A Healthy Lifestyle

By Rob Dorgan and Steve Bolia

Health: “the state of being, free from illness or injury”.  Our bodies crave it.  In fact our bodies are constantly working at maintaining our health through a process called, “homeostasis” or balance.  As one part of our body declines, another part works its magic to build it back up.  For example: when calcium levels in your body are low, your parathyroid gland, located in your throat is stimulated to release a hormone into the blood system which activates osteoclasts that actually break down the bone matrix and release more calcium into your blood.  This keeps working until there is too much calcium in the blood, then osteoblasts take over to redeposit the calcium back in the bone matrix.  Back and forth all day long!

This process happens in every system and component of our bodies.  Insulin works with sugar; the liver helps with blood and the lymphatic system takes care of interstitial fluid and our immune system - on and on it goes.

So, every minute of every day, our bodies seek this homeostasis.  What we think, what we do both for recreation and work, and what we eat need to be in balance also.

When we take the steps to help this balancing system in our bodies we need to have a vision of what we want and this needs to be in balance with what we really think is achievable.   We are all different – what works for one person would be total disaster for another.  Your personal goals need to be realistic and not based on the cover model of some health, gossip or fitness magazine – they need to be your own!

If weight loss is your goal – then losing one pound per week is a healthy goal.  Increasing your metabolism is very important – not just through exercise but also with what and how much you eat.  Actually eating more (of the good stuff) is much better than eating less.  When we go on a crash diet and basically stop eating, we put our bodies in starvation mode.  This lack of food makes the body wonder when it will get its next boost of energy so it ends up not burning as much as it could and puts the rest into storage for later.  And how does the body store energy?  As fat!   Eating more will boost your metabolism, giving you more energy and in the end you lose weight!  As you increase what you eat, be sure that what you eat is quality stuff.   Foods should be as fresh as possible and include fresh fruits, vegetables and meats.

Look at eating five to six times per day; making breakfast one of your biggest meals.  And while we’re talking about breakfast – it is the most important meal of the day.  It gets everything moving and working right off the bat.  In fact, eating something, like a banana as soon as you can is an excellent idea.

Balance is what we need in everything: food, exercise and beverages all have their place!

Rob Dorgan and Steve Bolia are both on the staff for Easton Mountain's first Wellness Camp, June 14-18, 2017.  At this Camp, they will cover the many facets of a lifestyle that will lead you to better health.