06/19/08
The Fundamentals of Good Health
Recently I had the opportunity to speak to a group of very successful CEO's and entrepreneurs in my down home, home town on the range Cowtown (Calgary, Alberta) about the building blocks of a healthy, active lifestyle. As athletes we often take for granted that the way we perceive and live life is an "obvious" way to be -- but far from it. The talk I gave focused on the fundamentals of good health and healthy living - which are really the fundamentals of why we should want to pursue training in the first place, too.
Category: Recovery
Posted by: marc
Like anything that refers to the words "fundamentals", the Building Blocks of Good Health are really quite simple. Here they are:
- Adequate Sleep
- Decent Nutrition
- A healthy level of Activity
- A Means for Stress Management or Coping
Add these four fundamental components together and you've got yourself a Healthy Lifestyle - it doesn't have to be all about making the podium at the Hawaii Ironman! But as endurance athletes we enjoy the side benefit of knowing first hand how important the above four fundamentals are to high performance. Even the best training plans go asunder if they're implemented on a foundation of sleep deprivation, poor nutrition or unhealthy levels of stress.
So how do you implement the above four fundamenals to start building your own healthy, active lifestyle?
Rule #1: Don't look too far ahead!
Research tells us that it takes 21 days to build a habit -- so think 21 days ahead and try to incorporate the following into your life for three weeks. Don't judge your progress until you've faithfully implemented the following steps for 21 days. Consider it "test driving the program." This is a fundamental key to the ironguides approach in Training, too: Don't judge too hastily how tired you are - unless you're exhausted or sick, always "test drive" your body with some very easy warm up before deciding to pack it in on a training session.
Test drive this program for 21 days - then judge!
Rule #2: Build the foundations on healthy levels of sleep.
Without getting into the details (I discuss this in the presentation), inadequate levels of sleep mess with the hormonal balance of your body and affect the levels of appetite suppressing and stimulating hormones as well as human growth hormone, insulin, melatonin and various other hormones important in everyday health. And remember: "An hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after."
Four days out of five, aim to get 8 hours of sleep and try to get to bed by 10:30 pm
Rule #3: Enjoy a healthy diet!
It doesn't have to be perfect -- again, aim for four days out of five to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Follow age-old wisdom and keep your portions tailored to how you live: Eat a large breakfast, a good-sized lunch and a modest dinner. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Incorporate a source of lean protein into every meal -- you can digest about 30g of protein per meal (you don't have enough enzymes to digest more), so keep it to that amount. Curb your intake of caffeine to before lunch. Drink alcohol before 6 pm in the evening - or sooner! (You'll get better quality sleep.) Eat "dense" carbohydrates (starches, sugars, bread, baked goods, pasta, etc.) in moderation and have sweets and such in accordance with your training needs -- aim to consume these immediately after or during training.
Four days out of five, aim for a healthy diet following the above guidelines.
Rule #4: Incorporate healthy levels of Activity into your daily life!
This doesn't mean you have to train for the Ironman or finish a local 5km. I have met plenty of vibrant, healthy people who do nothing more than garden and walk for their exercise. But the key is -- they do it regularly, with passion and with joy! Research suggests that between 45 minutes of exercise three times a week to 30 minutes daily is sufficient to improve health and well-being. Aim to walk the stairs, walk or cycle to work, or park your car or exit the train a little farther and walk a little longer to the office. The trick is to thing "be mobile." Take regular mid-day walks with your colleagues, enjoy active outings with your family on weekends. You'll find pretty quick that movement and activity will become a regular part of your life.
Aim for three 30-minute sessions of exercise per week and engage in active pursuits on the weekends.
Rule #5: Manage your stress levels.
How each individual copes with stress is unique but one thing is common to us all: If stress levels mount, then at a certain level our bodies can no longer cope and we become exhausted. Odds are that if you're sleeping well, eating right and enjoying a healthy level of activity your coping skills enable you to live with a relatively high level of stress quite easily. But if you're struggling, then there are all sorts of ways that you can work to reduce unhealthy stress levels. Commit to your well-being and join a weekly yoga session, or book a regular massage once a week. If you live in a city like Calgary, go enjoy fly fishing in a world class river at lunchtime! The point is to engage in activities that don't engage your thoughts in the same ways that provoke the stress. If you deal with numbers all day, maybe skip the sodoku puzzle and sit by a quiet park, or go for a walk. You see - often it's activity that we think of when we look for stress relief!
Pay attention to stress levels and include a stress relief strategy in your life.
* * *
Let's review: The above protocol basically suggests that you sleep, enjoy healthy food, get out in the fresh air for a bit of exercise and have a massage now and again.
Sounds obvious, but reflect - are you doing this? If not, give it a shot. 21 days, then decide.
Odds are you'll wake up one morning, smile and think: "I'm living a healthy lifestyle" Don't be fooled - it's that easy.
- Adequate Sleep
- Decent Nutrition
- A healthy level of Activity
- A Means for Stress Management or Coping
Add these four fundamental components together and you've got yourself a Healthy Lifestyle - it doesn't have to be all about making the podium at the Hawaii Ironman! But as endurance athletes we enjoy the side benefit of knowing first hand how important the above four fundamentals are to high performance. Even the best training plans go asunder if they're implemented on a foundation of sleep deprivation, poor nutrition or unhealthy levels of stress.
So how do you implement the above four fundamenals to start building your own healthy, active lifestyle?
Rule #1: Don't look too far ahead!
Research tells us that it takes 21 days to build a habit -- so think 21 days ahead and try to incorporate the following into your life for three weeks. Don't judge your progress until you've faithfully implemented the following steps for 21 days. Consider it "test driving the program." This is a fundamental key to the ironguides approach in Training, too: Don't judge too hastily how tired you are - unless you're exhausted or sick, always "test drive" your body with some very easy warm up before deciding to pack it in on a training session.
Test drive this program for 21 days - then judge!
Rule #2: Build the foundations on healthy levels of sleep.
Without getting into the details (I discuss this in the presentation), inadequate levels of sleep mess with the hormonal balance of your body and affect the levels of appetite suppressing and stimulating hormones as well as human growth hormone, insulin, melatonin and various other hormones important in everyday health. And remember: "An hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after."
Four days out of five, aim to get 8 hours of sleep and try to get to bed by 10:30 pm
Rule #3: Enjoy a healthy diet!
It doesn't have to be perfect -- again, aim for four days out of five to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Follow age-old wisdom and keep your portions tailored to how you live: Eat a large breakfast, a good-sized lunch and a modest dinner. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Incorporate a source of lean protein into every meal -- you can digest about 30g of protein per meal (you don't have enough enzymes to digest more), so keep it to that amount. Curb your intake of caffeine to before lunch. Drink alcohol before 6 pm in the evening - or sooner! (You'll get better quality sleep.) Eat "dense" carbohydrates (starches, sugars, bread, baked goods, pasta, etc.) in moderation and have sweets and such in accordance with your training needs -- aim to consume these immediately after or during training.
Four days out of five, aim for a healthy diet following the above guidelines.
Rule #4: Incorporate healthy levels of Activity into your daily life!
This doesn't mean you have to train for the Ironman or finish a local 5km. I have met plenty of vibrant, healthy people who do nothing more than garden and walk for their exercise. But the key is -- they do it regularly, with passion and with joy! Research suggests that between 45 minutes of exercise three times a week to 30 minutes daily is sufficient to improve health and well-being. Aim to walk the stairs, walk or cycle to work, or park your car or exit the train a little farther and walk a little longer to the office. The trick is to thing "be mobile." Take regular mid-day walks with your colleagues, enjoy active outings with your family on weekends. You'll find pretty quick that movement and activity will become a regular part of your life.
Aim for three 30-minute sessions of exercise per week and engage in active pursuits on the weekends.
Rule #5: Manage your stress levels.
How each individual copes with stress is unique but one thing is common to us all: If stress levels mount, then at a certain level our bodies can no longer cope and we become exhausted. Odds are that if you're sleeping well, eating right and enjoying a healthy level of activity your coping skills enable you to live with a relatively high level of stress quite easily. But if you're struggling, then there are all sorts of ways that you can work to reduce unhealthy stress levels. Commit to your well-being and join a weekly yoga session, or book a regular massage once a week. If you live in a city like Calgary, go enjoy fly fishing in a world class river at lunchtime! The point is to engage in activities that don't engage your thoughts in the same ways that provoke the stress. If you deal with numbers all day, maybe skip the sodoku puzzle and sit by a quiet park, or go for a walk. You see - often it's activity that we think of when we look for stress relief!
Pay attention to stress levels and include a stress relief strategy in your life.
* * *
Let's review: The above protocol basically suggests that you sleep, enjoy healthy food, get out in the fresh air for a bit of exercise and have a massage now and again.
Sounds obvious, but reflect - are you doing this? If not, give it a shot. 21 days, then decide.
Odds are you'll wake up one morning, smile and think: "I'm living a healthy lifestyle" Don't be fooled - it's that easy.