There is a big difference between not being sick and being well. Living a wellness lifestyle is more than not being sick. Picture a scale from left to right with far left representing sickness and symptoms, and far right representing a wellness lifestyle. The center represents not being sick or not having any symptoms. With this in mind, where do you want to be?
To reach the right side of the scale, you must eat well, think well and move well. Understanding these components can change your life. Let’s start with eating.
You should eat five times a day, or every three hours. This will keep your metabolism going all day, give you more energy, and help keep the weight off. The five meals can be broken down into three meals and two snacks. The three meals should be properly proportioned between protein, carbohydrates, and fat: one-part protein to one-part carbohydrates to one-tenth part fat.
Be aware of what you’re eating, though. The typical American meal is seven-to-ten times too high in carbohydrates. For example, think of a typical meal at a restaurant. The first thing you get when you sit down is bread (a carbohydrate). Next is a salad (a carbohydrate). Then if you choose well your entrée is meat, chicken, or fish (a protein). (Although, if you choose pasta for your entrée, you have now chosen a carbohydrate and have no hope for any protein in your meal). Your meal carbohydrate/protein proportions are now three carbohydrates to one protein. Most entrees come with the choice of two side dishes. All side dish choices are carbohydrates. If you order anything to drink other than water, it is a carbohydrate. At the end of the meal, you order dessert and coffee. Now, your carbohydrate/ protein proportion is eight carbohydrates to one protein. And this is a meal at a nice restaurant, not even at a fast food restaurant, which is why you need to learn to eat well for a wellness lifestyle.
Keeping a positive mental attitude can be a struggle with everyday stresses. Things happen in life to cause stress, but how we respond to the situation and stress is the deciding factor. Learning how to deal with physical and emotional stressors will allow you to lead a wellness lifestyle.
Learning how to move well involves two parts. The first part is the body itself. The joints must move well and be free from subluxations. This is particularly important in the spinal column, which houses the nervous system. If the spine is not moving well or is subluxated or out of the proper position, the nervous system cannot function properly, causing the body to function below peak form. A chiropractor can evaluate and correct this subluxation or non-moving spinal complex. The second part of moving well is exercise. Everybody should have at least 20 minutes of exercise a day, three or four days a week. To live the wellness lifestyle, it could be as much as five times a week 40-60 minutes a day.
Incorporate these concepts into your daily life, and you will be living the wellness lifestyle. •
