Wellness is the process of getting a suitable balance of the mind, body and spirit. Although there are many goals you can set to improve wellness. Wellness is not a goal, rather your specific choices in encompassing the “Seven Components of Wellness” to improve and maintain throughout life. Some of the choices I am making to better my wellness for the future is having a healthier diet and working out at least four times a week. Nutrition is probably the one that I have the most difficult time upholding. Another problem with my diet is that I do not eat the proper portion size. I know for a fact I eat way to many grains, meats and fats.
Nutrition is some thing that Americans struggle with as a whole. There is a fast food restaurant on every street and for the average working man, who can deny the low-cost and convenience that it provides? On the flip side this food is extremely unhealthy with high sodium and trans fats. This is a perfect example on how “the easier option is not always the best option”. Nutrition should be high if not the top objective on everyone’s priority list, which is not the case for most Americans. We want a quick fix so we can get back to our regular scheduled workday. Taking time out of the day to map out healthy alternative in your diet will truly go along way.
I am guilty of just about all offenses when it comes to bad dieting. My guilty pleasure is anything that has to do with carbohydrates like rice, bread and doughnuts. I recently found out why eating an excess amount of breads is so unhealthy. Carbohydrates are needed for energy during the day, but eating an excess amount will turn into sugar that will then turn into fat. Red meat is another food that I know is healthy but I continue eating it. Red meat takes a lot longer to digest than white, which made me think twice about eating red meat. Even though I do not pay attention to the food pyramid I try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Although, I am getting better at being consistent at it, physical activity was another task I had to deal with in order to get accomplish wellness.
My three physical activities consist of treadmill, lifting weights and swimming. My work out schedule plays out like this: 15 minute treadmill run before lifting weights which is Mon-Tues and Thurs-Fri, swimming on Wed 27 laps. To make my workout more challenging is increase the speed that I am going on the treadmill, increase the reps when lifting weights and swim the 27 laps non-stop. This week I will try to apply these new challenges to improve my physical fitness. It will be a challenge on that treadmill because I already cannot stand running but it is the best way to lose weight. Another healthy activity that I partake in is resistance training.
The combination of aerobic and resistance training is best, since one works the cardiovascular system and the other targets muscles and bones. The benefits of resistance training are that it strengthens muscles, tendons and ligaments surrounding the joints. This is useful because the joints are better able to withstand physical stress, which is helpful