The Health Triangle: Eating Right + Exercise + Vitamins = Healthy You!

05/16/2012

By Deborah Lowther

There is no one magic pill that will make you healthy, no one perfect exercise that will get you in shape and no one super food that will give you all the energy you need to face the day. The truth of the matter is being healthy takes all three:

1. Eating right
2. Getting regular exercise and
3. Taking vitamins to ensure you are the healthiest you can be.

Eat Right:

Before you grab something to eat, plan a meal for your family or pull something off the shelf at the grocery store, ask yourself a couple of questions. “Did this food grow from the ground?” and “What nutrients are in this for my health?” You will find very few truly healthy foods wrapped in cellophane or stored in cardboard boxes. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown and not processed. When choosing cereals, breads, pastas, and rice, go for the ones that use the whole grain, 100% whole wheat with lots of fiber and very little additives or sugar. When planning a meal, make sure you include protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and open as few ‘packages’ as you can. Eating right gives your body the fuel it needs to be healthy.

Exercise:

There is no avoiding this one. In order to stay in shape and feel good, You Must Move. You heart, your lungs, your brain all need you to move. Exercise gets your blood pumping and keeps everything oiled to keep you going! Find something you enjoy doing at home, outside or at the gym. Fit in 15 minutes here and another 15 minutes there, then increase that 15 minutes to 30 minutes or more. Find a friend, mix it up to stay motivated, buy a workout DVD and use it. Get that heart rate going. Exercise gives your body the energy it needs for a healthy lifestyle.

Vitamins:

Do you really need to take vitamins? The perfect diet is rich in all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep your immune system functioning and ward off viruses. Truth is, not many of us eat a perfect diet. You need to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein daily to get all the vitamins you need. Since many of these nutrients are water soluble, they pass through your body and require daily replenishing. Taking vitamins is like an back up plan, it provides the nutrients your body needs should your diet not make the minimum requirement that day. Certain vitamins such as Vitamin D, Omega 3s, B-Complex and B12 can be difficult to get from foods alone and taking a supplement ensures you are covered. Vitamins ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

BIO: Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active.

You can visit her websites to learn more:

www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com