While I’m off gallivanting and taking in the CHFA West in the beautiful city that is Vancouver; I thought I would be remiss to leave you with nothing to whet your natural health appetites. So I’ve lined up some guest posts, to keep you entertained.
Everybody wants to have a healthy and vitalized life. However, it’s one thing to want it and another thing to actually live it. Having a life full of energy and vigor doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and effort; but it’s not hard to do! Here are the basics to leading a vitalized life.
You are what you eat!
We all have a certain diet; by diet, we basically mean our food intake. People opt for different types of diets such as vegetarian, protein-rich, carbohydrate free- you name it; however, having a balanced diet is one of the best ways to achieve a vitalized life. This means that you get to eat everything, within reason.
Our bodies needs all the nutrients it can get from grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, dairy, and meat; it simply boils down to the right ratio of each food group. There is no golden diet plan that applies to everyone; each person has a different nutritional needs. You may follow the food pyramid and determine—based on your current diet—what food group you need to increase or decrease your intake to make it healthier and more balanced.
Making incremental changes like eating more fruits and veggies over the next seven days can exact significant changes to how one feels. But be sure to start small; it’s easier to sustain dietary changes with mindful baby steps. rather than with giant diet leaps.
Move that body!
One cannot overemphasize the importance of exercise in achieving a healthy lifestyle. Energy is at the core of a vitalized life and you cannot achieve this living a sedentary life. Exercise works wonders for the body- plain and simple. The great thing about it is that it’s not confined within the four walls of a gym; you can do it anytime, anywhere!
Exercise applies the principle “you reap what you sow”. How much time you put into exercising will directly affect the results you get out it. Since exercise is all about movement, choose activities that you will enjoy doing repeatedly such as walking, biking, dancing, etc. Start with something easy in order to forge a habit; if you like the activity enjoyment will come naturally.
Begin by allotting 30 minutes each day for exercise; vary your workouts to include cardiovascular activity, strength conditioning, and flexibility training. Walking, running, swimming, and dancing are cardiovascular activities; squats, lunges, and push ups are part of strength conditioning; and stretching is the basic principle behind flexibility training- simple enough right?! Just like in shifting to a healthy balanced diet, likewise, exercise should be done in small incremental steps to ensure it becomes a habit you can enjoyably sustain.
Your body needs to rest; all the diet and exercise changes you make won’t amount to anything if you aren’t rested. When you get enough sleep, you will have the strength to do exercise the following day; and your body will be better able to absorb the nutrients from the food you eat. A vitalized life results from a well rested life. Being vigorous throughout the day from getting ample sleep; it gives your body the time to wind down, rest, and recharge.
Between 11pm-2am, your body detoxifies and heals itself; sleeping during those hours allows you to take advantage of this natural healing process. The vast majority of people need around 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep; however, quality of sleep is also important. Sleep comes in five stages and the last of which is the REM stage. It takes approximately two hours to get to that fifth stage where dreams take place—an indication of a deep sleep. If you get into a deep sleep for five hours you can function better than a light sleeper who had nine hours of sleep.
To help you get the most effective and restorative rest, make sure you turn off all electronic gadgets 30 minutes before you go to bed, to allow your body to properly wind down. Being well rested is often overlooked; but sleep gives your body energy and vitality the natural way.
Balancing these three basic areas in your life will result in the vitalized life so coveted by many. By making incremental adjustments to your lifestyle, you can be sure you are headed in the directions of a healthy lifestyle! Remember, all you need is DES—diet, exercise, and sleep—to improve your overall well-being!
Jamie Fuentes is an aspiring writer and an online enthusiast. She is into almost all types of music. She also has a passion in singing and an interest in sports particularly Ultimate (Frisbee) and running. She has an odd fascination about sleeping. Jamie works part-time as an associate blog manager and writer for Uratex Blog.