| Without good health it will be difficult to make | | | | swimming, tai chi, or just doing stretching helps us |
| your dreams come true. Vitality and energy are | | | | to maintain flexibility. |
| by products of good health and are needed to | | | | B. Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. |
| achieve career success, excellent relationships, and | | | | Walking, biking, jogging, dancing, and sports which |
| many other goals. | | | | help you to stay in your working heart rate for |
| There are no guarantees, but here are some | | | | 20-30 minutes are beneficial to your heart. Charts |
| ideas for increasing your odds of having a long | | | | are available to determine the working heart rate |
| and healthy life. | | | | for your age bracket. |
| 1. Drink plenty of water. | | | | C. Strength training exercise. |
| Much of our body and brain are made up of | | | | This exercise keeps your muscles firm and |
| water. You need water to stay hydrated, to flush | | | | strong. It also keeps your bones strong when |
| out toxins, to assimilate nutrients from food, and | | | | combined with proper nutrition. This type of |
| for your brain to function properly. Drinking plenty | | | | exercise includes weight lifting (it can be light |
| of water also keeps your skin from becoming dry | | | | weights), calisthenics, and machines which provide |
| and prematurely wrinkled from dehydration. | | | | resistance. |
| How much water do you need a day? Rule of | | | | Unless we are an athlete or compete in sports |
| thumb is to drink one half of your weight in | | | | we do not need to spend a large amount of |
| ounces each day. For example, if you weighed | | | | exercising. Like anything else it can be overdone |
| 130 pounds, you would need 65 ounces or | | | | and then the returns diminish. Moderation has its |
| approximately two quarts of water a day. If you | | | | benefit. |
| do strenuous exercise or work, you will need | | | | My personal exercise program does not require a |
| even more water. | | | | lot of time. I spend twenty minutes a day taking |
| Coffee, tea, and soda are not substitutes for | | | | a fast walk for aerobic benefit plus five minutes |
| water. They actually are dehydrating and if you | | | | jumping on a small trampoline (rebounder). I do |
| drink them you will need more water. Even fruit | | | | five minutes of yoga a day plus five to ten |
| juice is not a substitute for water because it | | | | minutes on an inverter table for stretching & |
| comes from a food source and is not a true | | | | flexibility. I exercise for ten to fifteen minutes |
| solvent. | | | | twice a week with light weights for strength |
| Drinking tap water is better than not getting | | | | training. |
| enough but it is best to drink water which has | | | | If your diet is good, a mild to moderate exercise |
| been purified naturally or through reverse osmosis | | | | program is sufficient to stay fit. |
| or distillation. Only some of the bottled water | | | | 4. Eat well. |
| meets these criteria. | | | | Fresh fruits and vegetables are among the most |
| I have a habit of carrying a bottle of water | | | | important foods you can eat. The greater the |
| wherever I go and I drink at least one half of my | | | | variety of colors, the better because they contain |
| weight in ounces every day. | | | | different types of antioxidants. Antioxidants |
| 2. You need a little sunshine. | | | | strengthen your immune system and slow the |
| It is true that you can get too much sun but we | | | | aging process. Fresh produce is best, frozen is |
| need some sunshine. Ten to twenty minutes of | | | | second best, and the least nutritious are canned |
| daily early morning or late evening sun is beneficial. | | | | fruits and vegetables. |
| Sunshine gives you vitamin D which you need so | | | | It is beneficial to eat some raw foods such as |
| your bones can absorb calcium. Without enough | | | | vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. They contain |
| vitamin D our bones can become brittle and | | | | enzymes which are frequently destroyed when |
| break. It is unnatural to spend all of our time | | | | the food is cooked. Enzymes help with digestion |
| indoors. We need fresh air and a little sunshine to | | | | and increase our energy. Eating a salad with one |
| maintain excellent health. | | | | or two meals a day is a great habit. |
| Several years ago I worked in a high rise and I | | | | When you eat raw food, know your sources to |
| was getting very little sunshine. I had a blood test | | | | avoid bacteria contamination. Whole grains, |
| and learned that I was low in Vitamin D and I was | | | | legumes, seeds, and nuts are beneficial. Raw nuts, |
| starting to experience some bone loss. Since that | | | | seeds, fruit, and vegetables contain energy in |
| time I have been taking a vitamin D supplement | | | | addition to vitamins and minerals. Fast foods, food |
| and I try to get a minimum of 10-15 minutes of | | | | high in sodium, saturated fat, transfats and sugar |
| early morning or late evening sunshine several | | | | are best avoided or reduced. |
| days a week. I have checked my level of vitamin | | | | I have been a lacto-vegetarian (includes diary but |
| D periodically and it has been normal. | | | | no eggs, fish, chicken, or meat) since I was in my |
| 3. Exercise is important. | | | | thirties (over 30 years). For the past two years I |
| Our bodies need movement and physical activity. | | | | have been vegan (includes seeds, nuts, fruits, |
| Proper exercise slows down our physical | | | | vegetables, grains, and legumes but no meat or |
| deterioration. | | | | diary). |
| We need three types of exercise: Flexibility, | | | | Following some of these simple and common |
| aerobic, and strength training. | | | | sense health tips can increase your chances of |
| A. Flexibility exercise. | | | | living a healthy and enjoyable life. |
| As we age our bodies become stiffer. Yoga, | | | | Copyright 2007. |