Category Archives: Healthy Life

Fitness

Posted on April 20, 2011 by admin

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Physical fitness encompasses more than bodily strength or endurance. Fitness is best considered as an overall measurement of how well the body responds to stress, avoids disease, and expresses a general state of health and well-being. Old definitions of fitness described it as the ability to perform one’s daily activities without excessive fatigue, however modern life has rendered this obsolete- with the number of automated tasks now, it is certainly possible to be physically unfit, and not suffer undue fatigue.

Most fitness regimens involve a combination of exercise and good nutrition, however exactly what those two things encompass will vary on an individual basis. Age also plays a factor, as monitoring things like cardiac efficiency and bone density become more important over time.

Body Type and Fitness

It’s true that genetics plays a part in overall body shape and conformation; however it is still possible to achieve a degree of fitness regardless of genetics. Physical fitness is completely independent of body type. While members of some ethnic groups may be built to carry a different ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass than others, exercise and good nutrition can still allow these people to have efficient cardiovascular systems, good bone density, and live long lives free from debility. It’s entirely possible for a person carrying a higher percentage of body fat to have higher endurance and a faster recovery time than someone with a higher percentage of lean muscle, as fitness encompasses a broad range of characteristics, very few of which have to do with body composition.

Regardless of what genetics and body type dictates, it is possible to achieve a high level of physical fitness with the properly tailored diet and exercise regimen.

Healthy Nutrition

Posted on April 20, 2011 by admin

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Healthy nutrition can mean different things to different people. While one person with a family history of heart attack may wish to emphasize high fiber, low cholesterol, and low sodium, another with a risk of diabetes may choose to decrease their fat and sugar intake. What all healthful diets have in common, however, is an emphasis on fresh, all-natural foods with limited ingredients.

The popularity of things like the anti-inflammatory diet shows how much nutritional research has advanced. Now that the mechanisms of the body are understood to work together, nutrition has developed an emphasis on treating the body as whole, as opposed to a series of parts. A low glycemic diet can be effective for helping more than just diabetes, for example, as diets high in sugar have become linked to higher instances of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and even infections. Processing methods like canning or boiling have also been shown to lower the amount of vitamins in foods, so most healthful nutrition encourages people to eat raw, steamed, or other minimally-processed meals.

“Nutraceuticals”

It’s very common to see “super foods” touted for their anti-aging and protective benefits, like acai berries, blackberries, and pumpkin, or even for their effectiveness in treating specific conditions, like cranberries and infections of the lower urinary tract. Sometimes termed “nutraceuticals” (a combination of “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”), these foods encompass isolated compounds from a specific food (like soy protein), a whole food, or a dietary supplement.

While the effects of medication on treating or preventing disease is generally more dramatic and pronounced, nutraceuticals have the benefit of being easy to add to an existing dietary regimen, and having very few or no side effects, making them a viable option for those who have a family history of or risk factors for disease, and wish to lower their risks of contracting it.