Intro

Disease: it’s a word that’s thrown around too often these days. It seems that we’re constantly bombarded with the threat of disease lurking at every corner. Some of the more common diseases that afflict people these days are heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (Type 2, specifically), obesity, cancer, inflammation and chronic joint conditions. This is a boon to the Big Food machine and Big Pharma cartel as their executives and shareholders continue to reap absurd profits. As a matter of fact, treating those aforementioned illnesses is among Big Pharma’s most successful drug offerings. Aside from that relationship, what’s the common thread between all of those so called “diseases of affluence”? They are all preventable. That’s not really a secret, however. The Holy Grail of prevention is acquiring the knowledge to make quantifiable changes in your health.

What Is Disease?

Almost any person who is reasonably aware can provide a definition for disease. Essentially, it’s a condition that causes “dis-ease” or abnormal biological functions in an organism. Generally speaking, the root cause of disease is divided into two categories: internal malfunction (autoimmune disorders), or external factors (environmental, nutritional, pathogenic, etc).  As is often the case with most things health-related, there is rarely a single cause or cure for any disease. So there is often a casual relationship between internal and external factors. With that in mind, your approach should be two-fold: 1) limit your exposure to toxic external agents (processed sugary foods, medicine, cigarettes, etc.) and 2) strengthen your immune system to effectively eliminate dangerous pathogens (virus, bacteria, fungus, parasites, microbes, heavy metals).

How Your Immune System Works

I’m not an epidemiologist and this really isn’t meant to be a medical essay on the inner workings of the immune system.  However, I do think that a basic working knowledge of how it works will enable you to understand how to prevent illness.

As macabre as it sounds, I once read somewhere that the simplest way to tell how efficient your immune system works is to notice how fast a dead body decomposes.  Opportunistic bacteria, fungus, parasites, etc break down the organism cell by cell until there is nothing left but bones.  These same pathogens exist when that organism is alive as well.  It’s the immune system that protects our bodies from these microbes wreaking havoc. 

Of all the bodily systems, the immune system is my favorite by far because of it’s amazing, intricate nature and far reaching ramifications if it’s not properly supported.  Pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites) have been around for billions of years with one goal – survival.  In order to achieve this goal, they are constantly adapting.  Our immune systems (along with every other cell in our body) have the same goal, and go about achieving that goal in an identical manner.  So, there’s a constant battle between these pathogens and our immune system.  We’ve only been around for a few million years, so the pathogens have a significant head start.

Most of us don’t realize our immune system until one of these microbes gains an advantage.  This can take the form of a mild infection on a small cut to joint inflammation to severe immunodeficiency due to some viral or bacterial disease.  The main point is that our immune systems are at work 24/7.  Your immune system is the reason you don’t wake up with mold on your skin, why your injuries heal (and get infected), why most bacteria/fungi/viruses/parasites don’t kill you, why some organ transplants aren’t successful, why there’s an inflammatory response, and why allergies can be a problem for some folks.  It’s a mind-boggling armyof soldiers that include anti-microbial substances, melanocytes, leukocytes, lymphocytes, and cytokines (among many other cells).  Each of these come embedded with specific instructions and therefore play a specific role, just like an actual army.  In addition to all of that, our immunity cells are able to essentially “tag” microbes so that if the exact same one enters your body again, your immune system remembers how to kill it.  If you’re ever inspired or curious to learn more, I encourage you to read up on how it all works.  To borrow from the current NBA slogan – “where amazing happens.”

How Lifestyle Affects The Immne System

As I mentioned earlier, pathogens have existed pretty much since the beginning, so there isn’t much we can do about that.  However, we can prepare our immune systems to fight these invaders as best we can.  Preventable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and the like affect the immune system as well.  To put it simply, our lifestyle choices have a cumulative effect of either supporting or depressing our immune systems.  There really isn’t one specific choice that causes disease, per se.  However, constant bad health decisions over a period of time could have an additive effect on several factors – appearance and energy, internal/external (skin) organ function, and immune system.  Below is a list of some common relatively lifestyle choices (or lack thereof) that can sometimes cause irreparable damage to our health:

• Nutrition plan high in processed carbs (this includes most meals, snacks, beverages, desserts, and breakfast foods that most Americans consume)
• Overuse of pharmaceutical and OTC meds – only use when medically necessary (for example, steroids have an immunosuppressive effect and antibiotics not only kills bad bacteria, but also kills good bacteria [gut flora] as well, which affects immune response)
• Inadequate water intake (aids in the production of lymphocyte cells and helps flush out toxins)
• Not getting enough high quality veggies and fruit (local and organic is ideal to reduce toxic load from dangerous herbicides, pesticides and fungicides)
• Consumption of inferior meat and fish from factory farms/fisheries (free-range, cage-free meat and wild fish is ideal)
• Lack of exercise (numerous studies continue to be published that support how moderate exercise boosts the immune system)
• Stress (chronic, long-term stress is probably the most insidious culprit on the list since it can suppress immune function and manifest itself in countless ways)
• Proper rest (during deep sleep, your body releases potent immunity-enhancing chemicals, which is why you’re inclined to sleep when sick)

The Role Of Supplements and Herbs

Let me preface this by saying that I’m a staunch believer in letting food be your medicine, first and foremost.  If your diet is primarily comprised of nutrient-dense, unprocessed whole foods (which will nourish your cells with ample vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants), you’ll find that you rarely need to spend any money on supplemental or herbal remedies.  However, there may be times when one of those solutions may be helpful to you.

Of all the astounding characteristics, I think the coolest feature is the fact that our immune systems are innately designed to fight illness, assuming we support it with a sensible nutrition plan.  It’s some of Mother Nature’s best work, in my humble opinion.  As if that weren’t enough, she provided powerful herbal intervention right in our living environment.     Couple that with a supportive nutrition plan (and high-quality supplements, in some cases) and your immune system will be a formidable opponent for pathogens.

(One caveat about herbs – these are not like standard vitamin supplements where you can ingest megadoses with little or no side effects.  Herbs are essentially nature’s medicine, so proper dosing is paramount.  I implore to do your research and visit a reputable, licensed medical practioner who is well-versed in herbology if you choose this route).

Related posts:

1. Fitness 101
2. Supplements 101
3. Nutrition 101

Intro

According to some reports, the dietary supplement industry is raking in upwards of $20 billion dollars each year.  This statistic will continue to grow as manufacturers continue to capitalize on what I like to call our “pill popping culture.”  Supplement sales coupled with healthcare expenditures would suggest a relative positive relationship between the former and our overall health.  However, the exact inverse is happening.  According to the most recent surveys, our healthcare system ranks 37th among industrialized nations and insidious diseases like obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension (just to name a few) are ubiquitous.  So, the logical conclusion is that pills (in the form of medicine or supplements) and good health are mutually exclusive.  In layman’s terms, one has nothing to do with the other.

However, unscrupulous manufacturers, ever driven by that seductive profit motive, continue to use predatory marketing techniques and questionable claims to promote their product.  With that in mind, how is one supposed to sift through all of that and select a good quality supplement?

(Disclaimer: Before I continue, let me say that there are honest supplement manufacturers that produce very high quality product, which are based on sound science.  I use some of these supplements myself, and I cycle on and off of them based on nutritional need.)

Supplements Defined

I think the best way to answer that question is first define what a supplement is.  According to the medical dictionary at Merriam-Webster Online, a supplement is “a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients that are intended to supplement one’s diet and are not considered food.” That last phrase is key – there is absolutely no substitute for real food.  Unadulterated food contains living nutrients in the precise ratio that nature intended and our bodies recognize.  That being said, the basic premise of a supplement is to support an already existing healthy diet and physical fitness plan.  If you are following that simple rule, then you should be getting the vast majority of your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from your meals.    Ah, only if things were that black and white.

A Health Dilemma

Even for the staunchest of health enthusiasts, life has an annoying knack for getting in the way sometimes. It can derail the most nutritious diet and put the brakes on the most disciplined fitness plan.  This is the sweet spot for nutritional supplements.  If your day has been hectic and you haven’t eaten enough veggies and fruits, there’s a multivitamin for you.  If inflammation is an issue, and quality fish is hard to find, there’s a fish oil for you.  If you’re working late and you don’t want to order pizza with your colleagues, there’s a protein-based meal replacement supplement for you.  Everyone will have their own unique needs, so find yours.  The point I’m trying to drive home is that supplements should be an option only when nutritious food isn’t.  A diet based on protein shakes and meal replacement bars isn’t sustainable, or very satisfying over the long term.

Due Diligence

Once you’ve identified your particular supplement needs, you’ll obviously want to select a good quality supplement.  Literally anyone with a pulse can manufacture supplements since it’s an unregulated industry (thank Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch for that).  Consequently, it will be incumbent upon you to do some research.  This will admittedly require some extra time on your part in the beginning.  The worst thing you can do is rely on the popular “before and after” or fitness model photos.  Numerous photographers have admitted to drastically altering pictures and many fitness models admit to taking other supplements such as steroids and human growth hormone (HGH).  Sounds a little misleading, huh?

But as I’ve said before, it’s only your health at stake.  If there were a new car, new shoes, or new house in which you were interested, you’d probably leave no stone unturned researching and looking for the best deal and highest quality.  Why should your health be any different?

A rule of thumb: always select whole food-based supplements over synthetic supplements.  You’ll know whole food-based products because you’ll see that designation on the label.  The thought behind supplements derived from whole food constituents is that they are created by extracting the required nutrients from real food along with other synergistic components that enhance the effectiveness.  Essentially, this process closely mimics how these nutrients exist in nature and will be better assimilated by your body, at a cellular level.  Synthetic supplements begin and end in the lab, so the components are largely something that your body can’t recognize and you basically end up with expensive urine.  It’s your money at the end of the day and budgets dictate purchases, but I’d recommend spending the extra couple of bucks on a whole food-based product.

Final Tips

• Always keep a preventive focus on wellness, especially supplements.  It’s much easier than trying to get well after disease.
• Clean, unadulterated food first.  Supplements second.
• Purchase whole food-based supplements…your body will recognize it more readily than cheaper, synthetic alternatives.
• Do your due diligence and get your supplements from reputable manufacturers.
• Based on the delinquencies in the SAD (Standard American Diet), a good starter mix of nutritional supplements are a multivitamin, fish oil and vitamin D3.
• Educate yourself on the Codex Alimentarius (world wide food code that aims to limit our access to unadulterated food, natural therapies and supplements).
• Then sign the petition and write your local politician.

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1. Nutrition 101
2. Prevention 101
3. FDA: Avoid This Dangerous Weight Loss Supplement

The Basics

Of all the pillars of wellness, nutrition is probably the most dynamic (at least on the surface).  And by “dynamic”, I mean that what we consider nutritious is in a constant state of flux.  Additionally, technology and bio-engineering continue to afford manufacturers “creative license” when producing our food and beverages.  All of this adds up to some very unhealthy (and sometimes toxic) products in stores.

Despite all that, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Certain nutritional principles stand the test of time, regardless how convenient, inexpensive and tasty food becomes.  Fresh vegetables, water, fruits and high quality protein (wild game, fish, nuts, etc.) remain the currencies of wellness.  In ancient times, there were no labs to process food or supermarkets to sell it.  The were no convenience stores, restaurants or fast food drive-thrus.  Our ancestors were responsible for their own food procurement.  So, much of their physical activity came from survival – eat or die.  And according to archaeological evidence, their diet primarily consisted of fruits and nuts.  Meat and fish came later as they discovered ways to catch/kill their prey.  About 10,000 years ago these hunter-gatherers became farmers as the rise of agriculture began to take hold.  The world changed forever as they were able to cultivate a dependable food source.

By most accounts, the “diseases of affluence” that are so prevalent today were virtually non-existent back then.  There are advocates who propose that we adopt a similar lifestyle to our hunter-gatherer ancestors.  Actually, there are diets (Warrior Diet, Paleo Diet, Intermittent Fasting, etc.) built around this whole concept.  Genetically and nutritionally, this is how our bodies were meant to eat.  But alas, times have changed a little since then with things like commutes, work, soccer games, karate practice, (did I mention work?) all dominating our daily schedules.  Plus, it’s not all that practical to chase a chicken around your yard every night for dinner.  So, the key is to find a way to meld the best of these two lifestyles.

From Grain To Grocer

Arguably, the best and worst thing that has happened to food is capitalism.  To be honest, I’m by no means an economic expert, but I really can’t think of a better economic system where consumers dictate market conditions (that’s the theory, at least).  However, free markets are not without fault.  The profit motive plays a part in virtually every decision a business makes.  Unfortunately, this profit motive morphs into greed more often than not, which means the greater good often takes a back seat.

Unscrupulous multinational agribusiness and meat packers wield enormous influence on the whole food chain, thanks to their powerful lobbyists.  From grain to grocer, these companies have adulterated our food in unthinkable ways.  Huge marketing budgets are absolutely necessary to create an “all natural” or “healthy” image (commercials trying to prove that point or farm image on the product).  But, don’t be fooled.  Growth hormones and antibiotics added to our meat insidiously affect our health.  Factory farming has led to deplorable and inhumane conditions for animals (videos and documentaries illustrate this better than words ever could).  For those who couldn’t care less about the welfare of your meat before they’re slaughtered (full disclosure: I am an omnivore), ponder this: the close quarters in which animals live has a direct correlation to pathogenic bacterial (e. coli) outbreaks that you see on the news.  A handful of companies control the vast majority of farms in this country, which means their power base is highly centralized.  They’ve industrialized the farming process (factory farming) to the point where animals are essentially given steroids and grains to fatten them up and reduce the time it takes to mature.  This is not healthy meat that these manufacturers are bringing to market.  And, I haven’t even touched on the environmental impact.

Crops are really no better.  Large agriculture conglomerates have gotten legislation passed that has enabled them to patent life.  Essentially, this means that they own the rights to most of the seeds used to grow most of our vegetables, so they can basically do what they want to these seeds and the farmers who try to use their own.  And, they have.  Crops have been manipulated at the genetic level (aka: GMO – genetically modified organism) and are treated with a cocktail of synthetic chemicals such as fungicides, herbicides and pesticides.  To be fair, the jury is still out on GMOs, but the other aforementioned chemicals can have serious, negative long-term affects on your health.

By now, you’re hopefully probably asking yourself “shouldn’t the government be regulating all of this”?  The folks who run agencies like the FDA and the USDA reads like a who’s who from these same companies I just mentioned.  Basically, there’s a revolving door between those companies and our government agencies.  So, I’ll let you come to your own conclusions (but, you don’t need to be a CSI investigator to figure it out).

And all of this is really just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  Of all these questionable unethical practices, the “coup de grâce” is convincing everyone that these problems don’t exist.  I encourage you to read everything with a healthy dose of skepticism, and do your own research.  This is the only way to educate and empower yourself, which is how we unify, organize, and fight back by getting legislation passed.

But, I digress lest the Food Libel gestapo come looking for me.

Standard American Diet (S.A.D.)

From farm to fork, our food is literally being hijacked and poisoned without our knowledge.  And to make matters worse, multinational food companies invest absurd amounts of money in R&D to make food as addictive as illicit drugs.  Studies show sugar and fat work on the pleasure centers of the brain responsible for releasing endorphins.  Sugar and simple carbohydrates are especially dangerous.  An alarming portion of our daily diet comes in the form of some version of a simple carb – white bread/dough, snacks, sodas, juices, desserts, etc.  In small amounts, these foods are not ideal, but they’re not all that dangerous either.  The problem is that the term “small amounts” is about as foreign as Aramaic for most Americans.  In a culture where bigger is better and more is virtuous, it’s hard to dial down cravings.  From super big gulps to super sized meals, we are being bombarded with some of the unhealthiest food choices EVER created.  Our bodies were not designed to consume these types of food.

The main problem with consuming large quantities of simple carbs over a long period of time is your insulin response.  Every time you eat something, your digestive sytem breaks down the food constituents into three main macronutrients – glucose (sugar), lipids (fat), and amino acids (protein).  During sugar metabolism, your pancreas produces a huge spike of insulin that shuttles glucose to your liver and muscles for later use, where it is stored as glycogen.  (Note: sugar and processed carbs are both broken down to glucose and thus are metabolized the same in your body).  After about 30 minutes, your blood sugar dips leading to irritability, fatigue and even more cravings.  Problems arise when, after several years of this roller-coaster high carb diet, your cells shut down after being inundated with insulin for such a long period of time.  This is the beginning of Type 2 diabetes, but is also the beginning of your problems.  Inflammation is an even bigger, and more life-threatening problem.  It can manifest itself in various forms, from arteries to joints.  Consuming a highly processed carb diet has been linked to obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke and a host of other autoimmune diseases.  So, buyer beware.

Don’t get me wrong, glucose (along with the other macronutrients) is necessary for survival.  As a matter of fact, your brain uses about 100 grams, on average, per day just to function.  You’ll need even more if you live an active lifestyle.  But here’s the rub, millions of Americans eat way more than 100 grams of sugar daily and do virtually nothing physically active (walking to the car or pressing the button on your remote don’t count).

Large food companies (Big Food) use three criteria to bring their products to market – taste, convenience, and price.  Believe it or not, seemingly harmless corn plays a central role in all of this.  Derivatives of corn can be found in almost every packaged and processed food on store shelves.  From the well known high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to lesser known maltodextrin, corn is the veritable chameleon of food ingredients.  Government corn subsidies allow these companies to manufacture food with corn derivatives (e.g. – highly processed carbs) below cost, thus bringing them to market at a desirable price point for many consumers.  But, what’s the hidden cost?

In addition to the myriad of health problems for adults, children seem to be the unknowing victims of this whole mess.  Predatory marketing and foods littered with almost every unhealthy food constituent imaginable has led to soaring rates of child diabetes, cholesterol and obesity.  When I was growing up playing actually meant engaging in physical activities like baseball, basketball, tag, swimming and the like.  These days powerful gaming consoles and computers have reduced all of that to “virtual activity”.  Crappy diets and lack of movement seek to afflict our children with a lifetime of diseases.  Some experts have projected that, unless things drastically change, this could be the first generation that doesn’t outlive their parents.  You can actually start to see this come to fruition with folks (average Joes/Janes and celebrities alike) dying in their 30s, 40s and 50s…way too early.  And those that don’t go that route, end up with a list of preventable medical problems, which forces them to become a lifetime customer of Big Food’s cousin, Big Pharma.

Are you starting to get the picture yet?

What Can You Do?

• Healthy food is your right.  Educate and empower yourself.  I hope to have a small (or large) part in that.
• Eat more vegetables, and be creative.  Colors are important in nature, the same is true with vegetables.  So, mix it up.
• Support farmers and restaurants that absorb higher costs for more wholesome food options.
• Buy local and organic.
• Drink more water.  Don’t worry about reverse osmosis or filtered or whatever at this point (unless you’re so inclined).  Even tap water is better than soda.
• Move something.  Shake something.  Lift something.  Do something.
• If you eat meat, look for free-range, hormone and antibiotic-free choices.  Ask for wild fish…avoid farm raised fish, if possible.
• Eat smaller portions.  Food either goes to waste or to your waist.
• Set a healthy example for your kids.
• Write/call your local politicians and demand legislation that puts the onus on multinational companies to bring higher quality food to market.  Make them step their game up. Change WILL come…it’s the essence of free markets and democracy.  There is strength  numbers.

Health is a pay now or pay later game.  Healthier food choices will cost a little more, but the potential trade-off is a vibrant, healthy life, free from the shackles and crushing debt caused by being a life-long customer of pharma cartels, hospitals and insurance companies.

Food can be your medicine or your poison, you decide.

Related posts:

1. Fitness 101
2. Prevention 101
3. Supplements 101

If you’re new to the whole idea actually living a healthy lifestyle, it can be a daunting (and at times, seemingly impossible) undertaking.  Misinformation is ubiquitous, so consumers feel confused and powerless when it comes to their health.  You don’t have to feel confused and powerless though.  Information is the key and the first step toward empowerment and optimal wellness.

What is wellness?  Merriam-Webster defines wellness as “the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.”  In my opinion, this is an over-simplified and somewhat ambiguous definition (although I do like the “actively sought” part of it).  A more comprehensive definition would be something like “a complete state of optimal health that encompasses nutritional, mental and physical lifestyle choices geared towards fitness, disease prevention and reducing toxic load.”  I call these the “pillars of wellness”.  Idealistic?  Perhaps – especially these days in a healthcare system dominated by pimped-out, greedy politicians as well as crooked food and drug lobbyists.  But, this is the true essence of wellness.  And, it’s more than just compartmentalizing health into a few actions like exercising, or eating salad a few days a week.  It’s a lifestyle choice – all of the pillars of wellness work together synergistically.  Each one has an absolute effect on the other, so while isolating one may be a start, it’s not the way to achieve optimal wellness.  So, the next logical question is how do you attain this elusive goal of optimal wellness?

Our actions are born from our thoughts, so the first thing the should happen is a total shift in perspective and the way you think about your health.  This sets a strong foundation for enabling you to make sound choices as you begin to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  I cannot overemphasize this enough.  It’s hard for many people to unlearn much of what they’ve been taught as popular health strategies are challenged.  But, being open-minded and receptive to new ideas is imperative if you are to embrace true wellness.  Contrary to mainstream opinion, this approach to wellness does not mean living on the fringes.  It does not mean eschewing all conventional medicine in lieu of herbs, acupuncture and raw foods.  For instance, if you had an acute injury or illness, it wouldn’t be a good idea to discount all the advances that have been made in modern medicine.  By the same token, if you have an autoimmune disorder like diabetes mellitus (Type 1 or 2), it would be in your best interest to explore natural therapies before popping a pill.

And therein lies my point.  These ideologies don’t have to live in a vacuum.  They don’t have to compete, constantly espousing the shortcomings of one another.  The best of each could coexist if consumers like you and I were informed of all our options, both allopathic and alternative.  Ah, but there’s the rub.  Full disclosure conflicts with the very foundation of capitalism.  For many industries, an uninformed customer is necessary for long-term growth.  Millions of dollars are spent annually on propaganda marketing budgets.  Imagine that you were told that Vitamin D cured cancer or fish oil prevented heart attacks (disclaimer: I’m just using these for illustrative purposes).  How do you think that would affect a multi-national pharmaceutical company’s stock price?  Suffice it to say that their shareholders would not be very happy.  So, there is absolutely a vested interest in keeping consumers in the dark, which means that it’s incumbent upon you to educate yourself.  Lobbyists own politicians, so you can’t really count on reliable information from government either.  At the very least, you can start to ask the right questions to your health providers.

As the adage goes, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  So if you’re ready, let’s get started.

Nutrition 101

Fitness 101

Supplements 101

Prevention 101

Mind & Body 101

No related posts.

The Basics

Exercising is probably the least favorite of all the “wellness pillars” for many people to address.  Not only does it require a decent amount of physical exertion (depending on your goals), it also means that you have to carve out some time in your busy schedule to do it – time a lot us don’t have (or refuse to find, as I like to say).  For those that actually have the desire to get in shape and get healthy, the time factor seems to be the most frustrating obstacle.

Moreover, consumers are constantly bombarded with cheesy infomercials touting the “fat-melting” features of the latest diet pill, exercise apparatus, or workout video (for the record, butter and ice cream melt, not fat ).  Scientists and engineers have done some great things for the human race, but they have yet  to invent a magic pill, cream, machine, prayer, drink or medical procedure that will make you fit and healthy.  All of this has a net effect of  adding to the rampant confusion that already exists regarding physical fitness.  Like I often tell folks, it’s only as difficult and confusing as you make it.

Goal Setting

The first thing you must do is set your goals (short and long term).  Examples of long term goals are: Do you want to lose weight?  Tone?  Build muscle?  Decrease your blood pressure?  Improve your mood?  Play with your kids?  Doctor’s orders?

Examples of short term goals are: Do you want to fit in your favorite jeans or dress?  Loose the beer belly?  Work in the garden?  Train for an event?  Train for a specific sport?  Get your sexy back?  Impress a loved one?  Make a loved one jealous?

Whatever it is, I cannot overstate the significance of setting a goal before you do anything else.  Not only does it give you purpose (insert Merovingian reference from “The Matrix”), it links the cost of your workouts to something that’s tangible for you.  It makes your workout personal.  It serves as your motivation and will help you stick with your workouts over the long haul.

Plan Your Work

Goal setting is undoubtedly the easiest part of this process.  Most of us can think of one or more reasons to stay fit and healthy.  On a personal note, my goals went through a gradual progression as life events changed my priorities.  Growing up playing sports enabled me to combine sports and fitness.

As a young adult, my goals were aesthetics, functional movement, and disease prevention (I have a horrible family history of autoimmune disease).  Now that I’m a little older and married with kids, my goals are a mash-up of the former along with being able to play with my children when they get older.  Again, all of that is the easy part.

The obvious question for many people is “What’s next?”  As I mentioned earlier, there’s a cornucopia of options available to us these days.  For the vast majority of folks who are coming from a largely sedentary lifestyle, any program that incorporates resistance and cardio-respiratory movements will suffice (if you require sports-specific training, I would recommend finding a qualified fitness professional).

The trick is to find an activity that you like and fits your lifestyle/schedule.  You don’t have to dedicate a portion of your monthly budget to a gym membership or add an extra wing to your house to accommodate a home gym.  Activities like dancing, biking, hiking are all good alternatives.  Bottom line, if you like what you’re doing, chances are much better that you’ll stick with it over the long term.

Movement works, sitting doesn’t.  That said, formulating a fitness plan still isn’t the difficult part.

(As always, please seek out the advice of a qualified medical professional before beginning any exercise program.)

Work Your Plan

As you may have guessed, this is the main obstacle for most people.  Perhaps there is no better application of the popular Robert Burns quote “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”.  Even with your goals set and your plan conceived, life gets in the way.

This is where sheer determination and “sticktoitiveness” play a vital role.  In sports parlance, this is referred to as “gut check” time.  It will rain, you will have frustrating days at work, your car will need repairs, errands will always come up at the last minute, and the house chores aren’t going anywhere……life will happen.  It’s an absolute – put it up there with death and taxes.  As they say, they key is how you react.

It’s always interesting to me how people find the time to do anything they deem important – happy hours, game night, video games, shopping, zoning out in front of the idiot box television, etc.  So in that vain, it becomes a question of motivation.  And that brings us full circle back to finding a personal reason to get fit.  No one can make you exercise, only you can make that happen.  You are your own best friend and worst enemy, depending on whether or not you decide to get moving.

Be consistent with you workouts.  Get some support from friends and family.  Ignore the haters (or use it as motivation).  Don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon – it happens all the time.

In the timeless words of the Phil Knight’s iconic brand, “Just do it.”  It’s only your health that’s at stake.

Related posts:

1. Supplements 101
2. Prevention 101
3. Nutrition 101