How You Can Take Control Of Your Body

Written By Mikkie Mills / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

As important as health and fitness are to not only longevity, but also quality of life, they are aspects of life that often fall by the wayside in favor of transient pleasures. Processed food items provide consumers with options that are convenient at the cost of proper nutrition, and there are more compelling ways to spend one’s time inactive.

These lifestyle choices present a wide array of problems, however, and it’s up to you to take the necessary steps to keep yourself fit and healthy. Here’s what you need to know to become your best self.

Adjusting Your Diet

The modern diet is often one that is problematic. Processed food items such as junk food or fast food are all too common, and this becomes an issue when you consider the fact that these products are made on the cheap for both the manufacturers and customers by cutting corners and, more importantly, nutrition.

For example, processed foods tend to be high in sugar and sodium content to make them more addictive to consumers, while filler ingredients can be used to reduce the cost of production. The real problem with the sugar content is that it jeopardizes your metabolic health, and that can in turn cause weight gain or hinder weight loss efforts, among other things.

It’s incredibly important to keep in mind to eat for your needs. What this means is that your diet should cater to your lifestyle, particularly with regards to physical activity. This is particularly relevant when it comes to carbs.

Understanding Carbohydrates

Carbs are the body’s primary energy source, but there’s a lot more to the story than that. For instance, the body will use protein for fuel in a pinch, erroneously leading some to adopt low-carb diets for weight loss. While it’s true that carbs can contribute to weight gain, not all carbs are created equal.

Simple carbs, such as sugar, are those that have been processed and are therefore more easily digested by the body. This is a problem, because it allows much of the energy of the carbs in question to go to waste, and that waste is what contributes so heavily to weight gain.

Complex carbs, on the other hand, take longer to break down in the digestive tract, giving you ample time to work off that energy and avoid unexpected weight gain. In fact, carb loading is a technique used by athletes to gain extra energy for a training session, because carb consumption isn’t a problem if the energy gets put to use.

Exercising Regularly

In addition to creating a complete and balanced diet, you’ll also need to lead an active lifestyle in order to achieve peak health. Fitness is important for a few key reasons, not least of which is the process of atrophy that can gradually occur when muscles don’t get enough stimulation.

An inactive body also tends to experience aches and pains, and your body needs the serotonin it gets from exercise to regulate your mood. A lack of exercise and the corresponding lack of vitamin D from sunlight are strongly linked to mental illness for that very reason.

On the other hand, cardio is important, because it allows the body to perform basic tasks such as walking without getting winded, something that’s important for just about anyone, regardless of a given person’s lifestyle.

Basic fitness can be relatively simple. For example, swimming constitutes a full body workout, provided that you’re doing it correctly. However, your fitness needs change as your lifestyle changes, and athletes tend to specialize in certain training exercises to hone certain body parts more than others.

Taking care of one’s body is an important part of life, but it’s never been harder to give the body what it wants. The modern era is perhaps too comfortable, but knowing what to avoid and how to address your problems is a good place to start.

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Written By: 

Mikkie Mills is a freelance writer from Chicago. She is also a mother of two who loves sharing her ideas on interior design, budgeting hacks and DIY. When she's not writing, she's chasing the little ones around, walking her dog, or can be found rock climbing at the local climbing gym.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Photo by Marcus Ng on Unsplash