Thank you for your article. As we all know , vegan is not enough,
exercise is probably the fountain of youth. Or at least essential to
better living in later years. I 'vet seen this a lot in the retirees
in Florida.

While I don't believe in eating meat, the advice the author gives is good.

Just eat lot of fresh veggies, legumes, and exercise and you are 90% there.

Seaweed btw has huge quantities of minerals. It is an acquired taste i
admit.

Thanks. That's the purpose of the group, how to live a healthy lightly.




buzzgun wrote:

> The Secret to Good Health
> By Bharat Bhatia
>
> My Background in Fitness and Nutrition
>
> I have a lot of experience with exercise and nutrition. Prior to
> seventh grade, I used to be obese, but I started taking martial arts
> classes shortly after I became a teenager. Martial arts taught me the
> joy of movement. I was 30% body fat in sixth grade, which is very
> obese. In eight grade, I was 17% body fat, which is average for a 14
> year old male. From ninth grade to twelfth grade, I participated in
> cross-country and track. I also studied a little bit about nutrition
> because I felt the need to optimize my athletic performance. Although
> I did not participate in cross-country and track in college, I swam and
> engaged in martial arts. I have also rock-climbed in college.
> I did not study nutrition and fitness in depth until my junior year of
> college. Ever since my junior year of college, I have read numerous
> books about exercise and nutrition from several different perspectives.
> I have read well-established sources such as books by the American
> College of Sports Medicine and American Dietetic Association as well as
> newer sources such as "The Okinawa Diet." During my junior year of
> college, I have taught indoor studio cycling classes, and I became a
> certified personal trainer, although I did find a job as a personal
> trainer until my senior year of college. I would like to enlighten
> people with my knowledge of health and fitness.
> The Obesity Epidemic
> Most people in this world have barely enough food to satisfy their
> nutritional needs and must expend a lot of energy obtain that food.
> Malnourishment is common problem in such nations. Most Americans do
> very little physical work and have an overabundance of food. While
> lack of nutrition leads to starvation and lower life expectancy,
> consuming excessively high quantities of nutrients causes chronic
> problem such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and heart
> disease. Although many Americans have unhealthy dietary habits, they
> also nearly idolize slender models. Millions of Americans follow
> questionable dietary advice to become thin. I will the flaws of some
> of these fad diets.
> During the 1980s and 1990s, doctors told Americans to consume a
> low-fat diet. Many food manufacturers created low fat and fat free
> alternatives to foods such as ice cream to satisfy the demand for
> reduced dietary fat. However, Americans still gained weight because
> they increased their intake of refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup,
> white bread, and other refined carbohydrates. Dr. Atkins and other
> authors suggested that carbohydrates are the real cause of obesity
> while fat has absolutely no affect in causing obesity. Although many
> people initially lost weight on the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet, most
> gained the weight back and became even more obese while also suffering
> high blood pressure and high cholesterol, thus increasing risk of
> cancer and heart disease. The Atkins diet is unhealthy for several
> reasons. As I stated earlier, it is high in saturated fats and
> cholesterol, which clog the arteries. Glucose is the body's main
> source of fuel, thus insufficient carbohydrates lowers energy levels.
> To compensate for the lowered glucose, the body must convert protein
> into glucose, which is a very inefficient process. The body cannot
> turn fat into glucose, and it cannot burn fat without utilizing
> glucose. On low-carbohydrate diets, the body uses protein as a fuel
> source rather than to build and repair bodily tissues such as muscle.
> Carbohydrates are also necessary because they bind with water
> molecules. Most people who consume a low-carbohydrate diet lose weight
> from muscle and water rather than from fat. In other words, although
> they are losing weight, they are increasing percent body fat. The
> human body cannot tolerate water and glucose deficiency for very long,
> thus most people on the Atkins' diet and other low-carbohydrate diets
> revert to their normal dietary habits. Luckily, they regain much of
> the weight from water and muscle, but they also gain after
> re-incorporating carbohydrates with the fat that they consume on the
> Atkins diet. In addition, Atkins' dieters who formerly exercise do
> less exercise after adhering to the Atkins' diet because their bodies
> experience so much fatigue and dizziness from low glucose levels.
> The truth is that both carbohydrates and fat contribute to obesity.
> Both nutrients are essential, but too much of either or both leads to
> obesity, especially without physical activity. The low-fat and
> low-carbohydrate diets failed because they ignored the fact that both
> nutrients have Calories. The body uses Calories for every process that
> occurs in the body. However, unused energy is stored as body fat. Our
> physically active human ancestors used this feature to survive famines,
> but most Americans have an overabundance of food and engage in very
> little physical movement. Calorie reduction is important to lose
> weight. Sedentary Americans should consume about 1400-1600 Calories
> per day while moderately active Americans should consume about
> 1800-2000 Calories per day. Moderate physical activity is thirty to
> forty minutes of exercise at about 60-75% of maximal heart rate, which
> is the intensity of light to moderate jogging. Highly active Americans
> should consume even more Calories depending on their duration and
> intensity of exercise.
> Other Dietary Problems
> Excessive protein intake is another health problem in the United
> States. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that
> sedentary individuals consume 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram
> body weight while physically active individuals consume 1.5 grams of
> protein per kilogram body weight. This would be approximately 50 grams
> of protein per day for a 110-pound individual. However, most Americans
> consume a diet high in animal products and accumulate much more than
> the recommended guideline for protein. Excessive protein intake causes
> the body to remove calcium from the bones and into the bloodstream.
> This is because the bloodstream has too high a concentration of amino
> acids, thus causing the blood to be too acidic. A high-fat diet also
> diminishes calcium absorption. The American Dietetic Association
> recommends consume twenty to thirty percent of Calories from fat, but
> most Americans consume forty percent of Calories from fat.
> Caloric balance is not the only important dietary habit. Americans
> should consume less refined foods. It may like a burden to keep up
> with all of the different amounts of necessary nutrients that the body
> needs. However, a diet that is high in vegetables, fruits, and beans;
> moderate in whole grains, nuts, and seeds; and low in animal products
> reduces the need to worry about such precise guidelines. I have read
> extensively about nutritional research, and I have concluded that the
> healthiest diets are those that humans have consumed for thousands of
> years. Rather than give new information about healthy dietary habits,
> scientific research seems to reinforce the health benefits of the diet
> that humans consumed during ancient times. No two cultures in the
> world have the same diet, but there are general principles that most
> humans have followed for most of human history. Most cultures subsist
> on a diet consisting mostly of complex carbohydrates. Complex
> carbohydrates come from whole grains and vegetables. Most societies in
> the world also get their sugar mostly from fruit rather than table
> sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other processed sweeteners. Such
> societies also consume a limited amount of animal fat from milk, meat,
> and other animal products. In other nations, people do not inject
> hormones in their cattle, and they do not subject their cattle to
> confined conditions that reduce physical activity. Animal products
> from other nations are much healthier than factory-farmed milk and meat
> in the US.
> Dietary Controversies
> Fish and other seafood are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which
> send cholesterol from the body's cells to the liver to be broken down.
> Flaxseeds are also great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The
> Mediterraneans and East Asians (especially Okinawans) consume a diet
> with moderate amounts of fish and live longer than the rest of the
> world. Although it is likely that seafood contributes to their
> longevity, it is possible that they live so long despite their
> consumption of seafood and not because of it. Recently, I have looked
> at the food labels of fish in various grocery stores and noticed that
> one serving of fish usually contained 18% to 30% of the USRDA
> recommendation for cholesterol. Eighteen percent fat is not that high,
> but most of the fish approached 30% of the USRDA recommendation for
> cholesterol, which is quite high. In addition, the meat, egg, and
> dairy industry have a lot of control over the USRDA. The human body
> does not need dietary cholesterol; it produces all of the cholesterol
> that is necessary. Not only are people unaware that seafood is high in
> cholesterol, but many people do not know that seafood increases the
> risk of mercury poisoning. Mercury is a neurotoxin that causes brain
> damage. The connection between brain damage and mercury poisoning from
> fish was discovered in Japan.
> In the Mediterranean and East Asia, other dietary choices may have more
> to do with the people's longevity than fish consumption. In Okinawa,
> people consume fish about three times per week and not on a daily
> basis. Okinawans are generally lactose-intolerant and refrain from
> dairy milk after infancy. Interestingly, Okinawans have lower rates of
> osteoporosis than Americans do. In addition, the American Dietetic
> Association states that vegetarians and vegans have lower rates of
> osteoporosis than people who consume dairy milk and other animal
> products. Vegetables are also rich in anti-oxidants, which prevent
> oxygen from forming dangerous compounds, thus lowering the risk of
> cancer and heart disease. Soy and other beans are rich in protein,
> iron, calcium, and complex carbohydrates. The Okinawans also consume
> seaweed, which is rich in iron, calcium, and vitamin B12.
> The Mediterraneans consume more fish and meat than Okinawans. Although
> they consume more fish than Americans do, it is likely that other
> factors play a greater role than fish consumption. Mediterraneans
> consume less red meat than Americans do, but the main dietary reason
> for their longevity is that they consume relatively large amounts of
> mono-unsaturated fats from olives and other vegetables. They also
> consume large quantities of whole grains and chickpeas. Rice and beans
> are staples in the diet of many Mediterranean nations. Of course, I
> cannot refute that fish contribute to their long lives. However, whole
> grains, beans, and vegetables probably have more to do with the
> longevity of Mediterraneans than fish consumption does.
> Although whole grains have protein, folic acid, complex carbohydrates,
> fiber, and other nutrients, they are not necessarily a vital food
> group. Humans did not consume grains until the agricultural
> revolution. James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winner for discovering the
> double helix, states that it is nearly impossible to avoid genetically
> modified food because even grains are crossbreed grasses. Humans breed
> grass several thousands of years ago to make wheat and other grains; it
> does not come straight from nature. One of the main reasons that the
> USRDA and other dietary authorities recommend 6-11 servings of grain is
> that the grain industry has the strongest lobby in the USRDA. The
> grain industry is even more powerful than the meat and dairy industry.
> In fact, America feeds most of its grain to farm animals that produce
> meat and dairy milk. The US also sells a lot of its grain to other
> nations at low costs, or they donate it. The reason why America gives
> so much grain for low prices or free to cattle and people of other
> nations is to keep the price of American from being too low. Grains
> are the easiest way to feed large amounts of people, but that is not
> because they are the most important food group. Grains are simply the
> cheapest foods to produce in large quantities, which is necessary
> during wars or during times of food shortages.
> I am not suggesting that fish and grains are unhealthy. However, they
> have an undeserved reputation of being necessary. Just as white bread
> and table sugar are refined carbohydrates, grains are refined
> vegetables. Vegetables, except for potatoes, are healthier sources of
> carbohydrates than grains. I would not recommend giving up grains
> because vegetables are very low in protein and total Calories although
> beans and chickpeas are high in complex carbohydrates. I do not
> abstain from grains, but I usually consume three or less servings of
> grains per day and get most of my carbohydrates from vegetables and
> beans. I recommend that Americans limit but not eliminate grain
> consumption. Likewise, I do not recommend giving up animal products
> because very few plants have sufficient amounts of vitamin B12.
> Although there are plant sources of vitamin B12, most Americans do not
> have the extensive knowledge or dedication to consume an all-plant
> diet.
> A
> Plant-Based Diet
> The truth is that vitamin B12 neither comes from plants or animals but
> rather from bacteria. Herbivorous animals get vitamin B12 from
> bacteria that are absorbed in their liver. Plants sometimes absorb
> vitamin B12 from bacteria that are absorbed in soil or from manure, but
> they are still usually poor sources of vitamin B12. I recommend that
> people who abstain from animal products consume vitamin B12 in
> supplemented form. Although fortified soymilk and cereals as well as
> multivitamins come to mind, you can also get vitamin B12 from bacteria
> supplements. You can buy pro-biotics, which are healthy bacteria in
> capsules. If you prefer to avoid capsules and consume bacteria in a
> more natural form, you can buy yeast at almost any grocery store.
> Many athletes consume a plant-based diet. Carl Lewis, the Olympic gold
> medalist, and Dave Scott, the five-time winner of the Ironman
> Triathlon, consumed vegan diets during their peak years. Bill Pearl,
> the most successful bodybuilder in history, eliminated meat and fish
> from his diet and still won Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia contests. He
> participated in professional body building competitions during his
> mid-fifties while Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped participating in such
> competitions before reaching his forties. Arnold Schwarzenegger could
> not maintain his professional level of fitness training while acting in
> movies and participating in politics. However, he still engaged in a
> large amount of weightlifting and consumed a similar diet while acting
> in movies. Many people do not realize that he suffered from heart
> problems and muscle tumors during training. This is actually common in
> bodybuilders. Bill Pearl had a very high cholesterol level prior to
> abstaining from meat and fish. Although steroids were the main cause
> for Arnold Schwarzenegger's health problems, his high consumption of
> animal protein also contributed to such his physical ailments.
> Anthropological evidence suggests that a primarily plant-based diet is
> natural for the human body. Humans are physiologically and genetically
> very similar to chimps, apes, gorillas, monkeys, and other primates.
> Primates consume an omnivorous diet but they get most of their
> nutrients from plants. Humans share 98% of the same DNA as chimps and
> about close to the same genetic similarity as other primates. Although
> I do not consider this a legitimate reason to avoid animal products, I
> still feel that animal products should not be a regular part of the
> human diet. In addition to our genetic similarity to primates, our
> bodies do not have the necessary features to consume large quantities
> of animal products. Although we have incisors to chew meat, they may
> be for nuts and other hard foods. Humans do not have claws like other
> flesh-eating animals, thus humans did not eat flesh until developing
> sharp tools and discovering fire.
> The Australopithecus ramidus, the first species of humans, was an
> herbivore and lived 5 million years ago. The Homo habilis, who arose
> 4.5 million years ago, is the first species of humans that consumed
> meat. However, they did not hunt but rather scavenged for dead animals
> that other animals hunted or partially ate. The Homo erectus first
> started hunting about 2 million years ago. The Homo erectus is the
> first species with a body frame that is similar to modern humans, or
> Homo sapiens sapiens. Although the first humans did not hunt, perhaps
> modern humans evolved from species that require some animal flesh.
> Nonetheless, most of these species still consumed very small quantities
> of animal flesh.
> In 1978, to researchers named Hamilton and Busse did research on 21
> species of primates. They found that animal consumption is inversely
> proportional to size. In other words, smaller primates consume more
> meat while larger primates consume very little meat. The smallest
> primate weighed 65 g as an adult and consumed a diet of 70% animal
> matter. However, the adult gorilla is the largest primate at 126 kg
> and consumes a diet of 1%-2% animal matter. The adult orangutan, who
> weighs an average of 58 kg, also consumes a diet of 1-2% animal matter.
> Most adult humans weight roughly as much or slightly more than
> orangutans, suggesting that the natural human diet is approximately
> 1-2% animal matter. However, despite our similarity to primates, these
> facts cannot be used to confirm the optimal human diet. Unlike
> primates, humans are much very much separated from the natural world,
> and the most natural diet does not necessarily mean the same thing as
> the healthiest diet.
> The human digestive system is quite similar but not exactly like the
> digestive system of herbivores. Humans have a trunk that is one-tenth
> the length of their bowels. Herbivores have a trunk that is
> one-fifteenth the length of their bowels. Carnivores have trunk that
> are one-third the length of their bowels. The stomach is in the trunk.
> Carnivores need a large trunk in proportion to their bowels because
> flesh requires more effort to digest than plants. Herbivores have a
> smaller trunk to bowel ratio because plants are not as difficult to
> digest. Humans have a digestive tract similar to primates, who are
> omnivorous. However, most primates mostly consume raw fruits and
> vegetables (such as leaves); they only scavenge for animal flesh or
> hunt small mammals occasionally.
> Humans did not consume eggs until the agricultural revolution. Like
> other mammals, humans consume dairy milk during infancy and early
> childhood, but we did not consume milk past infancy and from another
> species until the agricultural revolution. Prior to the agricultural
> revolution, humans only consumed milk from their mothers, and they only
> consumed milk during infancy and early childhood.
> Although the human body seems to lack the mechanisms for consuming
> animal products without equipment, this does not necessarily mean that
> humans are naturally herbivores. Even chimps, which many people think
> are herbivores, occasionally kill small mammals and scavenge for food.
> In addition, many primates consume insects, which do not require
> cooking or claws. Unlike humans, many primates eat their own feces;
> feces contain vitamin B12, but the human digestive system does not have
> the mechanical and biochemical attributes to digest feces. Prior to
> the agricultural revolution, humans were not able to produce very large
> quantities of food, so perhaps they needed to start consuming animal
> products to sustain themselves. Maybe humans evolved to hunt and eat
> meat because of the spread of glaciers during the Ice Age, which
> destroyed a lot of plant life. Because we do not have any recorded
> history of the human diet, we cannot be sure why humans evolved to
> consume animal products. Although we have fossilized feces, these
> fossils are small in amount, and they only tell what diets humans
> consumed and not which diets were optimal for health.
> Regardless of the evolution of humans and their diets, it is best to
> limit consumption of animal products. It is possible for humans to
> eliminate animal foods from their diet, but it is best that vegans
> supplement their vitamin B12 with multi-vitamins, fortified foods, and
> bacteria from yeast or pro-biotics.
> A Natural Diet
> Industrialized nations have a higher life expectancy than developing
> nations. It is true that people in developing nations consume a more
> natural diet than Americans, Europeans, the Japanese, and other people
> in industrialized nations. People in agricultural and hunter-gatherer
> societies do not die sooner because they consume a less nutritious
> diet. They die sooner primarily because the sanitation and healthcare
> system in such nations are poor compared to American and European
> standards. In addition, dictators who control the food supplies and
> cause famines rule many of these nations. People in such nations
> suffer from tribal warfare, civil war, outbreaks of viruses and
> parasitic insects, and other problems. However, the diet in such
> nations is much healthier than the diet in most industrialized nations.
> Interestingly, the longest-living people in the world are Okinawans,
> who are mostly farmers. Okinawa is the poorest province of Japan, and
> few Okinawans have modern conveniences such as air conditioning and
> refrigeration. However, they consume a diet high in vegetables (7-13
> servings per day) and low in animal products (three servings of fish
> per week and virtually no meat, eggs, and dairy products). Vegetables
> not only have a low Caloric-density (i.e. less Calories per given mass
> of food), but they also have anti-oxidants, which are substances that
> bind to oxygen to prevent oxygen from binding to other substances that
> form dangerous compounds; such compounds increase the risk of cancer,
> heart disease, and other chronic health problems.
> It is best to consume a diet consisting mostly of raw foods. The
> process of cooking usually reduces nutritional content because it
> causes chemical reactions that alter some of the nutrients, although
> there are a few nutrients like lycopene in tomatoes that absorb more
> easily after cooking. I do not recommend abstaining from cooked
> foods, but it is best to have as much raw food as possible to maximize
> nutritional intake. Although most people, are used to eating beans
> cooked, you can actually eat raw bean sprouts.
> The Culture of the American Diet
> Unfortunately, an unhealthy diet is very much a part of American
> culture. We eat cakes during birthday parties and weddings. During
> adolescence and adulthood, we celebrate many events with beer. For
> lunch breaks, we go to fast food restaurants and gorge on burgers and
> other junk food. When we go out and eat with friends or family, we
> usually eat unhealthy foods such as steaks while drinking sodas or
> alcoholic beverages. Teachers reward good behavior and attentiveness
> with candy. Although there is nothing wrong with occasionally
> consuming junk food, most Americans consume junk food everyday.
> Although unhealthy eating can be difficult to avoid, there are healthy
> alternatives to satisfy such cravings. Instead of candy and ice cream,
> strawberries and other fruits are healthier desserts. I have made a
> pie in which I made the crust from walnuts chopped in a blender while
> making the filling from raw kiwi, strawberries, and mangoes. Many of
> my friends say that this pie tasted great. Not only is this pie free
> from the saturated fat and refined sugar from traditional pies, but it
> is uncooked. Although I do not recommend eliminating cooked foods from
> a diet, cooking slightly reduces nutritional content of foods,
> especially protein. Instead of red meat, fish is a healthier
> alternative. Beans, chickpeas, and soy products are also healthy
> sources of protein. I make a very tasty curry made from soy yogurt,
> tomato sauce, spices (curry powder, garlic, paprika, lemon pepper), and
> vegetables (mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, and
> carrots). I sometimes add tofu or beans to the curry. This curry is
> healthy and delicious. When eating salads, humus is a healthier
> alternative to salad dressing, which is usually high in saturated fat.
>
> Physical Activity
> Nutrition is only half the battle. We need to increase our levels of
> physical activity. Most agencies such as the American College of
> Sports Medicine and Center for Disease Control recommend twenty to
> thirty minutes of physical activity three to five days per week. I
> cannot blame them because it would be unrealistic to ask most Americans
> to do more. However, even this recommendation is inadequate. I would
> recommend that Americans gradually increase their level of physical
> activity to approximately one hour per day. It is okay to do more than
> one hour on some days and less than an hour on other days. Although
> rest is necessary, light walking or other physical movement is
> necessary to reduce muscle soreness. In addition, the nervous system
> needs some stimulation to maintain strength in the muscles, lungs, and
> heart. Unless an individual experiences an emergency health problem
> requiring bed rest, total inactivity in an entire day weakens the body.
> Although most Americans know the importance of physical activity, very
> few people feel motivated to be physically active. Even as a personal
> trainer and fitness expert, I relapse into physical inactivity from
> time to time. The greatest motivating factor to stay physically active
> is to engage in enjoyable physical activities. Many people play sports
> such as basketball or ultimate Frisbee for enjoyment, although they
> increase physical fitness in the process. Many athletes participate in
> sports such as football and basketball for competition, yet most
> athletes are very physically fit. People dance at parties and clubs
> for enjoyment, but dancing is also a wonderful physical activity. My
> twin brother and I enjoy martial arts training. I have incorporated
> martial arts training with many of my clients when personal training.
> One activity I like is shadowboxing, which involves holding dumbbells
> in each hand while pretending to box somebody. Recently, I came-up
> with some goofy exercises. One workout involves playing solo
> volleyball with three balloons. To clarify, I use three balloons and
> hit them in the air; the goal is to keep them in the air and away from
> the ground. Twenty minutes of this activity with three balloons is
> exhausting, but is very enjoyable. For lower-functioning individuals,
> one or two balloons may be more appropriate. I also recently started
> jumping like a child, bunny rabbit, or monkey. I have two rice bags
> filled with a total of forty-five pounds together. Sometimes I may
> jump while holding the bags, although I only do this for a minute at a
> time. Another idea is to incorporate physical activity in daily
> routines. For example, when cooking, I may jump or practice martial
> arts while waiting for the food to cook. Other people may prefer
> walking, jogging in place, dancing, or some other activity. It is a
> good idea to do a little bit of physical activity whenever one is
> experiencing down time or waiting for something, even if the wait is
> brief. At the end of the day, this physical activity can add up.
> Although many people consider me very fit, I am probably less fit than
> most of the world's population. I barely do an hour of exercise per
> day and sometimes do two hours of physical activity, although I usually
> exercise at 75-85% of my maximum heart rate. Nonetheless, I engage in
> less physical activity than most people in the world do. Farmers in
> Africa, India, China, Southeast Asia, and Latin America spend ten to
> twelve hours each day to obtain food and water. They have to walk
> everywhere because they do not have automobiles. Because they do not
> have television or videogames, they usually engage in physically active
> leisure activities such as dancing or sports. Although people in such
> nations live shorter lives than most Americans and Europeans, it is not
> because of the long hours of physical activity. Oppressive rulers,
> civil and tribal wars, artificial famines, inadequate healthcare, and
> poor sanitation are the main reasons that these people live shorter
> lives than people do in industrialized nations. Okinawa does not
> suffer from oppressive leadership or massive violence, and it has a
> healthcare system that integrates western medicine and traditional
> Okinawan medicine. Okinawans still engage in roughly the same amount
> of physical activity as people in other agricultural societies. Their
> balance between modern healthcare and traditional lifestyle is probably
> why they live longer than the rest of the world. Armenia, Cuba, and
> Greece are some other third world nations that have a higher life
> expectancy and lower infant mortality rate than the US.
> It is not realistic for most Americans to engage in so much physical
> activity, but we can gradually approach a level of physical activity
> close to our agricultural counterparts. We can engage in numerous
> short bursts of physical activity during idle time such as when we are
> waiting for something. We can also reduce our participation in
> watching television and other sedentary activities and replace them
> with more active leisure choices. In addition, we can exercise while
> watching television or cooking. Ultra-marathon runners and Ironman
> Triathlon participants usually have occupations similar to most
> Americans, yet they spend several hours training each day. This is a
> healthy level of physical activity as long as we approach it gradually.
> However, it is dangerous to engage in such high levels of physical
> activity quickly. Because such training may be dull and monotonous for
> most people, I recommend that individuals engage in physically
> activities that they view as more enjoyable. I would never train for
> an Ironman Triathlon or ultra-marathon, but I would like to engage in
> such a level of exercise by doing activities like martial arts, balloon
> ball, dancing, and jumping like a monkey or rabbit.
> The Mind-Body Connection
> A healthy mind is another important aspect of good health.
> Some people smoke, consume an unhealthy diet, and engage in very little
> physical activity yet still live until the age of 100 or older. There
> are very few centenarians with unhealthy lifestyles, but such
> "unhealthy centenarians" still exist. This is because both the
> mind and lifestyle habits affect physiological health. The nervous
> system regulates every organ of the body, thus the though process
> affects physiologic functions. Nearly eighty percent of all doctor's
> visits are related to stress. Mental stress directly affects the onset
> of cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, anxiety, depression, and
> numerous other diseases, although other factors also play a role. A
> healthy mind reduce blood pressure, secretion of stress hormones such
> as cortical, and respiration rate. A healthy mind also strengthens the
> immune system by increasing activity of immunoglobulin, T cells, and B
> cells, which are the "soldiers" of the immune system. This lowers
> the risk of cancer, heart disease, hypertension, ulcers, and other
> conditions. However, the immune system's cells also fight against
> the flu, tuberculosis, AIDS, and other infectious diseases.
> Working Wellness
> Bad health is a drain on the economy as well as the body. Each year,
> corporations spend hundreds of billions of dollars on Medicaid,
> Medicare, and other health insurance plans. Such health insurance
> plans cover heart disease, cancer, back problems, depression, anxiety,
> osteoporosis, arthritis, and several other health problems. In 1978,
> American corporations lost $19.4 billion in production because of
> premature coronary death; they paid an additional $15 billion for
> employee sick leaves. In 1989, absenteeism from depression cost
> employers $17 billion. In 1993, employers spent approximately $700
> billion to replace employees who quit before reaching the official
> retirement age because of coronary heart disease. Of course, the
> corporations are not the only people with the financial burden. The
> victims of the diseases and their families sometimes have to pay out of
> their pockets. In addition, the corporations make their revenue from
> customers, thus the money that corporations use to pay for health
> insurance comes from employees of other agencies. In the end,
> employees and employers pay for the burden of chronic mental and
> physical health problems.
> Corporate fitness and wellness programs are emerging to prevent the
> expenses of compensation leave and health insurance. The Canada Life
> Assurance Company and the North American Life Assurance Company found
> that after instituting on-site exercise programs for managers,
> productivity increased three percent and a twenty-two percent reduction
> in absenteeism. In the US, Control Data reduced health care costs by
> fifty-percent for employees that were not in corporate fitness
> programs.
> Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are wellness programs that treat
> mental health. Some corporations are starting EAPs and have found that
> they save a lot of money in the process. The Kimberly-Clark
> Corporation reduced on-the-job accidents by seventy percent after
> instituting an EAP. General Motors states that instituting an EAP
> reduced their expenditures on employee sickness and accidents by sixty
> percent. The success of EAPs may be why eighty percent of Fortune 500
> companies have established EAPs within the last five to seven years.
> Not everyone works for a company that has the resources to establish
> an Employee Assistance Program. There are simple things that people of
> all socio-economic statuses can do to reduce stress and increase mental
> health. Slow, deep breathing from the diaphragm is a very effective
> way to calm the mind and body. The diaphragm is just above the
> abdomen. It is best to breathe through the diaphragm and have expand
> the abdomen while breathing in while bring the abdomen back in when
> breathing out. To simplify, think of a balloon. As you breathe air
> into it, it expands. Likewise, expand your abdomen as you breathe air
> into your body. As you let air out of the balloon, it shrinks.
> Likewise, as you breathe air out of your body, your abdomen should
> retract.
> Although most people can practice breathing exercises to reduce
> stress, changing the thought process is difficult. Life is very hectic
> and stressful. However, we can still regulate our thought process.
> Despite our stressful lifestyles, we all are lucky to have our family
> and friends. Simply taking time to be mindful of our blessings has
> great psychological and physiological benefits. It is good to thank
> people and smile as much as possible. These few things take up very
> little time but have drastic health benefits. We can also try to look
> at the bright side of situations and even find humor in stress.
> I hope that this essay is beneficial. To summarize, eating a diet
> rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains and low in animal
> products and refined carbohydrates followed by plenty of physical
> exercise is essential. The easiest way to be physically active is to
> participate in enjoyable activities. A healthy mindset is another
> important aspect of good health. If we eat healthier, exercise more,
> and think more positively, we will reduce a many physical ailments and
> save billions of dollars each year. Most importantly, we will live
> happier and longer lives.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Works Cited
> Balady, Gary; Berra, Kathy; Godling, Lawrence A; Gordon, Neil F,
> Mahler, Donald A;
> Myers, Jonathan N; and Sheldahl, Lois M (2000). ACSM's Guidelines
> For
> Exercise Testing and Prescription. American College of Sports
> Medicine:
> pp. 4, 5, 63, 151, 153
>
> O' Hara Ph.D, Valerie (1995). Wellness 9 to 5: Managing Stress at
> Work. MJF Books,
> New York: pp. 178, 198, 206
>
> Duyff, Roberta Larson (1998). The American Dietetic Association's
> Complete Food &
> Nutrition Guide. Chronimed Publishing: pp. 2, 4, 8, 23, 27, 35-39,
> 42-44, 145,
> 559-561, 563, 565
>
> Humphries, Bronwen (1994). "The Diet of Early Humans: What did our
> first ancestors
> eat?" <http://www.ivu.org/history/early/ancestors.html>
>
> Lewis, Carl. "Carl Lewis on Being Vegan." Excerpt from Carl
> Lewis' introduction to
> Very Vegetarian. <http://www.earthsave.org/lifestyle/carllewis.htm>
>
> Saul, Bradley (2005). "Vegan Athletes Flex Their Muscles."
> Medical News Today.
> <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=26480&nfid=rssfeeds>
>
> Suzuki MD, Makato; Willcox MD, Bradley; and Willcox Ph.D, Craig.
> "The Okinawa
> Centenarian Study." <http://okinawaprogram.com/study.html>
>
> Weis, Dennis B. "Bill Pearl's Super Nutrition Seminar."
> http://www.dennisbweis.com/Articles/...trategies.html
>