Let’s be honest. Everything in society and the media makes figuring out health difficult. On the one hand, you see pictures showing beautiful women and men looking perfect. On the other side, you see larger men and women and are told that this is beautiful and healthy. What is the truth? As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Everybody is different. Still, there are guidelines available to help you know what is considered healthy.
Reasons for Staying or Getting Healthy
To start, we will discuss reasons for staying or getting healthy. In this day and age, health can be difficult to maintain or find. You can easily find junk food everywhere. Also, most jobs now entail sitting for long periods of time. We actually have to work to maintain health. Why should you?
Simply put, being healthy allows for a longer, happier life. People with more fat tend eventually have diabetes, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and other health problems. People that do not stay active lose muscles, have joint problems and struggle with doing simple things. Also, unhealthy people tend to struggle more with emotional and mental health. Staying or getting healthy may not remove some of these issues but will help lessen them.
Figuring it Out
Once you’ve realized the importance of staying or getting healthy, now you need to know what healthy means for you. Everyone is different. That means what you need personally may not be the same as your neighbor. For example, my husband and I have very different needs when it comes to health. If I tried to eat or workout as he does, I would trigger asthma attacks or just get more unhealthy. On the other side, if my husband did what I did, his body would not receive the nutrients it needs, nor the physical fitness to remain healthy. We need to know what would work best for us.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
To start figuring out where you stand and what you need to do to be healthy. The CDC tracks health through Body Mass Index (BMI). Though not a perfect measurement it will give a good idea of health for most men and women. There are many BMI calculators on the internet to help. Most of them also include the best weight range for a person of your height. This gives a great idea of where to shoot for in regards to weight.
Food
Another thing to figure out is food. Food is important to everyone. We all need to eat. I recommend speaking with a nutritionist. They can evaluate what you eat and what you specifically need. They can also help you gain your health in a way that will best help you.
I understand that not everyone has access or the ability to talk to a nutritionist for health. Another way to figure out what you need to do would be researching it. The NIH offers a bodyweight planner that helps to determine caloric intake to help get healthy or maintain health. You can also use food trackers to help, such as MyPlate or MyFitnessPal. Personally, I use MyFitnessPal.
Exercise
Another important aspect of figuring out health is physical activity. This is hard. You have to figure out something you will do on a daily basis. Workout programs will help those with the discipline to follow it. They do a great job.
I’m not so good with workout programs. Instead, I had to figure out what I wanted to do and what I needed to do to get there. For me, I want to see the world. That requires lots of walking. I like walking, so my husband helped me create a physical program to help me increase my walking distance, speed and work on my muscles. If you are like me and need something more catered to you, you can create your own or get help from a personal trainer.
Let’s be honest, if you are healthy you have to maintain. If you are not healthy then you need to get healthy. A healthy life brings a better physical, emotional and mental life. Commit to being healthy physically so you can be healthy mentally and emotionally.
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