COTW - What's Really Important - Your Mental and Physical Wellness

Get into a regular regimen of some form of exercise a minimum of three to four times a week for the rest of your life. This can be bicycling, playing a sport, tai chi, going to a gym, hiking, walking, yoga, swimming, Pilates, whatever, but you just have to get off your butt and do it. Regular exercise not only keeps you physically fit and mentally alert, it is also a great stress-buster and helps you sleep better. It is not necessary or even desirable to become a fitness fanatic, just to experience the equivalent of the mental and physical whirlpool you get from engaging in some form of exercise on a regular basis.
Initiate the habit of setting aside a quiet period for yourself at a regular time once or twice a week for the purpose of doing some quiet thinking on your own. When you do so, turn off and unplug everything that can disrupt your peace of mind. Pick a place where you will not be bothered with any distractions. Calm yourself down and muse about what is really important in terms of what is happening in your life. Try to use this time quietly to get things into proper perspective and gain a better understanding of your true priorities. Think of this as a way of keeping your sanity while everyone around you is losing theirs.
Make having fun and laughter an integral part of almost everything you do. Use humor to relieve stress and tension. Avoid taking yourself and what you are doing too seriously. It is also essential that your friends and co-workers have a good sense of humor to help you keep things in perspective and see the funny side of life’s challenges.
Change how you think about food if you have a weight problem. As the photographer Russ Fischella said, “Eat what your body needs, not what your mind wants.” If you are overweight, do something about it. Being in denial when you have a weight problem is definitely dangerous to your health and overall well-being.
Recognize the serious harm you are doing to yourself when you engage in self-destructive behavior, including over-eating, drinking too much alcohol, and using drugs. When you treat your body badly, it ultimately will treat you badly. There are many forms of harmful addictions but in the end they all take over control of your life with disastrous consequences. The brief pleasure or “high” from such behavior is never worth the long-term pain you will inevitably experience yourself and inflict upon those around you.
Inform yourself about any negative health issues of consequence that you experience beyond just relying 100% on what your doctors say. Do an Internet search on the disease or injury to find other sources of information. See if the site www.PatientsLikeMe.com has any valuable information covering your ailment. If you start having adverse side effects from taking a prescribed medication, conduct an online search for the name of the drug and look for medical sites with patient forums on them to learn if others are having the same problem, indicating you should stop taking this medication.
Maintain your own separate medical records for your family and yourself. Include in that record the date and details of any operations, injuries, illnesses of consequence and tests performed. Also note any prescriptions taken, drug allergies and the various services received from doctors and other health-care providers. Do not rely on your doctor to keep proper records of these matters. Having such information available in an emergency may save your life.

Spread out the amount of food you eat throughout the day by having three regular modest-sized meals and two healthy snacks in between them as opposed to starving yourself through part of the day and ending up overeating a large dinner as a result of being too hungry.
Reduce the size of the portions you serve and eat for each course, and never have seconds. Use smaller plates to serve your food and smaller glasses for everything you drink other than water. When you go to a restaurant, order an appetizer for your main dish. Skip eating bread with your meals and having any prepared desserts.
Eat slower by pausing after every one or two bites. The slower you eat, the more time your stomach has to register when it is actually full.
Restrict to a minimum the amount of fatty food and drinks you consume, such as French fries, other fried foods, potato chips, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, candies, prepared desserts and processed meats. When you get the urge to snack, have some fruit. You will be surprised at how much small changes in your eating habits will add up to big improvements in your weight over time.


Meet Steele Curry - the author of these Guides Home Other stuff to know Tell a friend FAQ’s Contact Steele Thanks for your help Links Download PDF Guides Translate × Close	WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT chapter 10 Your Mental and Physical Wellness << PREVIOUS CHAPTER < BACK PAGE FORWARD > NEXT CHAPTER >> We all intuitively understand the importance of good health to our ability to enjoy life and have a productive career. The better your mental and physical wellness, the higher your energy level, productivity and capacity to perform in whatever role you choose. Since this is so obvious to all of us, it is amazing how few people actively follow a healthy lifestyle. There are a large number of factors causing health problems all around us — stress at work, demands at home, and pressure from your peers as well as advertisers constantly urging you to eat, drink and smoke something that is probably bad for you. On top of this, we are subjected to an increasing bombardment of “noise” and information overload from all types of media and other sources, including personal computers, e-mail, cellphones and a myriad of new handheld electronic devices. News flash! You have to fight back and take active responsibility for your own mental and physical wellness. You must find the determination within yourself to make healthy habits an essential part of your daily and weekly routine. It is foolish to take a passive approach to maintaining your health and fitness. To enjoy both mental and physical wellness, follow these recommendations: Get into a regular regimen of some form of exercise a minimum of three to four times a week for the rest of your life. This can be bicycling, playing a sport, tai chi, going to a gym, hiking, walking, yoga, swimming, Pilates, whatever, but you just have to get off your butt and do it. Regular exercise not only keeps you physically fit and mentally alert, it is also a great stress-buster and helps you sleep better. It is not necessary or even desirable to become a fitness fanatic, just to experience the equivalent of the mental and physical whirlpool you get from engaging in some form of exercise on a regular basis. Initiate the habit of setting aside a quiet period for yourself at a regular time once or twice a week for the purpose of doing some quiet thinking on your own. When you do so, turn off and unplug everything that can disrupt your peace of mind. Pick a place where you will not be bothered with any distractions. Calm yourself down and muse about what is really important in terms of what is happening in your life. Try to use this time quietly to get things into proper perspective and gain a better understanding of your true priorities. Think of this as a way of keeping your sanity while everyone around you is losing theirs. Make having fun and laughter an integral part of almost everything you do. Use humor to relieve stress and tension. Avoid taking yourself and what you are doing too seriously. It is also essential that your friends and co-workers have a good sense of humor to help you keep things in perspective and see the funny side of life’s challenges. Change how you think about food if you have a weight problem. As the photographer Russ Fischella said, “Eat what your body needs, not what your mind wants.” If you are overweight, do something about it. Being in denial when you have a weight problem is definitely dangerous to your health and overall well-being. Recognize the serious harm you are doing to yourself when you engage in self-destructive behavior, including over-eating, drinking too much alcohol, and using drugs. When you treat your body badly, it ultimately will treat you badly. There are many forms of harmful addictions but in the end they all take over control of your life with disastrous consequences. The brief pleasure or “high” from such behavior is never worth the long-term pain you will inevitably experience yourself and inflict upon those around you. Inform yourself about any negative health issues of consequence that you experience beyond just relying 100% on what your doctors say. Do an Internet search on the disease or injury to find other sources of information. See if the site www.PatientsLikeMe.com has any valuable information covering your ailment. If you start having adverse side effects from taking a prescribed medication, conduct an online search for the name of the drug and look for medical sites with patient forums on them to learn if others are having the same problem, indicating you should stop taking this medication. Maintain your own separate medical records for your family and yourself. Include in that record the date and details of any operations, injuries, illnesses of consequence and tests performed. Also note any prescriptions taken, drug allergies and the various services received from doctors and other health-care providers. Do not rely on your doctor to keep proper records of these matters. Having such information available in an emergency may save your life. Changing your eating habits is the only permanent solution for dealing with an overweight problem. Close to 100% of the people who lose weight through any kind of diet program or taking diet supplements invariably regain all of the weight back. To lose weight you have to eat less. It is that simple. Here are some of the most important steps to take to shed unwanted pounds and then to maintain your weight at a healthy level: Spread out the amount of food you eat throughout the day by having three regular modest-sized meals and two healthy snacks in between them as opposed to starving yourself through part of the day and ending up overeating a large dinner as a result of being too hungry. Reduce the size of the portions you serve and eat for each course, and never have seconds. Use smaller plates to serve your food and smaller glasses for everything you drink other than water. When you go to a restaurant, order an appetizer for your main dish. Skip eating bread with your meals and having any prepared desserts. Eat slower by pausing after every one or two bites. The slower you eat, the more time your stomach has to register when it is actually full. Restrict to a minimum the amount of fatty food and drinks you consume, such as French fries, other fried foods, potato chips, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, candies, prepared desserts and processed meats. When you get the urge to snack, have some fruit. You will be surprised at how much small changes in your eating habits will add up to big improvements in your weight over time. Your objective should be to develop a set of healthy habits that you follow throughout your life. You simply cannot afford to take your mental and physical wellness for granted. You have to assume the responsibility for keeping yourself in good health. Now! For more information on dealing with stress, see Chapter 18, Handling Stress, and Chapter 28, Need for Balance, in the Citizen of the World Guide, Find the Right Job & Excel. Also see Being Germ-Smart in the Age of Pandemics on the Other Stuff To Know section of our Web site at www.COTWguides.com. << PREVIOUS CHAPTER < BACK PAGE FORWARD > NEXT CHAPTER >>	CONTENTS Introduction The Right Frame of Mind Follow Your Passion Healthy Relationships Relationship Boosters Relationship Blockers Personal Communications Friends Lasting Friendships Couples Wanting to be a Couple Dating Dead-End Relationships Marriage Achieving Happy Marriages Weddings Family Children Teenagers Ethics “Success” Your Mental and Physical Wellness Keep Financially Fit Faith Dare to Be an Independent Thinker Become an Interested Individual Education Smarts Holidays Giving Back Conclusion Acknowledgments About the Author TOP OF PAGE
	TOP OF PAGE

Privacy	© Copyright 2009-2011 Steele Curry. All rights reserved	Contact us