What is it that we are not understanding about moderation, and simply healthy choices? I look around and wonder where the miscommunication is coming from.
I'm not a health nut, but I take care of myself. Not to brag and not to be vain, but my decisions are purely to avoid going to the hospital with something that could have been avoided. I exercise and eat right to be healthy. I don't spend the day thinking about what I shouldn't eat, I spend it thinking about living a long life and travelling with the girl of my dreams.
My time at the gym isn't punishment for a cinnamon bun, it's to make sure I can meet any challenge the day may throw at me. The hours I spend exercising now, and the nutrient rich foods I chose will let me see the world in style. Once you have been in a hospital bed with an IV, and nurses waking you up to give you injections, eating healthy and exercise doesn't seem bad.
It's perspective, and right now North America's perspective is mixed up.
I like to stay around 10-12% bodyfat and be able to run a mile in 8 minutes( I can comfortable run 4 miles in 45 minutes or less). I can do 50-60 push ups with no problem. I make sure I get 7.5 hours of sleep 6 days a week, and try to make sure it happens 7 days a week. The bed I sleep on was fitted for me by a free and simple test done by the sleep experts and Dufresne Furniture in Winnipeg.
I drink three liters of water with nothing but a squeeze of lemon added. I plan my meals, and if I find myself without food in the middle of the afternoon I stop in at Sobey's and grab something from their deli (their love food blog is a must-read). I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, not normally cooked, I like things raw so they are nutrient-rich with no denatured vitamins and minerals. My goal is to also buy fresh meat, preferably locally raised. I make my life simple. Healthy and simple. That's the back bone of my blog, and vision for making the Nation healthy One Fit City at a time.
That's it, my health can be summed up in a paragraph. My motivation is to be energetic enough to make memories with the people I love, fit enough to be "ok" with the image in the mirror, and at all costs avoid ending my life in a hospital. The scariest thought for me would be to hear the doctor say "if you had just taken care of yourself, you would be outside playing with your grandchildren."
I keep putting videos up on Youtube in hopes people will subscribe and see how easy it is to get the basics done. Health is not hard, it's just being consistent. I still eat pizza, drink a beer with my girlfriend (she makes me watch hockey and NFL Football with her), love chicken wings, and I am pretty sure I could eat a full package of twizzlers without taking a breath. I just don't do that all the time.
Ninety per cent of my life is planned for health success and fueling my body with nutrients. The human body is made of, and can only function if it's fueled with vitamins and minerals. I make sure I get those vitamins and minerals. I supplement, and add extra when I feel my body is speaking to me. Low energy, headaches, and the inability to fall asleep can potentially have their roots in poor nutrition. If I have any of those symptoms, I review my diet and I see a doctor. That's the combination that will turn this nation around.
I hang around a lot of healthy people. My day-to-day job includes blogging and staying current on what's new in fitness and nutrition. People hire me to create programming at gyms, and for the latest cutting-edge fitness products. The one thing that is consistent among healthy people. They don't buy low fat, reduced sugar, comes in a box, pre-cooked food.
Healthy people eat fresh, well-planned, nutrient rich food for 90 per cent of their meals. That means in a week if you eat four to five times a day, you can have three meals that have pretty much whatever you want in it.
Being healthy, losing weight, and being in the best shape of your life isn't about what you can't have, it's about what you can have. You can fuel your body with nutrient rich foods, and have tons of energy to get through the day and enjoy every minute of it.
My hope is to spread health and the ease with which you can put it in your life. No excuses. I want to eat cake at every meal, I just chose not to with the big picture in mind. I want to sit on the couch and watch Hannibal, Dexter, Ridiculousness, and a romantic comedy (in that order). I chose to get up off the couch to take care of my health.
This blog has a lot of bragging in it, I apologize for that. My hope is to make health make sense. I'm real, I struggle, but I chose to value my health as highly as I can. Once you lose it, you appreciate it. My hope is that more people begin to appreciate it before it's too late. Let's make this nation healthy, One Fit City at a time.
