Before you congratulate yourself on following a Mediterranean-style diet because you eat spaghetti research suggests that consumption of grains and cereal wasn't a major contributing factor in this diet for reducing heart disease and certain cancers. It really was all about a more vegetarian-style diet with a low consumption of meat, fish and poultry. Most of the protein came from beans, nuts and legumes.
Health is the sum of many parts. Embracing a healthy eating plan like the Mediterranean diet is a wonderful way to start but it really is only one part of the equation.
Exercise, the dreaded E-word is part of the package. You don't have to join a gym or become a triathlete to reap the benefits of exercising. You can start by getting off the couch, pushing away from your desk, or leaving your car at home more often.
Fitness is about consistency. Take a dance class or crank up your music and dance around your house, walk your dog 20 more minutes everyday, take the stairs, walk to the corner store, the bank, or any other place that is within 15 minutes of your home. Try getting off the bus one to two stops earlier and walk the rest of the way home, when you're grocery shopping walk up and down every aisle, if your kids are involved in sports don't sit around in the stands walk around the soccer pitch, the baseball diamond, or the hockey rink. Just get moving.
To quote Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of Preventative Medicine, Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, "Regular physical activity is probably as close to a magic bullet as we will come in modern medicine; if everyone were to walk briskly for 30 minutes a day, we could cut the incidence of many chronic diseases by 30% -40%."
It's a gimmee that diet and exercise are parts of the equation called healthy living but what about the mind body spirit connection? As Westerners we don't make that connection enough. Eastern medicine recognizes that our thoughts, moods, spirituality, and the way we cope with stress are extremely important to long term health.
Stress can kill you unless you are proactive about managing it. The fact is in this day and age we're all under stress. It's the people who have learned to cope with stress who have the potential to live longer happier lives.
You get a two-for-one hit everytime you exercise or choose to leap off the couch. Practicing yoga, Tai Chi, meditation or deep breathing exercises are all great coping skills for managing daily stressors. Even taking 5-10 minutes a day to distress will help your body by decreasing adrenaline, relaxing blood vessels, reducing stress induced suppression of your immune system, and even help you sleep better.
Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Positive people live happier lives. A happy outlook is a natural way of life for some people, but it's a behaviour you can learn. You can actually trick your brain into thinking you're happy by smiling or laughing. This effect is due to the many muscles required to make a smile which in turn tells your brain and your body that you're in happy mode. The old adage Laughter is the medicine may in fact be true.
True health is a journey that you can choose to go on or not. If you want to join this lifestyle quest here are some steps to help you on your way:
Step 1
Learn to Cook. The more you eat healthy home made meals the better.
Step 2
Eat back to basic foods - if you can't pronounce something on a label you probably shouldn't be eating it.
Step 3
Aim for 5 servings of fruits and 5 servings of vegetables each day.
Step 4
Walk at least 30 minutes everyday. It can't be a saunter, you have to walk briskly. Can't get up to brisk? Start off slowly and work your way up to brisk. Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise regime.
Step 5
Practice some type of stress reduction. Meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, deep breathing or going for a walk all are great choices.
Step 6
Socialize. People who have active social lives are in fact happier than their peers who don't socialize. Find a happy medium between work, family life and socializing is key.
Step 7
Practice an act of kindness everyday. It can be as little as offering your seat on the bus to as large as volunteering at an old age home or shelter.
Step 8
Practice gratitude. When we dwell on the things we're grateful for we become more positive people.
Step 9
Eat a small piece of dark chocolate every day. Research suggests that it may help reduce your chances of developing heart disease. We need a tiny treat every day. Emphasis on tiny.
Step 10
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Your brain and body need to reboot every night. Getting enough shut eye will help your body fight stress and keep your immune system working on optimum.
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