80-10-10

I was reading this post the other day, and thought it was pretty interesting. I decided to make a note of it over here so it's easy for me to find in the future.

Post: It's okay not to work out, right?

(By Cassey Ho)

Some bits which stood out:

"Did you know that the way you look is based on: 80% DIET, 10% EXERCISE, and 10% GENETICS"

"It all goes back to what you put into your body and how many calories you are consuming and burning at the end of the day. You need to fuel it correctly to have great energy. Now what you do with that great energy depends on you…if you want to workout and you’ve consumed a ton of protein then muscle building and lean physique is what you’ll get. You can use the energy to study or work late into the night..."

"...being lean is not JUST ABOUT working out, it’s 80% diet."

"You still do need to get moving for heart health, to prevent muscle loss, and to build bone strength. I know most of us reading this probably are thinking about bikinis not bone strength, but at the BARE MINIMUM please workout at least 2-3x a week (even if it is 30 min) to keep your body in check. Think of a car. You gotta use it once in a while or else the engine won’t even start!"

"Even if you eat clean and you eat “too many good foods”, you’ll still gain weight. So workout to burn some calories and feel good about it."

The Dimensions of Health

This semester at uni (my last semester before I graduate!), I am studying a subject named "Personal Development and HPE" (HPE = Health and Physical Education).

Today was the first tutorial, and one of the things we talked about was the "Health Alphabet", more commonly known as: The 5 Dimensions of Health.

I wanted to note them down here, because it fits in so well with what I'm starting to focus on in my own life - being healthy inside and out.

So, the 5 dimensions of health are:

Social - family, friends; our support network

Spiritual - morals, beliefs, values, belonging

Mental - intelligence and thinking

Emotional - feelings, self esteem, etc

Physical - strength, fitness, energy, nutrition, hydration, sleep, etc (I would probably also put down flexibility).

Personally, I think I'm quite healthy in the first four areas, but the physical aspect really needs improvement. In fact, it doesn't just need improvement, it needs a total overhaul! My sleeping patterns are bizarre, I feel tired a lot, I know I don't drink enough and I can count the number of times I've done a substantial amount of exercise in the last month on one hand. But things are going to change!

Also, my tutor has had two kids in the last 2 or 3 years, and I can't even tell! She's rather inspiring!