With all the talk and discussion about the H1N1 virus it would seem now more than ever is a great time to be thinking about taking better care of yourself. As a Red Deer personal trainer and holistic lifestyle coach I am convinced that one of the best vaccines you could ever utilize is that of prevention with regular exercise and balanced nutrition.
Generally when it comes to fitness and weight loss there are plenty of reasons to improve our lifestyle but for most, if not all of us, our desire for improved appearance seems to dwarf the others. Our skewed ideals make us forget that by crash dieting, making drastic changes in activity, or restricting ourselves to the point of semi-starvation we may achieve short term success at the cost of long term health. It doesn’t have to be this way, when your body is working with great efficiency it will generally dictate to you what it needs more and less of. Overeating is very difficult to do if you are consuming quality food with an efficient metabolism. Metabolic efficiency is not that difficult to improve you just have to be aware of the key factors that tend to make us less efficient.
1) Toxicity – Our world is toxic. Our industrialized society creates constant toxic physiological overload beginning with the home we live in. Our paint, our floors, the insulation in the walls, you name it our physical environment alone is enough for most of us to be in a state of toxic physiological overload. If you consume any alcohol at all or feel the least bit stressed this effect is further increased. Time and time again this is one of the largest factors preventing people from seeing immediate weight loss results when they begin to add exercise and improved nutritional habits. To begin to detoxify one of the best practices is to drink more water and get additional rest. These are two prominent natural recovery mechanisms your body uses to detoxify. Beyond these the next step is to consider additional detoxification treatment such as Far Infrared Sauna or many of the popular detox supplement programs available.
2) Dehydration – I’ve talked about it a number of times, but it’s more than just common it is an epidemic. Statistically an overwhelming percentage of our population is dehydrated. Chances are if you are in a room full of people right now; everyone, including you, is in some stage of mild to severe dehydration. Dehydration even in its mildest form saps vital resources severely compromising our immune system. Consume at least 3L of filtered water per day and avoid caffeinated and carbonated beverages. Mood and energy both become more stable once we reach and maintain an adequate level of hydration.
3) Improper Food Balance – This is one we could argue about all week, but your body is so smart it has all the answers, you just need to listen. I’ve discussed many different ratios and the logic behind over the years, I’ve also discussed listening to your body based on the science of metabolic typing. In many ways a holistic approach would dictate we must listen to our bodies. After all our whole objective is to “feel” good. Adjust your food based on how you feel about 60-90 min after a meal. If you feel any negative energy cues (ie. Fatigue, jitters, anxiety, cravings, etc) these are indicators of needing more or less carbs, protein or fat(for initial adjustments protein and fat should be considered as one and the same). Simply begin by adjusting one component of your next meal until you find you are having an improved post-meal feeling. I know it’s not the immediate answer you were hoping for but it will give you the awareness to change for a life time.
4) Exercise – Use resistance exercise for at least 20 minutes, 2-3 days per week and perform any form of cardio activity for at least 20-30 minutes an additional 2-3 days per week. These two things with moderate effort will be the catalyst that brings it all together.
These four elements, seemingly over simplified, truly are the key to avoiding a compromised immune system. Maintaining great lifestyle habits like the above will undoubtedly help you avoid cold, flu, H1N1 and many other forms of illness you will no doubt be in contact with every day. Well the above and good hygiene, I’m going to wash my hands, you should to.
