I wrote yesterday about
how to tell if a workout was hard enough and mentioned in passing that if we’re
not making progress it could be because of what we’re eating. Working out is only one part of what it takes
to have good health. Here are the things
I think we need to consider when we are figuring out how to be our best healthy
selves.
Exercise. Duh. I
have built my career on the premise that exercise is good for us. I believe it.
We need cardio, strength, and flexibility exercise to be optimally
physically functional.
Nutrition. Healthy bodies need healthy fuel. We can do zillions of crunches, but we’re not
going to have beautiful abdominals if we are chowing down on sugar cereal and
donuts all day. When we eat our veggies
and drink our water, we are helping our bodies work at their peak.
Sleep. Workouts only work if we rest in between
them. Our muscles need time to repair
themselves, to come back stronger than before.
If we’re not sleeping, our bodies can’t heal. Also, our brains get nutty.
Connection. We can’t do it all alone. We need other humans to love us and pet us
and listen to us.
Challenge. We need the right amount of this one. Too much and we become hair-pulling stress
monsters. Too little and we turn into
boneless couch critters. Ideally, we
find our bodies and minds tired but not totally worn out at the end of the day.
What else should be on
the list?
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