Member - Academy Of Nutrition & Dietetics. USA.
Lifestyle & Wellness Nutrition
‘Health is wealth’-Though this might be an age old proverb to quote, its meaning is invaluable. We cannot control factors such as genetic makeup and age which can affect our health. But eating the right foods and making wise lifestyle modifications towards healthy living is absolutely in our hands. You should be in any of the four stages given below as this is the first step towards the right lifestyle change:
Contemplation-preparation-action-maintenance
Contemplation includes thinking about change in eating habits, preparation involves jotting down plans and goals to get ready for action mode and action is where you practically make changes in food habits and physical activity to fulfill your goals. The last phase is maintenance which is crucial for the ‘action’ stage to last forever. At this point you have followed the plan for more than 6 months and made a routine out of it. Though there might be few ups and downs in maintaining your changes, you have arrived at a point where you will be able to get past these setbacks.
Lifestyle Nutrition
The word ‘lifestyle’ by itself implies changing the eating and activity style for a better life. Diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes account for 35 million deaths yearly which are almost 60% of the total deaths around the world. The risk factors for such diseases are predominantly unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and tobacco use. We may question the truthfulness of these facts: How can small changes in eating habits and activity lead to the prevention of greater ailments??? But it has been absolutely proven by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the benefits from these lifestyle changes are real, cost effective and achievable.
Pursue the steps given below for a better lifestyle:
Children and adolescents should definitely engage themselves in some physical activity for a minimum of 60 minutes daily. Adults should workout for at least 45 minutes daily. The workout should be a combination of aerobic and strengthening exercises. You can start slowly with minimum time and gradually increase your pace and duration of the activity as days progress. Physical activity must be a part of daily routine, keeping in mind its innumerable health benefits.
Wellness Nutrition
Wellness means a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit resulting in well-being of a person. Health is something more than the absence of disease. A stable ecosystem, sound economy, peace and safe housing are environmental and social resources for health. Wellness includes physical, economic, social, psychological and emotional well-being of a person with a positive and feel-good approach towards life. Genetic and personality factors play a role, to some extent, in determining the wellness of a person in the form of optimism, extroversion and self-esteem. Though human beings do not have total control over our mind and body we can try to tune ourselves for a better and healthier life through some of the techniques given below:
Building resilience is the first step for mental wellness. Having a positive approach helps you to handle pressure or stress better. A negative mindset leads to tense muscles, headaches and stomach problems. Accepting the given situation instead of cribbing over it and working for a better result out of that situation is what matters. Being resilient helps you to fight out and win any problem.
Yoga and meditation help to calm your mind and body.
Deep breathing is the best way to bring down stress and calm your body.
Interact and socialize with people around you. A cheerful smile or few words with your loved ones can brighten up your day like sunshine. Volunteering for community acts and NGOs help you with building new social networks and improve your wellbeing.
Laugh as much as possible. Laughter is the best stress buster. It decreases your stress levels, increases creativity and makes you more vibrant.
Keep exploring new things. Maybe it could be a new musical instrument which you had wanted to learn for a long time, a game of tennis or gardening. All these help to boost your confidence and happiness quotient.
Humour, health, self-esteem, healthy lifestyle, enough sleep and exercise are the best ways for total wellness of a person. Try to practise these throughout your life for a peaceful and healthy living.
‘Health is wealth’-Though this might be an age old proverb to quote, its meaning is invaluable. We cannot control factors such as genetic makeup and age which can affect our health. But eating the right foods and making wise lifestyle modifications towards healthy living is absolutely in our hands. You should be in any of the four stages given below as this is the first step towards the right lifestyle change:
Contemplation-preparation-action-maintenance
Contemplation includes thinking about change in eating habits, preparation involves jotting down plans and goals to get ready for action mode and action is where you practically make changes in food habits and physical activity to fulfill your goals. The last phase is maintenance which is crucial for the ‘action’ stage to last forever. At this point you have followed the plan for more than 6 months and made a routine out of it. Though there might be few ups and downs in maintaining your changes, you have arrived at a point where you will be able to get past these setbacks.
Lifestyle Nutrition
The word ‘lifestyle’ by itself implies changing the eating and activity style for a better life. Diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes account for 35 million deaths yearly which are almost 60% of the total deaths around the world. The risk factors for such diseases are predominantly unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and tobacco use. We may question the truthfulness of these facts: How can small changes in eating habits and activity lead to the prevention of greater ailments??? But it has been absolutely proven by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the benefits from these lifestyle changes are real, cost effective and achievable.
Pursue the steps given below for a better lifestyle:
- Be physically fit and active: Being physically active helps in maintaining a healthy mind and body. Physical activity can be categorized into aerobic, muscle-strengthening, bone-strengthening and stretching. Many of our daily actions like walking, bicycling, pushing a grocery cart, playing games like basketball and other activities like swimming, dancing and running are all aerobic activities. These make our heart and lungs stronger. As the name suggests, bone-strengthening activities help to build strong bones. Weight-lifting, gymnastics and jumping rope help to strengthen your bones. Muscle-strengthening activities make your muscles more powerful and strong. Pushups, sit-ups and tug of war are some of the muscle-strengthening activities. Stretching is an activity which improves ones flexibility and the ability to keep all joints active. Yoga, side stretches and touching your toes without bending your knees are few stretching activities.
Children and adolescents should definitely engage themselves in some physical activity for a minimum of 60 minutes daily. Adults should workout for at least 45 minutes daily. The workout should be a combination of aerobic and strengthening exercises. You can start slowly with minimum time and gradually increase your pace and duration of the activity as days progress. Physical activity must be a part of daily routine, keeping in mind its innumerable health benefits.
- Eat healthy foods: Eating healthy does not mean eating tasteless and bland food. You can spice up your food with a little creativity and involvement. Include lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products in your diet. Get to know the calorific needs of your body with the help of a dietitian. Then plan each of your meal such that vegetables and fruits take up half of your plate’s space while the other half is filled with whole grains and protein. Each meal should include foods from each food group. Try not to repeat the same food daily.
- Keep track of your weight: Checking your weight at regular intervals shows your improvement or back lag in your diet plan. If you find your weight creeping up during festive seasons or during work overload try to cut it out with some extra workout. Keeping a food and activity worksheet helps you to keep track of your progress.
- Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption
Wellness Nutrition
Wellness means a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit resulting in well-being of a person. Health is something more than the absence of disease. A stable ecosystem, sound economy, peace and safe housing are environmental and social resources for health. Wellness includes physical, economic, social, psychological and emotional well-being of a person with a positive and feel-good approach towards life. Genetic and personality factors play a role, to some extent, in determining the wellness of a person in the form of optimism, extroversion and self-esteem. Though human beings do not have total control over our mind and body we can try to tune ourselves for a better and healthier life through some of the techniques given below:
Building resilience is the first step for mental wellness. Having a positive approach helps you to handle pressure or stress better. A negative mindset leads to tense muscles, headaches and stomach problems. Accepting the given situation instead of cribbing over it and working for a better result out of that situation is what matters. Being resilient helps you to fight out and win any problem.
Yoga and meditation help to calm your mind and body.
Deep breathing is the best way to bring down stress and calm your body.
Interact and socialize with people around you. A cheerful smile or few words with your loved ones can brighten up your day like sunshine. Volunteering for community acts and NGOs help you with building new social networks and improve your wellbeing.
Laugh as much as possible. Laughter is the best stress buster. It decreases your stress levels, increases creativity and makes you more vibrant.
Keep exploring new things. Maybe it could be a new musical instrument which you had wanted to learn for a long time, a game of tennis or gardening. All these help to boost your confidence and happiness quotient.
Humour, health, self-esteem, healthy lifestyle, enough sleep and exercise are the best ways for total wellness of a person. Try to practise these throughout your life for a peaceful and healthy living.