Spend just an hour watching television and count how many commercials advertise, exercise equipment, diet pills, face creams, hair-loss remedies, new medications for diseases we never knew existed and herbal supplements to enhance male potency. For all our obsessions, we Americans are an amazingly obese, disease-ridden society that worries itself into an early grave.
Joseph Onesta is a speaker, trainer and consultant. His company, Integrity HPI, works with organizations to help build and maintain and "employer of choice" work environment. For more information about Joseph Onesta or his company, visit his website at http:www.integrityhpi.com
In the 90’s buzz-cut, Susan Powter, shouted her message of “Stop the Insanity. What you have to do is eat, breath and move.” It comes down to that. (She's still around... http://www.susanpowteronline.com )
If we are going to pursue a balanced life, we have to make room for taking care of our bodies. After all, we can’t have a balanced life if we have no life to balance. And, we all know how simple physical discomfort, things like hangnails and paper cuts, can distract us from absolutely everything else. In balancing our lives, we have to consider our bodies.
Drastic lifestyle changes are almost always doomed to failure. We’ve proven it again and again. We buy gym memberships we never use. We buy proportioned food plans that we eat in less than half the time they are supposed to last. Our basements are filled with unused exercise equipment and our cupboard shelves are lined bottles of herbal supplements we don’t take.
There are, however, some simple things we can do to grow healthier by the day. Based on average American lifestyle and diet, not all of these recommendations will apply to every individual. Choose the ones that best apply to your life.
EAT
We eat for lots of reasons but biologically, there are only two. We need fuel and we need nutrition. In looking to improve our diet, the devil is in the details. The more complicated we make it, the less likely we are to follow through but some simple principles can go a long way.
The average American diet is heavily laden with salt, fat, processed sugars, chemicals and empty calories. Nutrition labels have to exist because our processed food products are designed to taste good, stay on the shelves for a long time and be cheap to manufacture. Apart from supplying empty calories, processed foods often provide little else. In fact what nutrition there may be has often been added to the product after processing has removed the natural nutrients.
So, read labels! You should know what you are eating. They often betray outrageous levels of fat, salt and processed sugars which are major contributors to some of the most common yet deadly conditions in American culture—obesity, high-blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes. The chemicals are probably tied to cancer in more ways than one, we just either can’t prove it or powerful lobbies keep the information out of our hands. Look how long it took the tobacco industry to admit that smoking is addictive and causes lung cancer.
The contents of food products are listed in order of quantity. The first few words may be frightening enough but keep reading. If you start getting into words you do not recognize or cannot pronounce, you are likely among chemical additives for consistency, color or preservation. The word “artificial” is a definite chemical indicator. It does not take much mental power to understand that eating an apple picked from a tree is better for you than drinking apple flavored beverage most of which is chemical additives and processed sugars.
Don’t be fooled by the words “natural flavors” either. If there were natural foods in there, they would be listed in the contents. The so-called natural flavors can just as likely include the odd bug that falls into the vat during processing.
Eating more fresh fruit and vegetables would be a dramatic improvement for many of us and if we go with certified organic produce, we avoid consuming chemicals which have been applied as fertilizers and pesticides. Salad is nice but be careful about the dressing. Eating more whole grains will increase our fiber and add natural nutrition. Think twice before picking up the butter knife or salt shaker.
Consider cooking and eating at home more. If you have ever been to a restaurant supply store, you know that it is filled with processed food as are most restaurant kitchens. The only difference is the size of the packaging.
BREATHE
Unless you live in Bangkok or Los Angeles, chances are the air outside is better than the air inside. Get out into the countryside and breathe some good fresh air. In your daily routine, consider some deep breathing exercises to expand your lungs.
When I was in the hospital recovering from spinal surgery, every once in a while, a beeping machine would bring a nurse who would instruct me to breathe deeply. Apparently one of the cords attached to my body alerted her to the fact that my tissues were not getting enough oxygen. A few deep breaths rectified the problem. I find that amazing!
Most of us do not think about breathing. After all, we do it constantly and unintentionally. Who would think that such a simple thing as conscious deep breathing could make such a difference in our health? This also sheds a new light on smoking, does it not? Cancer may be slow in coming but what about all that oxygen depleted breathing you are doing? If you smoke, stop. If you hang around with smokers, don’t.
MOVE
Have you heard? Your local gym is having a membership sale. Buying a membership won’t do you any good unless actually go several times a week and do more than sit in the Jacuzzi. If going to the gym fits your life, go. But you don’t need a membership to get some exercise. Just get up and move. Walk to the corner and back. Take the stairs at the office. Wash your own car. Take a walk in the woods. When you go to the pool, get in and swim rather than just bobbing around a looking at the people in their bathing suits wishing you were thinner. Small changes can make a big difference, even parking in the space farthest from the entrance to the donnut shop! Just move more.
Though we are lured by the promise of miracle supplements, magic weight pills, youth in a jar of cream and perfect health and vigor in a capsule, they are all snake oil compared to the simple straightforward advice of someone like Susan Powter. We need to eat, breathe and move.
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