Cory Quirino's Inside Out

Take charge of your health

A new era is upon us. It puts you on center stage in caring for your own health.

There was a time when people would not take an active role in a plan to keep themselves healthy, leaving all the major decisions to their physicians.

The day of taking charge has arrived. And you are in control.

Change is good

Because a new season of change is upon you, there are changes to be made. Taking charge means the following:

1. Be clear about your health goals.

Do you want to have a stronger body, prolong and sustain your energy levels, boost your resilience against stress, or just simply refuse to catch a cold every three months? Whatever your goal is, assess, decide and act.

2. Seek advice/guidance from experts―your physician/nutritionist/gym trainer. Sometimes even your pastor/parish priest or best friend may have a recommendation or two.

3. No matter what the occasion, you should not be deterred or derailed from your goal.

4. Give yourself a workable timetable, something that is not an impossible dream, one that will not stress you out.

5. Listen to your body language. If your body talks to you in ways you cannot ignore, listen. Pretending that your symptoms will go away by ignoring them will not eliminate them. In fact, the next time around they will become more serious.

Human performance

In a casual, random survey, people were asked what they really wanted from their bodies. The answer was unanimous from the men―to be in tip-top performance level. Women, on the other hand, said they wished for strength and beauty.

Philip Maffetone, in “In Fitness and in Health,” said when health and fitness were balanced, the result was optimal human performance.

You do not have to win an Olympic gold medal to be fit and healthy. You just need to perform well in all aspects of life―personal, family, work and social.

So let us define the terms clearly:

Fitness―to perform a physical activity well
Health―the optimal balance of all the body systems, muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, lymphatic, hormonal, mental, emotional, and other systems

Dr. Maffetone does simple math: fitness + health = human performance.

Limitless energy

Your body requires energy to fulfill its physical needs. So we have to feed it energy. Nourish your body with the basic food requirements: carbohydrates (bread, pasta, fruits, rice), fats (oil, butter, cheese eggs), proteins (meat, fish, poultry).

If balance is the key, then eating moderate amounts from the different food groups mentioned should give you what you need.

Good nutrition also means good hydration―10-12 glasses of water daily, and vegetables. With these, you can only do the right thing.

Finally, balance includes enough time for work and play. When work takes the bulk of your time, sooner or later your health will suffer―both mentally and physically.

People who are naturally driven will not give importance to this. They are so focused on their work/money ambition to the detriment of their health.

But it is never too late to make adjustments. More on this next week.

Meanwhile, your affirmation today is: “Today I take charge of me.”

Love and light!

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=106104

posted by Misteryo Philippines Network (MPN) @ 10:49 PM