I finally did it.\u00a0 I made the decision to pursue a healthier lifestyle.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to get focused, eat right and stay active.<\/p>\n
So how do I do that exactly?<\/p>\n
Truth be told, I have no idea.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never done this before!\u00a0 But that\u2019s why this blog exists: to chronicle the misadventures of a health and wellness beginner.<\/p>\n
The way I figure, the first thing I have to do is research what affects overall fitness, both positively and negatively.\u00a0 In doing so I found four main things that impact weight levels.<\/p>\n
1. Food<\/strong><\/p>\n It is a widely known fact that the food we eat affects the health of our body.\u00a0 What I didn\u2019t know is there is more to healthy eating than eating healthy food.\u00a0 Other factors include portion size, calorie intake and nutritional content.\u00a0 For example, a single portion of diet soda will equal zero calories, but it will also have zero nutrition content and lack the hydration benefits of water.<\/p>\n To address this issue, I found an article at WebMD that helps explain how to change eating habits<\/a>, as well as a healthy beverage slideshow<\/a> and a weight loss without dieting slideshow<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. Sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n The less sleep you get, the more you weigh, according to a 2006 presentation at the American Thoracic Society International Conference<\/a>.\u00a0 Their study of 70,000 middle-aged women found that those \u201cwho slept five hours per night were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain (an increase of 33 pounds or more).\u201d\u00a0 Another study<\/a> found that sleep disorders like sleep apnea could also affect weight gain.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t get a lot of sleep, so this could spell bad news for me.\u00a0 To help me out I found 10 tips for better sleep from the Mayo Clinic<\/a> as well as insomnia sleep tips from sleeptips.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3. Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n Studies show that the more stress is in a person\u2019s life, the more they will weigh, especially if they are already overweight, according to a July 2009 article by Medical News Today<\/a>.\u00a0 The study links stress related to jobs, finances, relationships, depression and more to conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and increased risk for cancer.<\/p>\n One way to combat stress is to manage time wisely<\/a>.\u00a0 Since I have a busy schedule, this is something I\u2019m going to have to get good at.\u00a0 A second way is to address stress biologically by controlling healthy levels of cortisol<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n I know I said this before, but I hate<\/em> to exercise.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have a lot of time to devote to it, and I don\u2019t have the energy to keep it up.\u00a0 Unfortunately for me Jillian Michaels has addressed these and other excuses for not being fit<\/a>.\u00a0 Even though I know I\u2019m just making excuses, I still have a hard time getting motivated to exercise.<\/p>\n