Hit the Ground Running week #4: Loving Your Body

Welcome to the last installment of my Hit The Ground Running series!



The greatest wealth one can have in life is health. Trust me, I’ve been on the sick side of things long enough before to tell you—-the cars, the bank account and the closet full of fun clothes are worthless if you don’t have the good health to enjoy them.

Let's get “Back to Basics."

By “Back to Basics,” I mean the basics of getting good rest, eating well and regular exercise.

SLEEP



Whether you need seven, eight, or even nine hours of sleep a night may be up for debate, but the importance of getting adequate sleep should be a nonnegotiable. According to Web MD, sleep loss increases the risk of high blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain and diseases associated with these risk factors, such as diabetes and heart disease. Sleep loss also impairs performance and mood, according to the report.

The sleep requirements for each person depend on many factors, including age. For example, in general:
• Infants require about 16 hours a day.
• Teenagers need about nine hours on average.
• Most adults need seven to eight hours a night for the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as five hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day.
• Women in the first three months of pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual.

Keep in mind that experts say that if you feel drowsy during the day, even during boring activities, you haven't had enough sleep.

There's also "sleep debt" to consider, which happens when the amount of sleep a person needs increases because he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a "sleep debt," which is much like being overdrawn at a bank. Eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid. We don't seem to adapt to getting less sleep than we need, while we may get used to a sleep-depriving schedule, our judgment, reaction time, and other functions are still impaired (also from Web MD.

The bottom line is, our bodies needs adequate sleep to do everything we require of it day to day, especially if we are going to be great at what we are doing!

And now that we’re sleeping well, the next hurdle is...

EATING WELL



“We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.” -Alfred E Newman

I mean seriously...“High–tech tomatoes. Mysterious milk. Supersquash. Are we supposed to eat this stuff or is it going to eat us?” -Annita Manning

No doubt, “dieting” has been the most talked about, written about, heavily marketed subject in America for the last two decades! We just need to care about what we’re eating and take the time to do a good job of it! Let's end this "dieting" madness!

I believe there are many methods that will provide you with proper nutrition, not leave you yearning for a tasty meal and help you maintain a healthy weight.

I will, however, throw one method your way called the “Paleo” method. While I have toyed with it, I know professional athletes personally who live and die by this method and have found extraordinary success and health.

What is Paleo?
“Eating paleo refers to eating as our ancestors once did, prior to modern day agriculture. We are genetically designed to eat lean meats, vegetables, some fruit, a little bit of starch and good fats.



By removing processed foods from our diets, including grains – especially those that contain gluten – one can protect him or herself from a myriad of modern day illnesses from obesity to heart disease and diabetes to cancer. Why does eating Paleo work and not a standard American diet? The standard American diet stresses the importance of eating a high carbohydrate, low fat diet, this approach to eating only leads to diseases such as type II diabetes, obesity, depression, and the list goes on and on… Also, grains – especially whole grains which contain gluten such as wheat and barley are proven gut irritants. Eating Paleo has helped hundreds of thousands reverse disease, lose weight, and feel an overall sense of heath and wellness. Try eating Paleo for 30 days and see if YOU look, feel and perform better! For more science behind why you should be eating paleo visit Robb Wolf’s site, New York Times best selling author of "The Paleo Solution.” from everydaypaleo.com

I encourage you to do your own research and discover what method will work best for you, your goals and your lifestyle. We just have to care enough to plan ahead and eat well.

Once we are sleeping and eating well, let's...

COMMIT TO BE FIT



I think Nike said it best with, “Just Do It!” We simply have to decide to get out there and do it. Be active, run, play with our kids, lead an active lifestyle. We have to get past talking about it and thinking about it. We have to set goals, plan to achieve them and dedicate ourselves long-term to fitness. After all, isn’t being fit the one thing we should never out-grow???

I love this quote from Oprah, too: "There's no easy way out. If there were, I would have bought it. And believe me, it would be one of my Favorite Things!"

It IS work. And it probably isn’t going to be easy. But I promise you it will be worth it. For me personally, I've found two things that work for me: running and Crossfit.

Running is something I really enjoy. A few months into it, it didn’t hurt so bad to breathe, and it became an outlet. An outlet of “me time.” I’ve gained friendships through my running, and had some of the best chats while on the pavement. The pavement is always there. I’ve run at 4 am and I’ve run at 10pm. A good run is something no one can take away from you. It’s something you have to earn and it betters you as a person…physically and usually mentally and emotionally as well.


{Rex is always up for a race with me!}

Although I very much enjoy my running (enough that I have done five half marathons and one full marathon in the last seven months), there are many forms of exercise and many places to do it. Just about anywhere in the U.S. one can find a public pool, YMCA, high-school track or local gym. You may even have a local Crossfit location is your area!

Cross Fit boasts a NEW type of unconventional work out. Their slogan is “Forging Elite Fitness.” I go to my local gym, Cross Fit Fury, as often as I can. Our slogan is “Breathe Later,” which I love. Work hard now…breath later.


{ring handstand push-ups at the Crossfit Fury gym}

Our gym is owned by Peter Egyed, and ran by a ridiculously talented group of athletes. Our trainers prepare the work out of the day (WOD), post it on-line and coach everyone through the classes. A Crossfit class is the most challenging form of exercise I have ever done…ever. But, if you’re looking to shape up and gain strength, this is the place. They’re serious about working out and they care about what your daily food intake is. Crossfit is a fast growing method of exercise. If you’re not a Phoenix area resident, I highly encourage you to look one up in your area. If you are a local resident, I wouldn’t shop the competition. Peter and his crew are the best around. Infact, Crossfit Fury is going to the Crossfit games in one week to compete in the team competition!


{Peter Egyed doing a rope climb at the 2010 Crossfit Games}

Challenge:
The next time you get the urge to veg out in front of the TV during daylight hours, ask yourself…what could I be doing outdoors with my kids, my spouse, a friend or a co-worker?

GIVEAWAY! This week, the giveaway is for the book, "Everyday Paleo" from everydaypaleo.com.



To enter, just leave a comment answering the question, "What is your biggest obstacle to loving your body?" You may comment anonymously but please do leave your name.