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Friday, November 2, 2012

7 Principles to Be Fit, Healthy and Happy

As a Personal Trainer, I strongly encourage everyone to exercise. Nevertheless, more and more I consider myself as a Holistic Personal Trainer, since I became aware of the fact that exercising on its own is far to be the unique answer to look good naked, have a flat stomach, look radiant, be fit and healthy And on top of that, we all want to be a Superwoman at work and at home with Hubby and the Kids.

How can you get this whole picture? 
Well… Follow those Seven Principles, which are not initially mine, but those listed by Doctor H. E. Kirschner, in his book titled Nature’s Seven Doctors, published in the 1960′s.
I find those points pretty pertinent and they are exactly in line with what I advocate. I have changed the order, as it seems more relevant to me.

Before we get to the heart of the matter, be aware that the others cannot define precisely what’s good for you.  

Personal Trainers, Nutritionists, Health and Mind Coaches are amazing in the way they educate you and give you the appropriate tools to reach your goals, but YOU are the one in-control. I mean, even if there are common rules for all of us, what’s great for someone might not be good for you!

Here we go! Those 7 principles will help you to get there (Fit, Healthy and Happy)
  1. Live Mindfully, Get Well Emotionally and Mentally
  2. Find the Right Diet
  3. Drink some Pure Water
  4. Get some Fresh Air
  5. Get Adequate Sunlight
  6. Exercise Properly
  7. Rest and Sleep
For each of those principles, I’ll refer to some links, so you can deepen your understanding on the subject and figure out what are my favourite blogs and personalities. Feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts afterwards.

1) Live Mindfully, Get Well Emotionally and Mentally
Am I starting with something too spiritual? To make it simple: live in the present moment; appreciate the “now”, whether it is good or bad. If you practice, you will notice that life is much more enjoyable and less stressing. Jon Kabat-Zinn* said that “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way” “On purpose,
in the present moment, and
nonjudgmentally”
*Kabat-Zinn is a famous teacher of mindfulness meditation and the founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. I was taught about him when I did a Meditation Course with Judith in 2011 (http://yourmindcoach.com.au/meditation)

2) Find the Right Diet
Everyone is unique. What works for me might not suit you and conversely.  However, there are 2 big “no-nos” which concern all of us:
I like the thinking of Michael Pollan (http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/six-rules-for-eating-wisely/) who said “Pay no heed to nutritional science or the health claims on packages (…) Consider that the healthiest foods in the supermarket–the fresh produce–are the ones that don’t make FDA**-approved health claims, which typically festoon the packages of the most highly processed foods”
**FDA stands for Food and Drug Administration.
 3) Drink some Pure Water
We need water! Lack of water is said to be the number 1 trigger for daytime fatigue and headaches, fuzzy short-term memory and trouble with basic maths and logic!
Click on this link if you want to know more which water is best for you: http://bodyecology.com/articles/best_water_to_drink.php
4) Get some Fresh Air, Commune with Nature and Breathe
Lack of fresh air can lead to fatigue, anxiety and depression. According to Mark Sisson, a lack of nature seems to cause physical and mental health problems.
Mark Sisson tells us the benefits of working outdoors and gives us some tips to work outside (I am not kidding!) http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-work-outside-even-if-youre-a-desk-jockey/
5) Get Adequate Sunlight
The role of sunlight and vitamin D is well known for healthy bones. Sunlight and Vitamin D insufficiency have been well evidenced and associated with a number of conditions. Yes, we could take a pill, but don’t you think real sunlight has positive effects on your mood and on your body? Let’s go outside and interact with our sun god!
Jamie Scott has written a few interesting posts about Vitamin D and Sunlight.  http://thatpaleoguy.com/2012/05/04/beyond-vitamin-d-beneficial-effects-of-life-under-the-sun/
 6) Exercise Properly
Exercising is highly beneficial; there is no doubt about that. However, it has to be done properly. Mmmmh … What does “properly” mean? It means the way you exercise should suit your lifestyle, your availabilities, your profile (injuries, health status) and your goals. It has to be pleasurable; otherwise you won’t do it on a regular basis and it will become stressful instead of being beneficial.
7) Rest and Sleep
  • One of the foundation principals of Natural Medicine is to remember the “Healing Power of Nature”. It means that your body can heal and thrive if you give it the optimum conditions. Some of these conditions are Rest and Sleep. Lack of Rest is nowadays a very big issue for most of us.
  • As far as your training is concerned, lack of recovery between your workouts is paramount. I am the first one concerned. Before I was a Fitness Professional, I injured myself just because I thought doing more and more frequently would give me faster results. I was wrong. Instead of getting the expected results, I injured myself and had to stop exercising for 3 months. So, make sure you train smart and you are not over trained.
Et voilà! Now, let’s put into practice! Why not starting to live in the present moment?
Have a lovely day

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