Every living organism on the planet has a basic rule etched into their DNA: adapt or die.  At a very basic level, it’s no different with our bodies.  Our cells will collectively adapt to what we do or don’t do.  It doesn’t take an expert in biomechanics to realize that our bodies were designed to be on the move.  Only 10,000 years ago agriculture became the dominant lifestyle for our ancestors.  Prior to that, we were mostly nomadic and were either foraging or hunting for food.  Both of these activities required a significant amount of movement.

To put this in perspective, the earth is estimated to be 3.5 to 4 billion years old.  The Hominid species, to which we belong, has existed for approximately 4 to 6 million years.  Modern humans, commonly referred to as Homo Sapiens, have been around for about 200,000 years according to scientists.  So the 10,000 years agriculture has existed is a relative blip on the evolutionary timeline.  Even then, there was more physical activity as we tended our gardens and fields where crops grew.  The point is that our bodies have really had no time to adapt to sedentary lifestyles.  And, why would one want it to when it’s designed for and  capable of so many physical feats?

Add delivery food, scooters, cars, elevators, escalators, public transportation and the like to the equation, and it’s easy to see why we hardly have to move anymore.  The unfortunate reality is that some of this is necessary because of how society has evolved around work.  So, it is up to each one of us to take the initiative to get our bodies moving before natural selection gets the best of us (question to self: would our bodies ever really adapt to sloth, Big Macs, and pizza?).  Following are 3 reasons to engage in some sort of physical activity during the work day:

• Obesity - Studies continue to support the undeniable link between inactivity and gaining unhealthy weight.  The primary reason is food choice and how our body adapts to energy metabolism.  Essentially, the less active we become, the less efficient our bodies become at utilizing glucose (sugar) and lipids (fats).  And, if your meals resemble the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) in any fashion, then highly-processed carbs are undoubtedly the cornerstone of you’re diet.  In addition to the plethora of diseases that arise from the inflammation caused by processed carbs, there is a more obvious and immediate impact.  When you consume a diet dominated by processed carbs and your activity level is too low, those extra calories that are not used by critical body systems (eg – nervous system) or stored as glycogen are stored as fat.  In simple tems, if you eat too many calories (processed carbs, in particular) and don’t move enough, you will get fat.

• Venous Thromboembolism- In addition to the obvious obesity risk, sitting for prolonged periods of time poses another, more subtle (but no less deadly) danger.  Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/pulmonary embolism (PE), or venous thromboembolism,  is basically a blood clot in a deep vein.  We’ve all heard that we should get up and walk around on long flights.  DVT and PE is the reason experts recommend this.  This 2008 study conducted in New Zealand examined the link between seated immobility (office, home, flights) and venous thromboembolism.

• Heart Problems – A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that sitting for long periods of time can lead to heart issues and worse.  The interesting part of this study was that scientists discovered that it may be more beneficial to spread your activity throughout the day as opposed to one long exercise session per day.  Many folks are relatively sedentary throughout the day, but exercise for a specific period of time after work.  Ironically, this may not be an efficient use of the time you set aside for physical activity.  Some of you are aware that exercise is cumulative.  For instance, if you performed 3, 10-minute bouts of activity, some experts say that equals 30 minutes of exercise for that day (take the steps, walk around your building, etc.).  Add a moderate or intense bout of exercise to that, and that should be sufficient for your daily activity.

In short, it would behoove you to get off your behind frequently throughout the day.  Inactivity breeds inactivity.  We can all find time during work to chat, surf the internet, or talk on the phone.  Do yourself, your health and your figure a favor – get up and move something.

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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

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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.

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3. Prevention 101