.
Everyone knows that regular exercise improves your health and helps you feel good. With exercise, elders can improve weakened physical abilities and should do weight-bearing exercise (such as walking) regularly. To burn more calories it is better to exercise for a longer time. Fortunately, exercise can be free (not counting what you choose to spend on health-club memberships, workout clothes and bottled water).

Diet and lifestyle choices affect health and well-being, as do food safety policies and practices. Diet is a big contributor to health, but the science is complex and constantly evolving. A balanced diet and regular physical activity, along with restraining from smoking, are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health. There's far more research on diet and health available now than there was 30 years ago, and cholesterol continues as the focus of diet and health advice. By eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly, you are paving a path of good health. A good diet is central to overall good health, and many women health and fitness related problems can be avoided if careful attention is given to diet, specific nutrients and exercise.

Human nutrition is enormously complex and a healthy diet may vary widely according to an individual's genetic makeup, environment, and health. People diet for two primary reasons, to lose weight, to fix health or both, but not every diet will work for you. Crash diets and diet pills can compromise growth and are not recommended by many health care professionals. Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat, and a detailed diet plan that states what, how, and when a person will eat and drink. Fruits and vegetables are key parts of your daily diet.Health Fitness
About the Author

Ken Asselin is webmaster for the Selections Guide series of information websites. http://www.health-fitness.selectionsguide.com

Health And Fitness

2008-10-04T17:08:00.000+01:00

A healthy person is someone with a balanced physical, social and mental level of well-being, which can be achieved through a number of activities and lifestyle adjustments. It is important to keep physically active and fit as you get older, it is very easy to have an office job and slip into a routine which leaves no room for exercise; driving to work, sitting down at a desk in a stuffy office all day, eating fast food for lunch, driving home and sitting in front of the television all night may seem like an enjoyable way of life, but it will soon catch up with you. Simple adjustments can be made to make this routine to make it a lot healthier, for example; going to the gym twice a week in your lunch break, eating packed lunches from home with healthier food, and even running/cycling to and from work a couple of times a week.

As you get older and your health becomes more important, it may be time to give up any addictive vices you may have, such as cigarettes and alcohol. The older you get the less able the liver is to cope with any excessive drinking you may have been able to get away with in your younger days, and it will have more of an effect on your health. There are many non-alcoholic wines and beers now available, which look and taste the same as the normal beverages, but without the alcohol content. Smoking may be a harder task to give up, but the results are rewarding. Exercise can be very difficult for smokers, who are unable to cope with any prolonged periods of physical activity due to the weakness of their lungs. Not only does smoking inhibit physical performance, but it badly damages your health as a whole and can lead to well publicised serious illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease.

Diet is an important constituent of a good, healthy lifestyle, and ensuring that you are eating correctly is something everyone should be concerned about. A balanced diet means an appropriate intake of fruit and vegetables, widely recognised to be 5 portions per day, and as little salt and fat based meals as possible. Protein rich foods such as meat, eggs and fish should be balanced with foods rich in carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta. Luxuries such as chocolate and sweets do not have to be avoided all together, but consumed in moderation.
Another important factor to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is being able to manage your sleeping habits; around 8 hours a night is acknowledged to be the right amount, anything less and you can become tired and irritable. Sleeping regenerates your body, and it is essential to be getting the right amount of rest.
Maintaining a strong, healthy lifestyle is not something which can be achieved overnight, but the end result is well worth the effort. A healthy person feels the difference, and has more energy and enthusiasm to pursue their goals and fulfil their potential in life.

About the Author
Article Alley is one of the UK's top article sites, best for Health and Fitness Articles. Please feel free to republish this article provided a working link back to our site.

Health Fitness Guide – Thoughts, The Foundation For All Health And Fitness Achievement

2008-10-04T17:01:00.002+01:00

"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve"
- W. Clement Stone

Like any learned skill, there are certain basics that must be mastered first. The very bedrock upon which all health and fitness achievement rests are thoughts. Everything man-made in the world or any action you've taken in the past all started with a thought. There is not one man-made object or goal that didn't start as a thought in someone's head that was then made into reality. Your toaster, your TV, your automobile, your desire for better health.
A single thought ultimately transformed into physical reality.

In order to achieve any health or fitness goal you must start with this basic concept; thoughts are things. Thoughts are the foundation upon which you build the framework for attainment of your goal. Every thought has a physical manifestation in our bodies; every thought produces physical substances called neuro-transmitting enzymes that have instant effects on how we feel and who we are at the cellular level.
Don't believe me? Think of biting into a big, juicy lemon or think about fingernails slowly running down a chalk board and tell me you didn't have an immediate, physical response.
Or how about a thought that changed the world?

Every day, thousands of times a day, all over the world people fly from destination to destination. It's amazing that a person can step into a device that lifts them off the ground and flies through the air at great speed sometimes over great distances safely carrying them to their destination in a matter of minutes or hours! Only a bit over a hundred years ago that would have been considered impossible or a miracle. Yet it happens every day today and it started with a thought in someone's head that man could fly. On December 17th, 1903 the thought that man had had for generations to fly, became reality.
That is the power of thoughts!

If you can have that kind of immediate response from such a simple thought, just imagine what you can accomplish with a focused, burning desire backed by faith and persistence!
Life isn't fair or normal, there's just life. But that should be a comforting thought. If life were fair all things would be equal and all people would be equal. The logical conclusion is that there could be no social movement up or down, no bettering of yourself nor worsening, no getting healthier, just stagnation. Because life isn't fair it means you have the ability to control whether you improve your life or make it worse but at least you have the ability to make change.
What about external influences which you have no control over? Say your significant other is killed in a car accident or you become paraplegic in a skiing accident. The list could go on and on. But there is one thing you have total control over.
Viktor E. Frankl, a concentration camp survivor, put it best in his book "Man's Search for Meaning,"
"The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one's freedoms is to choose ones attitudes in any given circumstance."
The only absolute freedom you have is choosing how you react to life. And how you choose starts with a thought.

Who you are right now is the sum total of what you've thought about up to this moment. If you're not satisfied with who you are right now, the good news is who you will be from now on is entirely up to you. Change your thoughts and you can start changing yourself. If you want to lose weight or be more fit, it all starts with a thought.
About the Author

Jeff Baker is a web manager and author living in Arlington, TX. His interests are health and fitness after nearing a 100lb weight loss through goal-powered concepts. His FREE Goal-Powered Fitness newsletter can be found at Goal-Powered Fitness