It seems nowadays that many people are on some kind of prescription medication – to handle a cold, acne, mood swings, even to stop smoking! Yet, on looking around, it seems people are getting sicker and not healthier. Something’s wrong. Very wrong.
I checked on Google to get information on how many people were taking medication and was amazed to find out that many people are taking cocktails of sometimes eight different drugs at a time, each to counterbalance the effects of the other. I know how busy my life is and how hard just taking vitamins correctly can be; I can only wonder how these people are even able to remember what they have to take on any given day.
In 1997 I read a book called Enter the Zone by Dr. Barry Sears. He introduced the concept of food as a medicine, that you could adjust the amount of different types of food to put your body into what he called the “Zone”. This idea that food could be used so scientifically to improve the function of the body seemed revolutionary; if you could get into the zone you’d feel great, your body would be healthy, you’d look a million dollars (check out Jennifer Aniston) and life would be good.
The truth is, you need to take things a step further. True, correct food is very important; it’s the fuel your body needs to do its many jobs but it’s not a complete picture. The other part of truly being healthy is exercise and not just any exercise. So many people think that if they spend half a hour a day on the treadmill it’s enough. Others think doing a yoga class every second day will do it while yet others think heaping tons of weight onto a bar and lifting it until their veins show through their skin is the way to go.
According to Rudi Marashlian, Australian fitness trainer and writer, there are three parts to fitness and to get the most out of your workout you need to do some of all three. Stretching is the first component; yoga is great for this. Next is aerobic training to get the heart and lungs working (internal fitness mostly) and a good run, walk or cross-training session will give you this type of fitness. Finally there is strength training (this is how you get a toned look) and that’s where a well prescribed weights session comes in.
A good trainer will work out a program to help make sure each part of fitness is part of your workout regime. This, along with a correct diet, will help keep those prescription medications at bay. Fit and well-fed people usually feel great about themselves, more confident than before they started exercising and tend to ward off illness nicely plus you get the added “side effect” of looking so much better than you did before.
You can contact Rudi at Go Fit Now to pick his brains about what you should do to get started on your path to fitness and health now.
– Tracey Thatcher
Educator & author
