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When it comes to health and wellness, here's the
best LifeTrek Coaching has to offer!
Input
The top half of the hour glass focuses on the input side of the equation. It
all starts with clean, filtered water. Aim to drink at least two quarts or two
liters of water per day. Twice that much is not too much for many people. After
all, the human body is 78% water at birth, dropping to 60% or less as we age.
The more water we drink, the better we feel. Avoid drinking calories, alcohol,
artificial sweeteners, and caffeine. If you do drink alcohol, keep it to no more than one
drink per day.
With their antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber, fresh, organic fruits, vegetables,
and fungi are the nutrient-rich allies of health and wellness. There is no way
to eat too much of these nutritional powerhouses, with five cups per day
representing the essential minimum. Stay with fruits and non-starchy vegetables
from
local sources, with low to moderate glycemic loads, whenever possible.
The health problems associated with eating fish, poultry, and meat result from how the
animals are raised
by commercial aquaculture and agriculture (not from the animal protein itself).
Wild salmon, sable, sardines, and other fatty fish can be eaten daily and should
be eaten at least several times a week. Free-range poultry from birds that
scratch in the open air, lean, pasture-fed meat from animals living in happy,
contented conditions, and wild game, can also be eaten regularly. Small, local
sources of meat are typically the most healthy. Pasture-fed buffalo and deer
are extremely low in saturated fat, high in omega-3 fatty acids, and great
tasting.
As we move down the input hour glass, we have to control how much we eat in
order to avoid provoking weight gain and insulin resistance. Raw, unsalted nuts
and seeds, especially walnuts, almonds, flax, and hemp, provide healthy and
essential fatty acids. Eat less than a total of 1/2 cup per day. Eggs, from those same free-range birds that scratch, have more
fat (62%) than protein (34%); limit consumption to no more than six per week.
Roots (such as potatoes, yams, turnips, and beets) and beans (such as black beans,
lentils, peas, and garbanzos), some of which require cooking to be edible, are both high in carbohydrates but beans have more protein, fiber, and,
in some cases, fat. Properly prepared and in
limited quantities, these foods can be part of a healthy
diet. The key is to not overindulge (limit consumption to less than two cups per day) and to
combine the consumption of these foods with other fruits, vegetables, and lean
protein. Be sure to boil, bake, steam, pressure cook, or stew these foods rather than to fry them in
oil or to mash them with dairy products.
Oils and chocolate are not essential to healthy nutrition but can be enjoyable
parts of a healthy diet. The use of oil should be limited to extra-virgin olive
or red palm oils, and then to no more than 7% of total
calories per day (± 2 tablespoons). Chocolate should be raw, organic, dark,
with no hydrogenated fats, limited to no more than 3% of total calories per day
(± 200 calories), and from fair-trade sources.
Raw cacao powder is a great addition to fruit
smoothies. Raw cacao nibs sweetened with agave nectar are a great treat. Avoid oils and chocolate completely if they lead to weight gain.
As you may have noticed, there are no input sections for dairy, grains, or
processed foods. These are relatively recent additions to the human diet and
many people fail to thrive while eating their proteins, fats, sugars, and additives.
If you decide to eat dairy, then organic, cultured products such as low-fat
yogurt and kefir are better than milk or ice cream. If you decide to eat
grains, then avoid grains with gluten such as wheat, barley, and rye.
Brown rice and quinoa are better choices as occasional substitutes for starchy vegetables. Stay away from processed
and refined foods as much as possible.
Output
Once we get all of that healthy nutrition into our bodies, what do we do with
the energy? That's what the bottom half of the hour glass addresses, starting
with balance. Standing on one leg, rocking from one leg to the other, spinning
in circles, standing on a balance board, sitting on a fitness ball, practicing
Tai Chi, dancing,
jumping on a trampoline, and meditation are examples of balance exercises that provide both
physical and psychological benefits. Many balance exercises can and should be
done in conjunction with other activities (like talking on the phone).
Consistent practice is the key.
Gentle stretches can also be done in conjunction with other activities or as
focused exercises in their own right. Muscles are like
rubber bands: if they are not stretched, they shorten, harden, and eventually
snap. When they are stretched, muscles warm up and become more flexible. The
best way to stretch is through slow, gentle, and varied movements. Jerking
muscles into overextended, static positions does more harm than good. Stretching
should never be painful. It should rather be a joyful expression of our urge to
move. Yoga is a popular activity that provides many great stretching routines
and poses.
Strength is required climb stairs and to lift, pull, or push heavy objects. To
keep up our strength we need to engage in strength training two or three times
per week (without stressing the same muscle groups two days in a row). Lifting weights,
stretching resistance bands, and doing Pilates exercises all count as strength
training. These exercises should be done slowly and to the point of muscle
fatigue. Weight lifting can be done with plain cans and bottles or with fancy exercise
equipment. However it gets done, consistent effort at any age produces
noticeable progress.
Moderate aerobic activity, which elevates the heart and respiration rates,
should be done daily. At least 30 minutes, and ideally twice that much, is
recommended. Light aerobic activity, such as a leisurely stroll, may be healthy
and enjoyable but it does not produce significant fitness benefits. If there is
little to no perceived exertion, then it's time to pick up the pace. Walking,
swimming, cycling, rowing, stair climbing, and elliptical cross training are
great, non-impact aerobic activities. Running and rope jumping add impact, which
strengthens the bones. Check with your doctor and find an exercise that you
enjoy doing consistently.
Washing hands, brushing teeth, and not smoking are three of the most important
things we can do for health and wellness on a daily basis. Practices which
elevate our mood, such as keeping a gratitude journal or getting a massage, have
both psychological and physical benefits. The careful management of medical
conditions, including both traditional and alternative treatment strategies, is
our personal responsibility. Since every person is somewhat different as to our
hygiene and self-care requirements, we must each learn and tend to our own
unique requirements if we hope to be healthy and well.
Fitness = Training + Recovery. All work and no play, let alone no rest, is a
formula for over training, injury, and disability. The body gets stronger not
during exercise itself, but during recovery periods after exercise that enable
the body to rebuild and repair its tissues (often stronger than before). The
same is true for the mind. The
secret to successful rest, relaxation, and recovery is not to become a blob in
front of the television; it's to vary one's activities from day to day between
different muscle groups and exercises. It's also to laugh, play, and breathe.
Deep breathing and meditation are great, whole-body relaxation activities
that should be engaged in daily, including at least one extended session
per week.
Just as water is the big pool from which we draw our energy -- a person can live
without food far longer than we can live without water -- so is sleep the big
pool into which we pour our energy. Sleep is both the quietest and most
important of all activities. More than just muscles rebuild and repair
themselves during sleep; the whole body-mind-spirit connection gets restored and
renewed. It is no accident that overweight and obese people tend to sleep less
and less well than normal weight people. Since the sleep cycle tends to take around 90 minutes,
eight hours of sleep at night enables five full cycles (allowing for time to
fall asleep). That's the bare minimum for optimal wellness. An afternoon nap of
10-20 minutes also has proven health benefits.
Throughput
Health and wellness require one other important ingredient: benevolence. It is
the throughput of the inputs and outputs. It is the "so what"
behind the "what" of nutrition and fitness. It is the environment that
provides texture, meaning, significance, and support to our individual efforts. Why bother to be healthy and
well? What is the point of life any way? Who cares? Who joins us, on the
journey?
Unfortunately, many people have no answer for those all-important questions.
Their lives lack meaning and purpose. They also lack the support so necessary to
sustain Optimal Wellness. As a result, they neither see life in terms of
benevolence nor dedicate themselves to the cause.
"Benevolence" is defined as a "disposition to good," "causing no harm," "showing
love," "behaving peacefully towards others," "providing more than one must," and
"caring for others regardless of their position or ability to give in return."
Such humane and humanizing qualities require at least five factors: empathy,
generosity, reciprocity, honesty, and community.
Would that we could all live in a world marked by those attributes! They are values for which
it is worth getting up in the morning and optimizing one's vitality. They are
the ground of being, the throughput of life, the air we breathe, and the best reason I know to be
healthy and well. May we, then, all commit and strive to make it so.
Coaching Inquiries: What is your motivation to be healthy and well? What
gets you up in the morning? Are there ways that you could change your inputs
and outputs for the better? Who could become your partner on the journey?
 To reply to this Pathway, use our
Feedback Form. To read how this all comes
together, read
Provision #549. To learn more about our
Wellness Coaching programs and to arrange for a complimentary wellness coaching
session, use our Contact Form or
Email Bob.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
LifeTrek Coaching International
121 Will Scarlet Lane
Williamsburg, VA 23185-5043
U.S.A.
Telephone: 757-345-3452
Fax: 772-382-3258
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