Health and Fitness - Relating to being ready for any type of personal defense, being able to get up and get out, or have the mental ability to be shut in for a time in today’s world.
Four topics I want to share are about your well-being in this article are for overall body health and fitness, not physical appearances.
It all begins here… but ooooooh this isn’t going to be the yogi, meditation, positive attribute stuff that a fitness trainer would advise. Do I think that peace within is important? You bet, but my peace comes from the Lord, I find my rest in His salvation. With that said, this topic is to give you the information for the mental stamina to keep going when you don’t want to. When you feel like it isn’t working, or whether you don’t have the time, or the energy to take 15-20 minutes a day to take care of you…this is what I’m here for.
If you need to do a mediation or some other sort of mental stimulation like a music playlist or something to get you started…by all means do what works for you. BUT I mean that is just to get you started. After all, you are stronger than you might believe you are. Whether we are under pressure due to some type of shut-in or able to get out and be with others, I know the strength found to keep yourself healthy should be important and not “if I get to it” part of your preparation.
Some beginning advice would be to find a partner, a friend, a fitness junkie, an accountability partner, or a community such as group classes to help you stay motivated. This person doesn’t have to be doing what you are doing, nor do they have to be local. They DO have to be supportive. If they are doing it with you, all the better.
Give it time - We have learned to be so impatient. Everything is instant and we have gotten accustomed to quick food, quick communication, quick money…but health is slow. If you are doing it fast, then more than likely it isn’t safe or long lasting.
Your body deserves the time put into it daily, remember that slow and steady wins the race and every day is making it better, not perfect but better.
Excuses - I don’t really want to, I don’t have time, I am exhausted, it costs too much. What else ya got? I’ve heard it all. If you are full of excuses, you won’t make a change. It has to be a switch, something that hits you in the heart to want to be better, to be ready for whatever life throws at you. That IS what this blog is all about after all. Being prepared for whatever is to come…and if you are exhausted, slow, unable to move, healable health problems are nagging at you that you could have been working on…you won’t be ready, set, go.
How do I do it? Hmmmm, that’s a good one. It isn’t always the same. I am not always great at consistency. Being honest with you but also honest with myself (and that is who it affects the most anyway right?) I am great at teaching, great at getting started, and when I have a goal…you can’t stop me. Soooooo what does that tell you? This girl is goal oriented. I am not competitive, but I do have to set a goal to achieve, then I am better about getting up every day and doing what I need to do. Having my accountability girl to get me out walking, to stretch with, and to keep me talking about my health and food preparations.
If you aren’t talking about it, you probably aren’t doing it. Creating routines often help with keeping consistent and some people need checklists. Ahhhhh, the checklist person, type A probably. Well, yep that is me. I like to see what I need to do, to have something visible to check off or to just keep as an overview to keep me on the right track. Get that list started and if you need the positive post-its around the house, do ‘em. If you need a meditation moment, take it. A song playlist create it. You get it. Just know that whatever your source is, do your best to be consistent and have an accountability partner to help you maintain it!
There are so many available options with technology today to find the right fit for your activity level. Online classes, I see online ads daily for different programs to buy that are tailored to fit you with just a few clicks. Something for everyone, and people are using their skills to make it easier for us to have it right at the fingertips to get our health in check.
Is it really that easy?? Well, if you don’t want to purchase an online program or you don’t have a gym membership or home weight equipment or even the mobility to do your fitness with outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, running, or just fast walking…you can get your muscles to stay fit with just stretching, gentle or more advanced. Some people choose a type like Yoga or Pilates, I personally prefer not to do the movements that were created to a god that I don’t serve, so my designed list of stretches are created to best suit muscle movement not using a mantra of worship.
Personally, I found my body needs the slow, long hold of lengthening muscles in repetition to work out lactic acid and stiff joint pain because I am susceptible to a rise in cortisol levels that cause inflammation with HIT (High Intensity Training). It works, but I physically pay for it with painful inflammation.
So recently I taught some really great hold stretching classes to a group of ladies who had not used this type of muscle movement as a style of exercise before. They realized just how much “little movements” make a huge difference resulting in easier and faster mobility, less stiffness, more flexibility, a better and deeper sleep. We weren’t focused on muscle building or shape shifting but I will say after just 8 weeks, these ladies were so much more “in shape”.
So, whether you are getting movement through a weight program, outdoor natural movement, or a slower gentler stretch and strength program; your muscles will be able to tear, rebuild, and circulate blood to better maintain a healthy muscle structure. Staying active helps the body keep from injury, strengthens the mind, and slows down the part of the aging process that often strikes the elderly with slow reaction, immobility, reoccurring falls, and muscle deterioration. You can’t afford to lose body mobility at any age as it seems to be occurring more often to all ages with the culture of today.
This is created by a rapid movement of burst and rest moments completed over time and consistently throughout life to maintain a healthy beating heart. It can be done in the natural outdoors, gym, or in the home with use of professional fitness equipment or regular household items. A method I advocate would be what you may know to be called HIT or HIIT. High Intensity (Interval) Training conditions the heart quickly. This type of training is easy to modify to your physical needs. Ex. If you have a bad knee or arthritis, there are simple modifications to keep you from injury.
Energy drinks are not helpful here, they can cause jitters and heart palpations (unusual or abnormal rapid or violent beating of the heart). They give a direct short burst of energy but not long-lasting endurance. While your diet is important to overall health; a heart needs good food, endurance exercise, and what affects the matters of the heart…LOVE! Feeling this is cheesy? Not really, check this out, scientifically we all do need it. Emotions play a part in a heart’s health. While there is much still to understand, science already tells us there is no doubt that emotion impacts not only our mental health, physical well-being, but especially that of the heart.
If you are not getting a per se “workout” in, begin with any form of exercise that gets the ole’ heart pumping. If you are consistent with getting the heart rate elevated to (see chart) your level for heart health, you are in a good starting place.
The American Heart Association is a great place to refer to a target heart rate chart, instructions how to find your heart rate, diet plans for heart health, all types of exercise, and so much more. I hope this information helps you stay within the boundaries to not go extreme with any training, but to learn to push yourself each activity or workout to gain cardiovascular endurance.
Talk to your doctor before starting any type of physical fitness routine. Here is a list with some common medical tests to diagnose heart conditions.
Here is where a major part of your internal health is actually rooted. Your gut biome. If your digestive tract, intestines, stomach are dysfunctional, you will be more likely to have additional health issues with an increased probable development of more serious diseases.
What do you do about it? My first advise would be to get on a prebiotic and a probiotic. Good ones, not just the cheapest you find at your local mart.
Here is my favorite and shelf stable Probiotic Jarrow EPS 25Billion CFU and my favorite Prebiotic Jarrow Prebiotic Inulin -FOS
Having been though the process of healing my gut, I learned a few things about how easily it can be disrupted. There are foods that are essentially tearing up the gut, they also allow for bacteria and fecal matter to freely flow inside due to small tearing in the lining of the intestines. If you have worms or parasites that feed on this fecal matter, you are going to experience gut dysfunction.
How do I fix this you ask? Everyone is different but I do believe the right cleanse is good for preparing, removing, replenishing the gut to first allow for better absorption of the vitamins, pre and probiotics best suited for your personal need. If you aren’t having the normal bathroom deposits daily needed to excrete the buildup of toxins to keep your body running on prime, a cleanse is a good place to start.
In my experience a cleanse every six months, followed by consistent proper nutrition, and a good quality biotic, you are set for better internal vitality. I have used the DrNatura Advanced Internal Cleansing Program for years and highly recommend it.
It is also very important to live within a neutral PH system. If you test your acidity/neutrality/alkalinity levels, you are best to be at 7.0 a neutral level, but there is a healthy range. For an in depth dive, check out Genevieve’s blog
Check out these well-reviewed PH Test Strips from JustFitter
Back to the food that is disruptive. Sugar feeds bacteria, so watch your intake. Some foods are higher in lectins, without going nerdy on nutrition for this part of the topic; I will say that these little dudes are a big part of what causes “leaky gut”. I’ve found a product that repairs these tears and helped me feel better in just days (used after the cleanse). Dr. Gundry Total Restore is my personal choice for gut lining support.
This is a thorough guide to Detrimental vs Beneficial foods for gut health
Nutrition has been a fascination for me since adolescence because I always had an effect with food to how it was received in my body usually causing bloating, inflammation, gut issues, skin issues, arthritis, to fatigue. Through my journey I haven’t figured it all out, but I have more understanding to better control any dysfunction, here is to hoping you do as well.
My fervency for personal health has led me to help people that are stuck. Stuck battling fatigue, aggravating body complications, and most days an irritable mood. I have been there. We all have to start somewhere, and these four topics covered would make an unbelievable change in your overall health, even if you just implement one of them. Finding your motivation and repair to the gut biome would be my first choices for you to begin. Getting that heart a pumpin’ with some sort of daily movement would be easier to do once you actually have the mindset and the energy to do so.
I encourage you to consistently pursue well-being, experience liveliness, and make your existence invigorating! God Bless!