Your Quest For Good Health Starts Here!

Your goal may be to lose 20kg overnight-forget about that for now. You may be eyeing pole position in the next milo marathon or your wish may be to control your blood pressure or blood sugar. Whatever your goal may be, you will need to start with the basics and many of my cherished readers know that I have echoed this in different ways.

Try out these steps and you will be on your way to meeting your realistic goal.

1. Eat Right

a. We can never overstate this point – Do Not skip meals. Always eat BREAKFAST. The time it takes you to prepare and eat breakfast will not cause you to be late for work. Try it out and look for the REAL cause for being late.

b. We know all the things we need to avoid but today let’s focus on SUGAR. The obvious ones like soft drinks, toffees and sweetened beverages are easy to spot but remember sugar also lurks in many processed foods such as biscuits and other pastries as well as huge bowls of polished rice and mounds of fufu. Eat but do watch your portions.

2. Get over your “fear” of exercising

a. Putting in a few minutes of increased physical activity will certainly not kill you; instead it will “kill” your lifestyle disease. Dear friend no matter your exercise excuse, lace your boots and kindly get your muscles moving. Your heart will be proud of you.

3. Fight through discomfort

a. Your neglected body won’t be able to do what it once did, so you may feel some aches and pain when you restart exercising. Do not give up but make sure you are not overdoing anything. Remember to start off slowly and you will surely get stronger and fitter.

4. Get Help

a. We all need help at one time or the other and I am sure you are no exception. Sometimes we need friends and family members to keep us on track. Some of us may also need a professional to get us in tune. Never be shy about asking for help. It is important that you do not cause harm to your body in an effort to get healthier so please ask for help and do it right.

5. Forget about plateaus

a. I always hear people “cry” about reaching a plateau-that is the point where they no longer see obvious changes despite modifying their lifestyle. You are only beginning and every healthy change is a plus. Forget about plateaus for now, we will deal with that at a later date.

6. Persevere

a. Nobody ever remains at top notch year-round, no not even the professionals. Remember your quest for good health is a lifetime commitment and you will have high points as well as low ones. Remember to rise up whenever you “fail”. We are all in this quest together.

7. Get your doctor’s clearance

a. Many of us have formed a tight bond with our sofas and beds, and as the years rolled by, we may have picked a disease or two. It is always a great idea to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise programme. I will also love it if you could use this opportunity to have a medical examination or check up done. It serves as a baseline and can fire you on to greater heights as you see all the “bad” numbers improve.

We all have an opportunity to improve our lives by getting fitter and healthier. This will give us the energy to do more of the things we enjoy and certainly improve the quality of our life. So like Nike says, “Just Do It” and stop procrastinating.

Source:

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Moms’ Health Club

(dressel@healthclubsgh.com)

*Dr Essel is a medical doctor and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy and fitness nutrition.

Thought for the week –“Not eating breakfast may reduce your metabolic rate by 10%. This in turn increases your risk of obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes.”

Reference:

1. Men’s Health – Ultimate Training Guide. March 2012.