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How to be the Healthiest You

In a world where adherence to complicated and restrictive diets, endless types of workouts, and snake oil products/treatments seem to be the only way to achieve the allusive title of being healthy, it’s no wonder the vast majority of us are fed up. Every day you are bombarded with the “latest and greatest” in scientific discovery:

Eggs are terrible for you don’t eat them.

In a brand new study, it turns out that eggs are great for you, eat them every day.

Fat kills. Avoid at all costs!

J/K fat isn’t so bad, eat it, but just make sure it’s the good kind. Ps the good kind could be nuts, coconut oil, avocado etc., but we aren’t 100% sure which types of nuts (peanuts are still considered evil) so maybe just eat more avocado and use some coconut oil and you should be fine. But maybe add some nuts, or not.

I figured it was time to throw my hat in the ring here and offer up some easy ways to figure out where you fall on the health spectrum and see where improvements could be made.

First of all, what are the tenets of good health? I’ve narrowed it down to the 4 that I think are most crucial.

1. Movement—in all its forms. Flexibility, endurance, strength, and stamina are all important players here. It requires us to perform a variety of different activities to achieve progress in all components. A runner who runs up to 6-8 miles 3 times a week, may have great endurance, but may lack strength.

2. Anti-inflammatory diet—Keep it simple. Avoid processed foods, eat more veggies, and eat less grains.

3. Sleep—everyone is a little different here but studies have shown that getting between 7-9 hours a night, for adults, seems to have the most beneficial outcomes for performance and health.

4. Stress handling—learning proper tools to prevent life’s unexpected (and sometimes expected) curves, bumps, and annoyances from derailing your mental health.

Ok so let’s break those out a little and see where you fall.


Physical Activity Questions

Can you perform an appropriate amount of consecutive push-ups (can be modified, but preferably not) for your gender (female at least 10, men at least 20)?*Look here for a way to do more push-ups (in the article he talks about going from 0-100 push-ups, you don’t need to do that, but the method of progression is quite useful)

Can you complete a mile in 10 minutes for men or 12 minutes for women? *For beginners, to help achieve the goal of being able to run a full mile look at this plan

Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?*here are some stretches that can help you achieve this.

Do you do any planned physical activity daily?


Being consistent with a workout plan is very difficult. Don’t let the cartoon to the right be you!


Anti-inflammatory Diet


Do you label check your food to ensure no scary ingredients are lurking inside like dyes, preservatives, and chemicals?

Do you avoid eating highly processed foods?

Do you avoid trans fats?

Do you drink a lot of water?

Do you limit the amount of sugar heavy foods/drinks?

Do you limit the amount of dining out you do?

Do you eat a good portion of vegetables with every meal?

Do you limit the amount of grains you eat (breads, cereals, pastas)?

Do you avoid excessive alcohol intake?

*Need some direction here, here is a quick guide to what to choose at the grocery store and this is a great resource for recipes! For a pasta substitute try spaghetti squash, and for a rice substitute try cauliflower rice. You will be amazed at how wonderfully they can replace their higher carbohydrate counterparts.

Sleep


Do you get 7-9 hours of sleep a night?

Do you sleep through the night?

Do you wake up feeling refreshed?

Could you survive the day without coffee/caffeine?

*want to get more sleep try these tips or talk to me about safe non-habit forming supplements that can get you back on the right track.


Stress Handling


Do you have others you can count on for help when you need it? Also, will you ask for help when needed?

Do you confide in at least one other person about personal matters?

Are you able to effectively and calmly communicate when you are feeling angry, stressed or worried?

Do you do something fun at least once a week?

Do you take some quiet time for yourself each day?

Are you able to let go of the past?

Are you able to calm your mind?

Do you feel like you are in control of your life?

*Need some help in this arena, read this article.

Also, yoga and meditation are great stress reducers. Give them a try! There are tons of free yoga videos on YouTube that you can try, and a lot of local yoga studios offer a free introductory class.

Go to the section(s) where you had the most “no’s”. This may be the area where you are struggling the most. It is also a great place to begin your work towards being healthier. If you struggle with making changes or knowing where to even begin, try the links and/or email me and we can figure out the best way to get you going together!

Do you think you are the healthiest you? Do you have any advice to offer our readers? Let me know!

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