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Living a Healthier and Happier Life
I am a teacher of Biology in a High School in Athens Greece. Also a freelance journalist - writing about health, the environment and development - issues I care deeply about.
I want you to understand, that I am NO doctor, and I don't claim to be giving medical advice. I didn't make this stuff up; I have just done some research on the subject and am reporting on what I have found.
In the beginning man worked hard to survive. He had many things to do. Hunting, keeping warm, finding berries, and taking care of his family. He did not have time to worry about being fat, as there wasn't an issue of fat. It was survival of the fittest, those that were not fit, perished, or had someone to watch over them.
Man's goal was survival.
Women labored hard, and many died in childbirth. There were many deaths of their infants, so women kept reproducing to keep the family surviving. They scrubbed,cooked, gathered food and wood and tended after the children. They did not have time to worry about things
that made them happy or not happy. Their goal was survival.
Well, times have changed, people don't work physically as hard as their ancestors did, they lose less children and the dying in labor has been brought down to a small percentage. Emergency hospitals with ambulances and new technology and medicines have saved the lives of
countless people.
Most families plan on 1 to 3 children and now to keep up with the economy (or the Jones') there are usually two working parents for those children. Men are learning skills that were unheard of for men 50 years ago. They are doing household chores, changing diapers, picking
kids up at daycare, and doing a whole lot more bonding with their children in the child's infant stages.
In the bustle of an age of living and learning at a light speed compared to their ancestors, people start worrying about their health. With the information highway thick with one company after another along with the vast info commercials, it is hard to decide what vitamins you need, what foods should you eat, and how much exercise you need. And, even what ratio of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins should you feed your body and your family's
bodies. It takes a lot of reading and trying to figure it all out.
Statistics tell you the following:
Those that are married are far happier than those that are not.
Those that have some kind of faith or religion are happier
Those that go to bed at night and sleep an average of 8 hours
Those that have friends and family
Those that are mentally and physically healthy.
Those that have a regular schedule to live by.
Sure, having extra money makes people happier too. However,the above ingredients are the true essence of happiness.vMoney just adds extra.. Having money and not the above can
end up feeling pretty empty.
Knowing how and what to eat, can make a huge difference in how you feel. Improper eating habits can cause depression, overweight, illness and an overall lethargy.
Sure, when you are young you can throw junk into your body,it is growing and it is generally a busy body, provided it has some nutrition along with the junk. But after awhile your body
just can't handle it anymore. Those years of bad eating add up. Soon, the arteries get clogged, the cholesterol goes up, nights without sleep and partying add up... and soon you wake up and you wonder what the heck happened to your energy and your youth.
Being young is great, but youth is only for like a 4th of your life. The rest of it is plain aging, and fighting that downhill battle.
An older person who has taken care of themselves over the years, wakes up just as bouncy as a young person. They are excited to see the new day, and are alert to the world and full of pep.
Being old does not mean you have to be sick.
Don't forget to wake up in the morning and think positive thoughts. People who live in families who compliment each other live happier lives. Find something positive and
reinforcing to your loved ones every single day.
What about your eating and exercising habits? You can do this. Do not try to change everything at once, unless you are just one of those rare individuals that
can do that.
We start with our diet. Diet does not mean just losing weight. Diet means the food you put in your daily eating habits.
A rule of thumb for eating habits are... don't eat more calories than you consume. Don't go one single day without doing something extra and physical for at least 30 minutes per day. This can be three ten minute walks. Or 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics, or 12 minutes of weight lifting and 18 minutes of walking.
ADD IT TO YOUR LIFE....
Water, you need water. Try to add at least 4 more glasses of water to your daily diet. The rule of thumb for water is 8 glasses per day; and one extra for every ten pounds overweight you are.
Fats, you need to know about fats. There are different kinds of fats. Some fats are better for you than others. A rule of thumb on fats is, stay away from hydrogenated
fats. These are fats that solidify. They are in store bought cakes, cookies, crackers, chips and even in bran muffins. Read the labels.
Choose fats that are polyunsaturated or fats such as olive oil. And, eat some fish to get some omega-3 fats.
Carbohydrates - Are your immediate fuel source. An average is about 55 percent of your diet in carbohydrates. So, a rule of thumb is, figure your protein grams, get
around 25% fat per day, and the rest would be in carbohydrates.
The heavier you are, the more protein you need the less carbohydrates you will need.
Fiber - work up to getting 25 grams of Fiber per day
Protein - averages about 20 percent. Divide weight by 2.2 and multiply that by .8 to get the kilograms.
For men it is averages as one gram per each kilogram of weight. So, a man would divide their weight in pounds 2.2 then multiply that by .10
Fats - try not to exceed more than 25 percent fat in your daily diet. 30 is fine, too. That does not mean you can't have a junk food fast food hamburger... it just means that
if you do eat that 55 percent fat burger that you are going to have to cut down on other fat filled foods for the rest of the day to balance it out.
Make exchanges gradually. Suppose you drink whole milk... work down to 2 percent. Maybe replacing two of your cups per day until you can completely change over.
If you are on two percent milk, work down to 1 percent.
Add bran to your cereals for extra fiber. Do add it in your baking.
You need to balance your diet with vegetables and fruits, too. Try adding different colors to your plate. Maybe an orange yam, and some green beans, to add color. The more variety of food colors, bring more variety of vitamins.
Eat more raw foods.
Remember, exchange things, add things, and do it gradually and remember, live all things in life in moderation and soon you will be bouncy and vibrant.
To your good health!
Michael Fortomas
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