By Shannon Hayes Buescher
We are bombarded with so much information on what is right or wrong for your body: what you should be eating and what should be eliminated; what supplements to take and what exercise you should be doing.
The problem with a lot of this information is that it often refers to the trending fad, and the primary focus is on weight and not the actual health of your body. It has been shown that regardless of your size, these five things will optimize and improve the health of your body. Find out which one you may need to pay a little more attention to.
- Eat your fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and nutrients that help the well-being of your body. The more colorful they are, the more goodness you’re getting. These gifts from nature help to lower cholesterol, triglycerides, fight cancer and other diseases. The U.S. dietary guideline recommends getting between 1-1/2 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 2-1/2 cups of vegetables a day. Keep in mind, if you have been a chronic dieter, the last thing you may want are fruits and vegetables. Just give yourself time and keep an open mind. Often you just need a mind shift of wanting these foods for health reasons versus dieting and weight loss reasons. Eventually, your body will be asking for them.
- Move your body. The way exercise is promoted is primarily about weight and changing the exterior of your body. This often sets people up to think that if they are “off” their diet or aren’t getting the results they want, movement stops. The key is concentrating on what moving your body does for it. It not only helps with stress, anxiety and sleep, but it also helps to keep your bones strong, and lowers cholesterol and blood sugars. Another big factor is to find something that you like When you like the way it feels when you are moving your body and after, you’ll have a better chance of staying with it. I always suggest trying to get four days of movement in a week. That way, you are active more days than not. Any other day over that is a bonus! But also be sure to have some rest days.
- Limit your alcohol to the recommended amount. The recommended amount per day is two drinks for men and one drink for women. Excess alcohol has been shown to lead to chronic diseases and cancer.
- Don’t smoke. Do I really need to say more about this?
- Drink water. The recommended goal of water consumption is a minimum of eight, 8-ounce cups a day. If you are more active and/or sweat a lot, you need more. Your urine color is a good gauge. The goal is clear to light yellow. If it’s medium to darker yellow, then drink up! Not drinking enough water can lead to headaches, lethargy and a false sense of hunger.
Buescher is a registered and licensed dietitian. She has over 15 years of experience with nutritional counseling in sports nutrition, eating disorders and a non-diet approach to food. Visit hayesnutrition.com.
