Eat Right, Live Well

Lately, I’ve gone back to the importance of taking care of my body—for the benefits it has on the way I feel, efficiency while running my business. It has taken me some time to get back in the swing of things.

Beginning at age 43, I became involved with martial arts. For 7 years, I was a serious martial artist. And at 50, I was in the best shape of my life.  During that time, I achieved a black belt in Shotokan karate and a red belt in Tai Kwon Do.

The principles of any good martial arts program are very similar to the principles we run our life with. These are:

• Commitment
• Discipline
• Focus
• Follow-Through

All of which are the fundamentals of running a business and running your life.

I teach regularly about the importance of self-care, and while I’m pretty good at noticing what I eat, I spent a lot of time over the last few years in a chair developing my business. This sedentary life doesn’t really agree with me, and I gained about 20lbs in extra weight because I wasn’t doing regular fat-burning exercise.

So after suffering a serious of ’stress’ related symptoms, I decided it was time to take the power back and commit to regular cardio exercises and a change of diet. This week I’ve been at the gym every day for 1.5 hours and I’m at the beach doing The South Beach Diet.

So far, 5 lbs lost and feeling so much better about my body and mind because I’m connecting with my values. Can’t say I’m in love with the diet part, but modification works wonder.  I’m also looking forward to introducing a glass of wine back into the diet, as recommended below.

So here’s some tips I found on the website of Garr Reynold’s great website Presentation Zen. If you create presentations, you must buy this book. Thanks for the picture Garr.

Gary paraphrased the video of Dan Buettner, founder of BlueZones, which is a great site if you want to learn more about life longevity.

Sound advice when we forget what it is we’re supposed to be doing that is good for us.

Move Naturally
You don’t need a formal, rigorous exercise plan. We’re talking here a change in lifestyle that is fundamentally active. We’re designed to move. We’ve not meant to drive 100 meters in a car to pick up chips at the local store. Walk, do yard work, whatever. Do exercises/activities that you enjoy.

Have Right Outlook
Slow down. When you’re constantly in a hurry and stressed out, this has a negative impact on your health. Limiting negative stress is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself.

Have a clear purpose. The Japanese call it “ikigai” 生き甲斐 (lit: life + value, be worth while). You must have a passion, a calling, a purpose. There’s got to be a reason to get out of bed every day.

Eat Wisely
Drink a little (wine) everyday.
Eat mainly plant-based foods. Small amounts of meat and fish are OK.
Hara Hachi Bu: Eat until 80% full. Do not eat eat until you’re stuffed.

Be Connected with others
Put family, loved ones first.
Belong to a community. Many in his study belonged to faith-based communities.
Belong to the right tribe. That is, hang out with people with healthy habits, physical and emotional ones.

If you need further inspiration on the subject go visit their websites or check out The Fearless Factor for some tried and true strategies for getting rid of unhealthy stress, and creating your best life now.

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Tagged as: Health and Wellness, Stress