The Truth about Being Healthy & Fit

We live in a world in which we have been tricked into thinking that we could do whatever we want...eat whatever we want, abuse our bodies however we want...and then take a pill, or have some kind of medical treatment to erase it all.

But it doesn't work that way. Our lifestyles and eating habits play a very important role in how our future will play out. The major diseases plaguing us today...obesity, diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, some autoimmune disorders, dementia, etc....are mostly due to unhealthy lifestyle habits.

You can't erase a lifetime of bad habits with a pill or a medical treatment.

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The Simple Truth
The simple truth is that eating a healthy diet and exercising consistently is the answer to good health, having a healthy weight, and looking and feeling amazing.  

YOU are responsible for your own health. Not your doctor. Not medications that are merely erasing bad symptoms (and not fixing the underlying problems for whatever ails you). The only person that can save you from any of the chronic conditions I mentioned above is YOU.

Most of those chronic health conditions are caused by excess inflammation in the body. This is inflammation that is invisible. You can't see it or feel it but inflammation starts in childhood (yes childhood) and after decades of eating processed foods and being sedentary, it starts surfacing by giving you health problems in adulthood.

Weight gain. Fatigue. Accelerated aging. Insulin resistance. Heart disease. High cholesterol. Diabetes. Certain types of cancer. The list is really endless. I say these things not to scare you...but to really jolt your awareness that these conditions don't happen in an instant. They develop over time.

To those that say "I'd rather eat whatever I want and do whatever I want without worrying about these things" or "We all are going to die eventually so might as well live it up"...I think those are the biggest BS excuses ever. For me, regardless of how many years I live, I want to live those years with energy in good health so that I can actually do whatever I want, go wherever I want, without being slowed down by health issues, endless doctor appointments, medications, etc.

Does living a healthy lifestyle guarantee you won't get run over by a bus tomorrow or struck by lightning? No. Does it guarantee you will have perfect health always? No. Of course anything can happen and no one knows what tomorrow brings. But putting in efforts TODAY puts you in the best position to feel great not only now, but later in life.

No excuses
To be healthy and fit, you have to actually DO the things that are necessary to be healthy and fit. Instead of making excuses for problems, start focusing on solutions. Real solutions; not prescriptions.

Nutrition is a HUGE determinant of health so take small action steps each day to get your diet on point. Healthy habits (things that you do consistently) are the solution for getting fit.

1. Minimize processed foods - shop the perimeter of the grocery store and know how to read labels. Processed foods are loaded with refined sugars, chemicals, and increase inflammation in the body. There is NO room for this garbage in the diet of a healthy fit person. Refuse to put in your house and refuse to eat it at other people's houses. This means being prepared with your own food if necessary.
2. Maximize whole foods - the bulk of your diet should be fresh fruits and vegetables (organic when possible), lean meats, seafood, legumes, nuts & seeds. This involves meal prepping and planning. Fast food/convenience food is the fast way to gaining weight and developing chronic disease. Doesn't have to be fancy...your best bet is simple, healthful meals and snacks with whole foods ingredients. Smoothies make a great meal replacement or snack.
3. Aim for at least 30-60 minutes of exercise 6 days a week. If you don't think you have time for this, you simply aren't making it a priority...or non-negotiable...in your life. Sitting on the couch, or sitting in your car, or sitting at your desk, or just sitting in general is not helping your health. No matter what your situation is, there IS time to workout and there are options. Even if you have to drop to the floor in your office and bang out 10 sets of push-ups or climb up and down stairs in your office building on lunch hour, get it done.

Health is a journey; not a destination...so don't worry about making tons of changes all at once. Your success will more likely happen if you start with one thing at a time until that becomes a habit, and then you move on to the next thing. Get some support and your success is super-sized!

YOU are responsible for your health so fuel your own power and go for it.