The Keep It Simple Diet – Exercise – State of Mind – Diet for Energy
The best diet is to keep two simple concepts in mind. There is a concentration of a core group of foods that ought to be 80% of your diet and the TOTAL exclusion of bad foods. Forget the “in moderation” concept. There is no such thing. People will eat junk food on impulse then they have to eat a sustainable meal just to feel satisfied. That is how you accumulate more calories than you need and not to mention substances that are not good for your health. Stop trying to figure out convoluted diagrams of what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, point systems, and ridiculous food combos. It is all about total daily caloric intake. Too much food equals to many calories. Just focus on the CORE and the EXCLUSION. CORE: OUTER CORE: EXCLUSION: THOUGHTS: What is needed is the total exclusion of certain food groups. For every bad food you eat you are denying yourself healthy calories with life sustaining nutrients. THEN you eat more food on top of that to sustain yourself. Those extra calories each day add extra pounds per year. Keep up the bad diet year after year and things (YOU) don’t look or feel so good. It is time to simply admit that there are foods and food groups that ought to be excluded from your diet forever! THE RESULT: THE EFFORT: WHERE TO FIND GOOD FOOD: The Second Component to Good Health – Exercise EXERCISE – CARDIO and WEIGHTS: CARDIO: Running is a step up and believe it or not a slow jog over a sustained period of time is more beneficial that trying to run some ridiculously fast mile. Even walking a brisk five miles has the same affect. Then do light weighs for 15 or so minutes 12 to 15 days a month. This keeps me below my max BMI (Body Mass Index) with plenty of energy to spare. WEIGHTS: THE CALENDAR: Then at the end of the month I add up all the days I worked out and divide by the number of days in the month (times 100 to get percent) to get the amount of time that I exercised in percent. I aim for, and for the most part hit 80% every month year round. I add up the months each year for comparisons. I have averaged 84% over the last five years. That means I work out approximately 306 days a year out of 365 days. I hit the distribution I was aiming for under the 80/20 rule. NOTES: Pareto Distribution – Think in terms of the 80/20 rule aiming to do the right thing at least 80% of the time. I have been using this rule of thumb for diet and exercise for over fifteen years. See Wikipedia-Pareto BMI Minus 10 Concept – My theory of observation. Want to be healthy and look your best? Want your cloths to fit like they ought to? Calculate your body mass index. See what weight equals the number 25 in relation to your height. That number is the break even point. Above you are considered over weight. Below you are in the norm. Lose 10 pounds below that weight and you are OPTIMIZED. Paleo Diet – A concentration on lean protein, vegetables and moderate to little fruits. Limit if not exclude dairy products. Overall not bad. We tend to differ and feel there is a need for dairy products as well as fruits and whole grains. Thoreau’s Diet – Henry Dave Thoreau literally “Lived Simply”. He is a model of life on a higher level of thought. He spent over two years living on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1800’s taking copious notes on nature and human interaction. His diet was pretty much bread, water, fruits and vegetables. He was one of a very few individuals who were in a higher state of mind. Suggested reading is “Walden”. This book really puts life in perspective. More on Historic Concord, Massachusetts check out “The Concord Experience” at Back in Time Spartan Up – Joe De Sena sums up life style attitude with great advice on diet and “Getting out of your comfort zone”. Joe is the founder of the Spartan Race Series. He is an advocate for good health, both mental and physical, by way of exercise and diet. His book “Spartan Up!” is a good read. Check out Spartan Time Management – Randy Pausch legendary time management guru gave a superb lecture on lifetime goals and time management just prior to his untimely death from cancer. The video is on YouTube and well worth spending the time to watch. “Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” – YouTube Basic Vitamin Pill – Just about every doctor agrees that a multivitamin is in your best interest. We agree. Just stay away from the ones that include exotic and or trace elements unless your doctor specifically says so. Simple is best. The more complex mixes can actually be toxic. Dental Hygiene – The smallest of cavities harbor bacterium that can make you chronically ill with low level fevers all the time. You always feel down. You can create more serious issues like heart problems? Get your teeth checked out! See the CDC website – CDC-Dental Flu Shots – The CDC works tirelessly year round to find the most dangerous worldwide strains of the flu and turn that information into flu shots targeted at those strains. You may still get the flu, BUT the strain you get will be less severe and a very survivable version. See the CDC’s Key facts – CDC-FLU CDC – Centers for Disease Control – Diet Information – CDC-Nutrition Disclaimer – This article is an opinion. We are not medical professionals. Your doctor’s assessment of your health and well being should take precedence on all health matters. |