Lifetime Fitness - Why One Woman's Problem Could be Your Salvation

Lifetime Fitness - Why One Woman's Problem Could be Your Salvation

Lifetime fitness, ideal weight and all around good health start with what you eat. But there's a problem ...

When high profile model Eva Herzigova declared: "I'm not a true woman, obviously, because every woman has a weight problem and I don't," she set tongues wagging.

Researchers say that the ideas of a natural or normal body, or normal eating or normal beauty, or ideal weight have disappeared. Media-fed hype rules perception, often dangerously.

People - men and women - rush desperately to embrace the latest 'norm' or 'answer', often yo-yoing their health into a downward spiral in a vain chase for a lifetime fitness 'perfection' they'll never reach.

Even the US Government is (early 2005) moving the goalposts by revising the sacred food pyramid, created only 12 years ago.

In January it issued new federal dietary guidelines that also urged people to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and stick to fat-free or lowfat milk.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said the new guidelines are common-sense and should be easy to follow.

"Do you want to look better? Yes. Do you want to feel better? Yes," Thompson said.

"You lower your calorie intake, you lower your fats, your carbs. You eat more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and you exercise.

"That's as simple as it can be. It is not too hard."

To which the community basically said: "Oh yeah? Who can fit in 30 to 90 minutes exercise a day, or has the time to cook all that special stuff?"

In the next issue on healthy meal plans I'll show you how you can address both of those cries if they apply to you, but for now, consider this:

The Secret Lifetime Fitness Ingredient

Whether you're seeking lifetime fitness or you just want to look and feel better, the first act to overhaul is what goes into your mouth.

The secret ingredient you're looking for is energy - brightness, zip, a glow, a sparkle. Everything else follows naturally.

If the body does not receive the nutrition that it needs to function properly, it becomes “sluggish” and one of the first signs is a lack of energy.

Your body needs certain nutrients such as proteins - vitamins – minerals – amino acids – fatty acids – electrolytes, all of those nutrients and it needs 100% of them every single day in order to function properly.

For some, the discipline of counting calories and monitoring everything is a bigger cause of stress than the problem they're trying to overcome.

If that's you, find a more appropriate measure - for example, how far can you walk before you start to puff?

The more exercise you do, the more calories you can have. All exercise counts towards lifetime fitness, regardless of whether you’re at work or at leisure.

The '10,000 steps a day' pedometers issued in some cereal packets are a great little motivator!

Or if you like, get a hand held counter or software that automatically tracks carbohydrates, calories and fiber, from http://www.nutricounter.com/ or http://www.dietpower.com/

Now, this is basic, but it is one of the most-ignored lifetime fitness rules going.

You should eat regularly and always have breakfast – skip any meal and you’re guaranteed to be lacking in energy.

You may also benefit from eating little and often throughout the day rather than three larger meals.

Eating this way will help keep your blood sugar levels steady. It’s sudden drops in blood sugar that leave you feeling low in energy and craving sugary foods to pick you up.

You should also concentrate on swapping sugary and processed carbs for wholegrain carbohydrates like wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta and wholegrain cereals, as these foods help to even out blood sugar levels.

Also, make sure you’re getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water (you should have eight glasses a day).

Often we put a lack of energy down to our diets, when in fact it’s simply because we’re tired or dehydrated.

Follow this advice and you should soon find your energy levels soar.

However, if a lack of energy is still a problem, see your GP to rule out any underlying medical problems.

Now if you're challenged by discipline or culinary skills, tune in for the next issue, where we'll begin to explore some 'instant' answers.

For instance, these 5 universal steps, taken from over 500 books on nutrition and fat loss, that make any diet up to 5 times faster and more effective.

One other thought relevant at this time is the idea of employing the services of your own personal trainer. These days, they can very affordable and effective, particularly if you take advantage of the movement to online personal trainers for lifetime fitness.

Back to Part 1 - food network for lifetime fitness

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