Laughing Your Way To Fitness
Posted on 2 November 2009
Fitness, Health and all the clippings can become a tiresome task, somewhat of a chore rather than the joy its supposed to be given the need to workout at certain times, and eat a certain way we can forget to have fun while staying or getting into great shape….
When it comes down to it sometimes we fail to see the absurdity of it all. The fact that most people don’t exercise at all or exercise in excess (marathons or doing hours of cardio), they eat all kinds of frankenstein foods and steer clear or the sun should be seen as something abnormal or weird. Yet it is considered the way to go or the path to health.
A healthy life is far simpler than this and can be achieved with ease even in the confusing world we live in!
Exercise Right. We are made to move loads at a mixed pace. So things like sports, short runs and walking are great just make sure you intergrate them all if you can. It is especially good to do some team based sports once or twice a week. Whether that is football with some freinds, tennis once a week or going to your local CrossFit affiliate the sense of community based sports is great for the body and mind. Get outside when you can breath fresh air and get in touch with nature.
Lift some weights. Our bodies function far better when they have some active tissue, you don’t need to do any crazy bodybuilder style routines. Simply lifting weight in the gym or at home (Kettlebells are great) a few times a week for 20-30 minutes is more than enough to ignite some growth, stimulate the metabolism and empty out glycogen stores. Bodyweight stuff is awesome as well, a good routine of squats, pushups, pullups and jumping jacks can give you a serious workout.
Eating how we should. Nutrition is something simple and effective, at the end of the day food is a drug especially modern foods like refined grains, sugars and most of what is cheap and commonly consumed around the world. Junk food hits dopamine receptors making it addictive and destructive to the body. This is the reason people feel bad when starting a whole foods diet which keeps things stable and increases your bodies ability to repair, handle stress and refresh itself. Once your over the transition phase things become good. So how do we do it? there are 3 main food groups:
Protein - Lean Meats, Fresh Fish, Eggs, Organ Meat and Organic Dairy (Cottage Cheese, Greek Yoghurt)
Fat- Coconut, Olive Oil, Avocado, Nuts and Seeds, Butter and Raw Dairy
Carbohydrate- Fresh Vegetables, Some Starch (think Sweet Potatoes, Oats, Wild Rice and other healthy Tubers) plus Fibrous Fruits
Notice the admission of healthy whole grains (see why here) and all other modern day refined foods. A diet based on the foods above keeps blood sugar stable, is high in anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals plus nourishes the body with good fats. I strongly recommend reading this post and the article it links to to have a further understanding on what it is to eat a natural diet.
“Half an orange tastes as sweet as a whole one.”
Eat Mindfully. Take your time with food and enjoy the tastes flavours and textures, chew thoroughly and take your time. These simple tips are often overlooked but can improve digestion, and assimilation of nutrients which as you can imagine has big benefits.
Get Some Sun. Sun is what makes the world go round, its what keeps our food growing and makes us realease hormones and feel good. Does it make any sense to avoid it? Nope…..
Get as much sun as you can (within reason) take long walks on sunny days, sun bathe int he summer. This will not only lift your mood but get you a much needed dose of Vitamin D which is so important for your bodies hormones to function correctly. If you don’t live in a place with sun I would suggest supplementing with 1000iu per day throughout the year when you aren’t getting upper body exposure to sun.
Obviously there is much more to it than this, but if you need somewhere to start its pretty simple. Maybe hard at first but the pay offs are great and life becomes simple. Don’t listen to the absurd mainstream advice, instead laugh your way through the easy way to vitality……
Comment by Anastasiya
2 November 2009
I agree that healthy living looks much more complicated than it really is. I believe that you have to enjoy what you are doing because only then you can be happy with how you live (enjoy every workout, enjoy healthy meals and enjoy being active in general). There is no point in trying too hard (hours of cardio or marathon running or becoming a vegetarian if you cannot imagine your day without meat), you just have to choose simple approached that will work for you.
Comment by Greg
3 November 2009
All excellent points. People want to make fitness into something that requires sacrifice and pain. The reality is that all it takes for most people are small steady changes. Those are what’s sustainable.
Comment by Michael - Fat Loss Tips
3 November 2009
Eating mindfully is something I’ve been giving more thought to in the last week or so. Really an excellent strategy to enjoying food and the background work to putting a great meal on the table. Much better then the old wolf-it-down mentality I exhibited in my younger days;)
Mike
Comment by Grok
3 November 2009
As always, good solid commonsense advice.
Seems strange that those of us who care about our bodies and what we put in them are the weird ones.
1,000IU of Vitamin D should be the minimum. I just did a dosing post over at my site yesterday. it’s aimed around super-dosing for sick people, but the links give recommendations for everyday dosing also.
“Don’t listen to the absurd mainstream advice, instead laugh your way through the easy way to vitality……”
Great close
Comment by RafI Bar-Lev
3 November 2009
Great post Chris. Keep it simple and keep consistent is the key!
-Rafi
Comment by fitnessbuff1
4 November 2009
Great points! I completely agree. People need to stop obsessing about fitness and calories and live their lives in healthy manner.
Comment by christos
5 November 2009
I am an arduous proponent of meaningful simplicity and my friend you are a master at it!