One of the best ways to have a happy and fulfilled life, is to maintain our health. We all know that eating right and exercise are important aspects, but dealing with our stressful lives is just as critical to our health and happiness. We are taught some of the basics of eating well in schools, with the food pyramid. But, with the typical American diet this has not been adequate. We not only have to educate ourselves about the benefits of more recently discovered findings (like fish oil, etc.), but also need to relearn the basics and try to break some bad habits. Exercise and fitness are also touched on in school. Although kickball isn’t something that most adults keep up with over the years, it is good for kids to get outdoors and have some physical activity. With today’s financial cutbacks, schools are cutting back on recess and PE that we always took for granite. This lack of physical activity in school and after school has led to unhealthy and actually obese children in our society. Not only do we need to teach our children to enjoy an active lifestyle and eat right (both great habits to have and more easily taught at an early age), we need to often discover for ourselves physical activity(s) that we enjoy and can stick with for life.
Frugal & Healthy Eating
With emphasis on healthy eating, most American’s need to concentrate on including high quality protein and adding more fruits and vegetables to their diets. Fast food, processed, and instant foods are all aspects of the typical American diet. The are all unhealthy (as seen in the movie “Fast Food Nation”) and not cost effective. There are many tips on how to attain this goal of a healthy and frugal diet. As with any balanced lifestyle, along with saving money in one area, there are some items we need to splurge on for our health and overall well-being.
Fitness Alternatives
First ask yourself if you really need that gym membership. Many people who join gyms join as part of a New Years resolution to lose those extra pounds quit going around February. The facilities count on the fact that most people who start out with those good intentions in January lose interest shortly thereafter, thus they are able to sell that same space over and over. If that gym environment is for you, you are one that enjoys the variety of equipment or services available, and you are able to stick with it, please do.
Any form of exercise that we can enjoy and be consistent with, is greatly important to our health, longevity, and quality of life. There are three aspects of fitness that are equally important to our overall health, aerobic training, strength training, and flexibility.
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