Exercise is an important piece of the puzzle – but it is important to take a good look at how you spend the rest of your day. An awesome 45-minute workout three times a week is great. Just keep in mind that you want to compliment that good habit. Below are some of the things to keep in mind when putting your health in perspective. Compliment that good workout with what you have in your control to change in your daily life!
Food & Hydration
Look at what you are eating on a daily basis. What are your eating habits? How much water are you drinking a day? Also, are you fueling your body before your workout and feeding those muscles after the workout along with enough water. Keeping a food journal is a great idea – if anything you will see some patterns in how you feel that day or later after eating certain foods. Consult qualified professionals that can give you some advice about proper nutrition in regards your body in particular. General advice such as the portion control tips that is helpful, but sometimes seeking a professional can be more useful.
Stress
We all know how stress can affect our body and our lives on a daily basis. Between our jobs, life stress and the real struggle to step away from it at the end of the day – it can snowball and affect all aspects of our daily life…including our sleep. It can be easier said than done to lead a less stressful life. One of the tricks is to find what works for you to ease the stress in a healthy way. Yes, exercise can help relieve some of that tension or mind/body techniques like yoga.
Your Parents
Genetics is something that we really don’t have considerable control over (yet). We have diseases or traits that are in our family tree. Some argue that “genetics load the gun & our environment pulls the trigger.” In other words, the argument is that a small percentage of a disease is caused by genetics and a larger is influenced by lifestyle choices and environment. Even stepping outside of the genetic argument – what habits (good or bad) have you learned from your parents? Sometimes the bad habits need to be broken.
Environment
Our environment is just as it sounds, where we live, work and play. Living in a place where you are able to walk more than you need to drive can affect your daily health. We have all seen the numerous articles about the bad effects of sitting down every day – so jobs, where we are at a desk all day or are able to walk around often, can make a difference. Further, not everyone is able to benefit from living situations that are free of things in and surrounding their homes that can affect their health.
