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Welcome back to One Marine’s Perspective on how to play the game of life. We all have to play, we’re all on the same team, we play by God’s rules, and we win with teamwork.
As we consider how satisfied each of us is with his or her own current health, perhaps taking a look at those elements One Marine considers important contributors to overall health would be beneficial.
We’ll take that look by discussing the elements of Nutrition, Exercise, and Stress Management.
Listen to Story 1.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” Buddha
Now, let’s consider the first element:
Nutrition
Here’s a quote by Doug Larson, who was a columnist and editor for the Door County Advocate and wrote a daily column, "Doug’s Dugout," for the Green Bay Press-Gazette,
"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon."
Listen to Story 2.
Research has shown that the closer we come to an entirely plant-based nutrition lifestyle, the healthier we become.
The Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet is a way of eating that focuses on consuming foods in their most natural form. This means that animal products and heavily processed foods are excluded. When purchasing groceries, we should focus on fresh foods and, when it’s necessary to purchase foods with a label, we should aim for items with the fewest possible ingredients.
The WFPB diet is low in saturated fat, free of cholesterol, and rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and antioxidants. Research also reveals that following this type of diet will lower our risks of:
Heart disease.
Hypertension (high blood pressure).
Diabetes.
Digestive disease.
Colon and breast cancers.
Studies also show that a plant-based diet can help to lower body weight and reduce our LDL cholesterol. (The LDL cholesterol is the bad stuff.)
Transitioning from the standard American diet (SAD), which is high in fat, salt, sugar, and other flavor enhancers, many of which are toxic in and of themselves (by their very nature), is an extremely important, life-prolonging action.
Now, let’s look at:
Exercise
“Good things come to those who sweat.” Unknown
There are a lot of great reasons to exercise. And there are a multitude of things we can do that count as physical activity, including walking, dance, hiking, rock climbing, and more. Sometimes exercise can feel like a bit of a "chore", something we have to do for health reasons. For those who have realized the health benefits of that "chore", it has become a welcome daily undertaking, an integral part of life.
We’ve probably all heard stories of guys and gals who achieved major body transformations - from beer belly to six-pack abs, from chain smoker to marathon runner, from weakling to gym rat. Sure, they’re inspiring, but it can get frustrating to realize our own fitness is flat-lining while those guys and gals seem to be getting results on a daily basis.
One Marine wishes he could say that there’s some magic trick or well-kept secret he knows that he could share with you, but the truth is they achieved their results with a lot of determination, dedication, and drive. All of the success stories seem to share some common elements, so if we’re looking to emulate these guys or gals, here are some of the things that they did. (And we should be doing.)
They changed their lifestyle. None of those crazy success stories would be possible without a complete lifestyle overhaul. It’s not just about making small tweaks to our schedules here and there — the way we go about our everyday lives has to change.
They were (and are) extremely determined. It’s no secret that our bodies can often be inclined to take it easy (and the older we get, the stronger that inclination seems to be) That’s why we need to bring a strong, determined attitude to our exercise program in order to get the most out of it, and not get discouraged by the long road ahead. One day, one step at a time.
They became more aware of what their body needs. In most success stories, the successful people went from eating mindlessly to figuring out the kinds of foods that are best for their bodies, and the amounts they need to get the most out of their workouts and improve their results.
They took responsibility for their own motivation. It’s nice to have a support system – those who can push or pull us to success. But, in the end, it’s more about doing it ourselves than it is about being pushed or pulled by friends and loved ones. When our motivation becomes more internal, that’s usually a huge sign that we have taken total responsibility for our own lifestyle change.
Listen to Story 3.
“What will determine the course of your life more than any other thing is whether or not you're willing to tolerate necessary discomfort.” Barbara Sher
Stress Management
Moving on to Stress Management, a guy by the name of Robert Eliot (who was an African-American member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina), has this to say about it:
“Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.”
Listen to Story 4.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of our thoughts, our emotions, our schedule, our environment, and the way we deal with challenges. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. The simple realization that we’re in control of our lives is the foundation of stress management.
Once again, this may be a significant challenge for some of us and we all have to do our own cost-benefit analysis. But it might help to remember that we are members of a wide-ranging team and there are a lot of folks depending on us to play our position to the best of our ability. Let’s take a look at how one carpenter managed his stress.
Listen to Story 5.
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” —William James.
Summary: Keys to Health - So, what have we just discussed:
Nutrition: We truly are what we eat, so we choose foods that help maintain a healthy weight, provide good quality nutrition and help manage our risk for chronic conditions like heart disease.
Exercise: Whether we think of it as “physical activity” or “fitness”, the point is to exercise regularly, whether we’re walking, swimming, biking, or working out at the gym.
Stress management: It can be difficult, but it’s essential to find effective strategies for managing stress and use them regularly. Adopt a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and maintain a positive mental attitude.
Listen to Story 6.
We'll close with more of One Marine’s favorite quotes:
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” Ayurvedic Proverb
“If it came from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don’t.” Michael Pollan
“What you eat literally becomes you. you have a choice in what you’re made of.” Anonymous
"Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood." Unknown Author
"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." Mary Engelbreit
“Doing something that is productive is a great way to alleviate emotional stress. Get your mind doing something that is productive.” Ziggy Marley
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” Jim Rohn
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