What do You Define as Being Healthy?

I used to work in healthcare as an executive assistant. During orientation to the hospital, I was asked what health means to me. While in a room full of healthcare professionals, I said “looking and feeling great within myself!” Needless to say, I had some skeptics; these professionals are trained to believe that to be healthy is to be in a state that is disease-free. However, as an aspiring nutritionist, my interests lie in health promotion rather than treatment. Thus, despite having been exposed to countless situations during my three years in the industry that should have altered my definition of health to a more technical one, I still believe that these are the two most important components in describing my own health as well as the health of others.

It goes without saying that looking and feeling great are words of vanity but let’s dig a tad further. In fact, looking and feeling great are physical manifestations of eating well and living and active lifestyle, which are the two most often cited protective factors for the two main chronic diseases: cardiovascular diseases and cancers (among others).

In short, abiding by some simple tips below will not not only leave you looking and feeling great, but will also decrease your risk of acquiring preventable diseases:

1. Eat a well-balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, protein, and complex carbohydrates. A ‘foodie’ will have a diet rich in SUPERFRUITS, which are delicious fruits that are packed with compounds that will fight against cardiovascular diseases and cancers in addition to other notable ailments.

2. Engage in an appropriate amount of fitness (by “appropriate” I mean you should listen to your body – don’t overdo it!) Find a workout regimen that you enjoy, whether it be a typical gym workout, ballet, or pilates, etc. What I enjoy doing to stay fit: yoga.

3. Drink water! Although this one is obvious, it is somehow constantly overlooked.

4. Be fresh obsessed: attempt to (whenever possible) choose fresh over frozen or preserved food.

5. Eat out in moderation! I know cooking can be difficult in the busy modern lifestyle, but you will be able to best manage what you are ingesting. Fact: there is a ton of hidden salts and fats within foods at restaurants.

6. Eat slowly! Eating too quickly will lead to the inadvertent consumption of astronomical amounts of calories (stop and think of how many times you’ve been “stuffed”!)

Keeping true to my mandate on this site, part of feeling great is treating oneself (but be sure to do so in moderation!), as a treat here and there will aid in sustaining an otherwise healthy diet.

Above is a definition of health that works for my purposes. Take a pause and think what yours is and what you can do to attain and sustain it!