IMPLEMENTING THE PROPER BALANCE

Balancing a healthy diet and exercise program along with vitamin & mineral supplements is the best combination when trying to lose weight and improve your overall health. People who exercise regularly lower their risk of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, sleep problems and frailty. They experience increased energy, sex drive, confidence, and develop that long lost 'boost of energy' they once had. Exercise also increases lean tissue in the body, which we tend to lose as we age. Lean tissue includes muscle, bone, and internal organs, basically everything in the body except fat. Exercise helps keep your weight under control and reduces the risk of stroke. More recently, studies have also shown that people who exercise are less likely to get breast or colon cancer.

• Does a diet actually work?
• The importance of exercise and its benefits
• Vitamin and mineral supplementation - what’s the deal?

IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE AND ITS BENEFITS

The exciting news about exercise is that it can be used both for prevention and treatment of disease. In the past, doctors were reluctant to prescribe exercise for patients with serious illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or extreme obesity; they were afraid that it might be too stressful. We now know that exercise is a great help in treating many of these disorders.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Surgeon General have all issued statements that recommend placing an emphasis on adopting physical activity into one's lifestyle. Their intention is to make the public more aware of the health benefits associated with increased physical activity.

Benefits of Exercise

There are numerous benefits associated with regular participation in an aerobic exercise program, including improved cardiovascular and respiratory functioning, reduced coronary artery disease (CAD) risk, and increased quality of life. Beneficial improvements in cardiovascular and respiratory function include an increased ability of exercising muscles to consume oxygen, lowered resting and exercise heart rates, increased stamina, resistance to fatigue, more effective management of diabetes, reduced bone-mineral loss, decreased blood pressure, and increased efficiency of the heart.

VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTATION: The basics

If you are like more than half of the U.S. adult population, you take some form of dietary supplement. Nutritional supplements are a huge industry, and growing rapidly due to the interest in taking them for a variety of reasons including rejuvenation, staying youthful, treating ailments like arthritis, or as insurance against eating a diet poor in nutritional quality.

Even when you follow a nutritious balanced diet plan, the likelihood that you are getting all of your vitamin and mineral needs met just by food alone is decreased. This is simply because your total food intake is decreased. And, even though you may be eating better foods by following your new plan, it just makes sense to supplement vitamins and minerals.

Environmental conditions - excessive physical stress (lots of exercise, physical work) or emotional stress can push your body to extremes, requiring a greater level of nutrients to stay healthy. Smoking cigarettes falls into this category.

While it might be a good idea to take vitamin and mineral supplements, it doesn¹t mean that you should overdo it. Find a vitamin and mineral supplement that provides 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) for your specific age and sex. Unless you have a specific need indicated by a medical condition, and it is recommended by your health care professional, taking more vitamins or minerals can be detrimental to your health instead of helpful. Always check with your doctor about taking specific supplements if you take medications.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

The combination of a healthy diet, exercise, and a strong vitamin supplementation can go as far as helping to reverse the aging process. Fueling your body with proper nutrition, combining strength training, aerobic exercise, flexibility and balance training along with proper vitamin supplementation will prolong the health and beauty of the human body.