Ways to be Healthy in the Fast-Food Era

Every day find new ways to move your body. Use the stairs rather than an escalator or elevator. Walk your dog (or a neighbours' dog if you don't have one!) , chase your kids, play ball with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute cardiovascular class or body pump or kickboxing. Move more and feel better!

Be sure to read the remainder of this article. You'll find them to be helpful whether you're interested in knowing more about general health or more specific topics like thyroid essentials. You never know what might happen after reading this article. The strategies below may change the health of your body for the rest of your life.

Too often, we forget to ask for help when overburdened or distressed, or assume "no one cares." Asking for help can be as simple as asking a friend or husband to massage your sore shoulders or to take out the trash. Or, it can be asking for professional advice or help from a higher source too. You'll be surprised how effective and relationship building it can be!

Fresh Fruits and Fresh Vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which are vital to a strong immune system and when your immune system is strong and healthy, so are you! Leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, are particularly beneficial. Also yellow and orange veges such as carrots, winter squash and sweet potatoes as they all contain disease fighting antioxidants. Whole Grains provide fiber and nutrients that support a healthy immune system, such as brown rice, whole oats.

Drinking 7-8 glasses of water will help you to wash away the impurities and toxic material from the body. This will help you to get healthy skin and hair. Dehydration results in lethargy and tiredness. The water helps in the fluid circulation in the body. This way you will get rid of the impurities of the body easily.

At the end of the day, we all like something special to top it all off. So, I plan for a bite of chocolate or a cup of low-fat pudding or yogurt or a handful of fresh grapes. It sure seems to beat restlessly searching the cupboards and refrigerator for something healthy. Opt for frozen yogurts instead of ice cream.

Leave space for forgiveness, not only for others but also for yourself. The fastest way to let yourself become unhealthy or to feel not quite yourself is to wallow in feelings of sadness, anger, despair and pity. Let yourself be human, allow space for mistakes- yours and others- and be strong enough to let go.

Being well hydrated is an important component to good health. Research indicates that dehydration can be the cause of many seemingly unrelated health problems from high cholesterol to back pain!! Try to drink 8 glasses per day but if this is too much for you, drink as much as you can.

A typical person takes about 5,000 steps per day between going to work, running errands, and doing chores around the house. Doubling that number can have significant health benefits: higher "good" HDL cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved glucose control, and yes, a lower number on the scale. Walking more steps per day also leads to a lower percentage of body fat and slimmer waists and hips, reports a University of Tennessee study of 80 women. An earlier University of South Carolina study of 109 people showed that those who took fewer than 5,000 steps per day were, on average, heavier than people who took more than 9,000.

Always choose an appropriate form of exercise depending on how you are feeling that day. You will never get 100% out of a workout if you are tired and feel like you are dead the whole time. You should always listen to what your body tells you. Sometimes it is important to just have a day off training and kick your feet up.