The Fitness Maven

An increasingly vocal faction of the medical community is expressing skepticism about the effectiveness of vitamin supplements to the diet. While a balanced diet of ordinary food contains sufficient quantity and variety of vitamins for most people, some doctors have felt that supplements of concentrated vitamins could be beneficial, especially to those with strains on their bodies such as nursing mothers or the elderly. Many ordinary people have also believed that vitamins, in concentrated form, would give them an extra burst of vitality. But evidence is mounting that the healthiest way to receive vitamins is still in their natural form – as part of a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Although we don’t know everything about what substances the body derives from food and how it processes them, it does appear that our bodies have evolved to derive maximal nourishment from food as found in nature. So next time you’re thinking about a vitamin c pill, try blueberries, oranges, or cranberries!

Did you know that most of the bodily development that results from exercise occurs when you sleep? That’s right, while you’re getting your Z’s your body is rebuilding and strengthening itself. Many exercisers devote time to their workout and even pay attention to their nutrition, but neglect this key component of a healthy lifestyle.

To get a good night’s sleep, avoid using computers and tv’s with bright screens in the evening. Get a book or talk with your family, then have a nice hot drink. A cool, dark room with warm blankets provides a cozy, healthy sleep environment.

Sleep is critical to our physical and mental health, so be sure to get as much as you need!

It’s a fact that the temperature of your food matters. Of course you can get great nutrition from whole grains and vegetables, and sparing meat and dairy products, regardless of temperature. But there are additional benefits to consuming hot foods and, especially, drinks.

The human preference for hot food is universal. Hot foods smell better to us, and taste better too. This is our bodies’ way of letting us know we should prefer them. In addition to their nutritional value, they cleanse the body of impurities and relax our organs and muscles. We all know that pleasure of a nice hot drink, the way it soothes and calms the body.

So be sure to have a hot drink every day, and you’ll feel the difference!

It happens to the best of us. You get on a good exercise program, and then about a month or two into it, you come down with a miserable cold. You are tired and sneezy, and sleep nonstop for a few days. When you come back, you have lost all your energy and it takes a while to get back with the program.

Here’s a radical idea – it may actually be worth exercising when you are sick! Not an aerobic workout that will strain your respiratory system, but at least a light stretching and stressing of all your muscles, to keep them from getting stiff or atrophying. By doing this, at a comfortable level, you can minimize the detrimental effect of the illness on your muscles.

OK, let’s come out and say it – if you want to be healthy you have to part with junk food.

And don’t tell me about ‘healthy’ candy bars, ‘vitamin’ drinks, or ‘organic’ soda.

It’s all marketing and nonsense, so just accept it, OK?

If you want to be healthy, learn to like food that is actually nourishing your body, like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and even some meats and dairy products. The more you exercise, the more you can eat, so if you like a big steak, be sure to pump iron and hit the treadmill.

As the great Michael Pollan said: ‘Eat food, mostly plants, not too much’. Everything else is just a distraction.

Aerobic exercise is exercise that works the cardiovascular system – your heart and lungs, which draw oxygen into the body and circulate it through the bloodstream.

Any exercise that makes you winded and out of breath is aerobic.

A good aerobic fitness program is critical to your overall fitness. The body’s level of aerobic fitness has a substantial impact on physical endurance in day to day activities such as walking, carrying heavy items, climbing stairs, and the like. Regular aerobic exercise also influences the body’s metabolic rate, inhibiting accumulation of fat. In sufficient quantity, it can also contribute to weight loss.

Aerobic activity also has a substantial impact on mood – it releases hormones that stimulate a positive state of mind.

To achieve maximal benefit, most exercise physicians recommend that you engage in moderate aerobic exercise for at least ½ hour, three times a week. But recent research findings dispute this widely held belief, and suggest that engaging in more strenuous aerobic activity for shorter periods may achieve similar results.

When selecting an aerobic activity, consider several factors. First, look for an activity that you can participate in regularly. Consistency is important to achieving the benefits of the exercise program. Ideally, make it part of your daily routine, like biking to school or running immediately when you return home from work.

Second, especially if you are older or have a history of joint pain, look for a low-impact exercise. Running on pavement, for instance, jolts the skeletal system with each step and can contribute to bone and joint pain. Smoother motions like cycling and swimming are far better in this regard.

If you choose to run, be sure you wear athletic footwear that provides adequate cushioning, and also do your best to run on gravel, cinder or grass rather than hard pavement. Most of all, choose an aerobic activity you enjoy – you’ll find it much easier to stick with it if it’s fun!