Live Smart: Four Pillars to Create a Healthy Lifestyle

By Tina Mahajan

Has your doctor told you that you need to lose weight and become healthier? More importantly, do you feel that you could live a healthier life but perhaps don't know where and how to start? This book is designed as a guide to get you started on the path to healthier living. It goes over the four major pillars of a healthy lifestyle, which include diet, exercise, the mind, and sleep. All of these needs to be in place to feel your best. This book will teach you how to eat, exercise, and sleep well. Sample diet and exercise plans are also included. Start living smarter today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781477179024

Book preview

PILLAR 1

Diet

DAY 1 QUIZ:

1. I skip meals.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

2. I have cravings for starchy or sugary foods.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

3. I add sugar to foods and beverages.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

4. I drink more than six alcoholic beverages a week.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

5. I try and fail at many diets.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

6. My eating habits and times of day I eat fluctuate.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

7. I drink a lot of milk.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

8. I drink soda, including diet soda.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

9. I snack on cookies and other sweets.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

10. I drink more than 2 caffeinated beverages a day.

   A) Sometimes   B) Always   C) Never

TO SCORE:

1. A) 2   B) 1   C) 3   6) A) 2   B) 1   C) 3

2. A) 2   B) 1   C) 3    7) A) 2   B) 1   C) 3

3. A )2   B) 1   C) 3    8) A) 2   B) 2   C) 3

4. A) 2   B) 1   C) 3    9) A) 2   B) 1   C) 3

5. A) 2   B) 1   C) 3    10) A) 2   B) 1   C) 3

SCORE OF 10-15

There are good and bad things about being in this category. It’s bad because you have a lot of work to do when it comes to your diet; it’s good because there are some very simple changes you can make to get immediate results. First, do not skip meals. Always eat breakfast, even if it as simple as a piece of whole wheat toast. Also, try to eat your meals around the same time every day. Getting into a rhythm helps your body and mind control your appetite. Second, you may have noticed that several of the questions revolved around beverages, not food. Beverages, from coffee to soda to alcohol, all contain calories. Limiting the number of beverages you drink other than water will lead to instant calorie cutting. And you’ll have more spare calories to spend on nutritious food.

SCORE OF 16-25

This is the category where most of us fall. You’re trying to be good but just haven’t quite made it. You may be trying to lose weight by not eating much. This is a bad idea—your body needs calories, or energy, to keep it functioning properly. Those calories should come in the form of healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Try to eat more of these healthy foods and limit your intake of sugars and fats. Remember that a lot of empty calories come through beverages, so limit your intake of these kinds of drinks. It is okay to snack; in fact, snacking between meals may even be healthier than just eating three meals a day. Just make sure you choose the right snacks!

SCORE OF 25-30

If you’re in this category, brilliant! Stay here. You’re eating three healthy meals a day with a few nutritious snacks. Your energy level is likely excellent, and you’re working toward or are at your ideal weight. Add in proper sleep and regular exercise, and you are nearing your best you.

PILLAR 1: DIET

The word diet should refer to a person’s nutritional intake, rather than a way to lose weight. There have been many fad diet plans. While these fad diets may help you lose weight at first, it is almost impossible to maintain them. That is why a healthy diet is more important than a diet plan. If you learn to eat healthy, you will reach your ideal weight and be healthier.

MR. SMITH

The human body is a living, growing, and constantly changing organism. It responds in different ways to what we put in it, right down to the cellular level. Take, for example, Mr. Smith, a 43-year-old man who played football in high school. Now the only football in his life is the kind he watches on television on Sundays. Of course, you have to drink beer while watching the game, so Mr. Smith has a little beer belly. And brats go really well with beer, so he eats one or two every Sunday.

Whether he knows it or not, Mr. Smith is at a turning point in his life. He is developing what is called metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome happens when several unhealthy things add up in a person’s body that in combination, lead to a higher risk of diabetes, heart attack, or stroke. The different parts of metabolic syndrome include obesity (based on waist circumference), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugars. People who have one or more of these things may be at a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes and having a heart attack or stroke. Additionally, people with metabolic syndrome are at a greater risk for developing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is pauses in a person’s breathing at night that lead to them not poor oxygenation. These apneas, or pauses, then lead to worsening high blood pressure, poor sleep, and, often, weight gain. As we said before, sleep, weight gain, and cardiovascular disease are all