Good Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyle

It's been a yucky, sicky winter for me. Just recently I thought I might need my gallbladder removed. Luckily, that's not the case! But, it has gotten me thinking about health and nutrition a lot. I'm reminded that when I don't feel well, everything in my life suffers.

I realize that although I took a nutrition class in high school... forever ago :) that doesn't mean I always remember what I learned or know how to apply it. So, I did a bit of research to help me plan a healthy diet and lifestyle. Here's what I found...

1. Help Guide Article on Healthy Eating: I love this article! It has tons of great tips. It shows a graphic of a "healthy eating plate" that is great for me as a visual person. The suggestion to "think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness" is also great rather that counting calories.

2. Six Rules of Good Nutrition: This article is by Men's Health, but I actually really thought each tip was great. They were good reminders for me and another encouragement to "start small".

3. Motivation to Exercise: This article explains how exercise benefits the body. It's not all about weight-loss! It also gives a few tips of how to move your body more.

4. Ten Relaxation Techniques: These techniques from WebMD can help you reduce stress. If you don't think reducing stress is important, check out this list of problems chronic stress can cause from the Mayo Clinic.

5. Get Enough Sleep: Sleep is one thing that suffers for me with little kids at home. Sometimes I stay up late to get projects done. My kids wake me up in the middle of the night too. But, getting enough sleep is important for health. Gina Shaw explains why in this article.

Quote from here

I hope these links will be helpful reminders to you to take care of yourself. It's like they say, "if you don't have your health, you don't have anything." Don't wait for problems to arise to remember to eat & drink healthy, exercise, relax & care for yourself mentally, and get enough sleep.

One more tip I want to add is have some fun! Sometimes we get so busy working and caring for our families that we forget to have fun. I think doing my favorite things with my favorite people rejuvenates me.

After reading all of these great articles, I plan to start small by drinking more water. What are your tips for a healthy lifestyle?