Healthy Living – Going Back to Basics to Ensure a Healthy Lifestyle

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables because they contain lots of anti-oxidants which will prevent cancer. Only eat organic fruits and vegetables because the others contain too many toxins and will give you cancer. Don´t eat organic produce because it is not properly regulated like regular produce. Don´t eat fruits because they contain too much sugar. Don´t eat too much tuna or salmon because they contain high levels mercury. Lose weight with through juicing. Detox with juices. Don't detox, its bogus. Eat lots of tuna and salmon because they contain high levels of Omega 3 “healthy” fats. Eat lots of cooked tomatoes because it prevents prostate cancer. Don´t eat tomatoes out of a can, because the cans are lined with plastic containing BPAs.

Yikes!! How are you supposed to know what to do?

Nowadays, we are bombarded by health information thrown at us from all sides – newspapers, magazines, health food stores, blogs, doctors, nutritionists, the internet, and our peers, among others. For most people, health is one of their top priorities, and they want to protect themselves by keeping current, and knowing about the latest health news.

Unfortunately, a lot of people end up misinformed, due to incorrect information, or information that was discovered through limited or poor scientific research. As an average person, it is very difficult to know what information is valid, and what is unwarranted hype.

Most people become too caught up in the newest health trends and forget about the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle. These fundamentals have been around for years, and are the first step to being healthy. Instead of trying to find the new super fruit that will slay cancer for years to come, take a look back at the basics of a healthy lifestyle. Are you adhering to these fundamentals?

A healthy lifestyle can be broken down into two main parts:

Nutrition – where a healthy lifestyle begins

It should be common knowledge by now that a healthy diet involves eating the right amount of servings from the four main food groups. The recommended daily serving amounts may vary from country to country, but there is no doubt to the importance of a diet involving lots of fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Here are the recommended serving amounts for an adult male according to Health Canada:

Vegetables and Fruits – 8-10

Grains – 8

Milk and Alternatives – 2

Meat and Alternatives – 3

For a complete list for every age group and sex, go to Recommended Food Servings

In addition to eating a balanced diet, it is important to stay away from pre-made and processed foods, sweets, and fatty foods. They are chock full of additives, and must be avoided as much as possible.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet will make you feel better about yourself, give you more energy, make it easier to concentrate. That in itself should be enough motivation to eat well.

Trying to figure out how to get fruits and vegetables into your diet? Look for your favorite fruit and vegetable juicer recipes and make some gourmet juices. You can usually get three to four servings of fruits and vegetables in just one juice!!

Exercise

Exercise, exercise, exercise! It is extremely important to get regular exercise, not matter your age, weight, or size. This is becoming harder and harder as our daily routines include less physical activity due to changes in lifestyle. This only makes regular exercise more important.

Even 30 min of exercise a day can make a huge difference in one´s life, and 30 minutes a day is not hard to achieve. Walking instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, exercising during lunch, are all easy ways to increase your physical activity. Not only is exercise important for adults, it is key in healthy development of our children. Not only will they reap the benefits of of being active, but they will also learn from a young age the habits of a healthy lifestyle.

Proper nutrition and regular exercise is not rocket science, but it is key to living a happy, healthy life. The next time you find yourself worried about following all the latest health trends, try to remember the basics, and make sure you are following them first.