Guidelines for healthy living – Part 7

Live in Optimal Health
“Wish not so much to live long as to live well”, Franklin.
Being skinny is not the same as being healthy. It is easy to assume that someone is healthy because they are thin, but often times that is not the case. Believe it or not, it is possible to be a fat skinny person. It is also possible to be healthy while being on the bigger side. The goal of any fitness and nutrition program should be obtaining optimal health, not becoming a size zero. A healthy weight is just one part of living a healthy life. A healthy mind, body and spirit are a result as well. When the number on the scale is the main focus there is an increased chance of failure because so much energy is focused on the wrong thing. This does not result in a healthy body or mind.
Optimal health requires nourishing your body through good nutrition, and strengthening your heart, bones, and muscles through a variety of exercises and activities. Body weight is not always an effective gauge of health since there are so many determining factors. Body composition and waist measurement are much more accurate indicators.
Don’t forget about your mind. Your mind and body are one and the same, if one is neglected the other will suffer drastically. By eating right and staying physically fit you are much more likely to be mentally fit. Exercise and nutrition have significant effects on one’s mood and brain function. To be truly healthy it is necessary to decrease stress and increase positive emotions in your day-to-day life. There is no way to completely eliminate stress, but the happiest, healthiest people in the world are the ones that are able to deal with it as they experience it. When stress is not released it builds up in our bodies and causes a multitude of health problems, including weight gain. Exercise and meditation, even in small amounts, is a great way to release stress and calm the mind.
Life is less about what actually happens to us, and more about our response to situations when they happen. Learn to view the glass as half full rather than half empty, and remind yourself daily of the things that you are blessed to have and are able to do. Truly being happy and healthy is living in optimal health, not being a certain weight or size.
January 18, 2011 

