Healthy Lifestyle Self-Assessment

A recent survey by a company called Thomson Medstat has confirmed that most of us don’t eat as healthy or exercise as much as we think that we do.

Two thoughts come to mind when reading the results of this survey;

1. We don’t know what healthy eating or vigorous exercise is – or –
2. We are in denial of our habits

As with any self-improvement program – taking an honest look at where you are today is of utmost importance to making progress.

Here are some tools to evaluate yourself to find out exactly how you are doing when it comes to healthy eating and exercise.

Are you eating healthy?

Healthy eating is a topic that goes way beyond the scope of this article but here are some ways to help you evaluate yourself:

1. Write down every liquid and food that enters your mouth for the next week. (excluding water) This may be enough for some of us to figure out that our healthy diet is not so healthy. This is a good step to take if you have some idea of what healthy eating really is but expect you may be in some stage of denial. We may find that we are purchasing healthy foods at the grocery store but we are eating out 4 or 5 times per week. By writing down all foods and liquids that enter your mouth you are likely to see a pattern that may have been a blind spot to you before. Are you drinking an abundance of sugary drinks? Are you eating an abundance of fatty foods?
2. Count calories, carbohydrates and fats for one week. This is for the person who may not really know what healthy eating consists of. When you count calories, carbohydrates, and fats for one week you may see that you are getting an abundance of calories in one or more of these areas. I see it all the time – a recent example comes from an acquaintance who thought they were eating healthy by having a chicken sandwich for lunch. (From a famous fast food restaurant) He almost went into shock when he read the nutritional analysis of his favorite sandwich – it was far from healthy! Sauces, creams, and beverages may be the culprit in your life. Here is a great place to find out how many calories you need. Small hint: Whatever you think your activity level is – select the one lesser to it. For example – if you think you are “moderately active” then choose “lightly active”. Better to err on the side of less activity than be guilty of what the Thomson Medstat survey has found. J

Are you exercising enough?

1. Take stock of your exercise program. Any exercise is good, but when you are trying to change your health – a more specific approach is better. Here is a great tool to learn about what constitutes vigorous exercise: Target heart rate.  Also remember that consistency is very important. Exercising vigorously once per month can be dangerous as you age. Exercising on a regular basis and monitoring your intensity is a much better approach. Check with your doctor before embarking on any exercise program.

Summary

If we don’t have any underlying medical reasons for gaining weight – then you can rest assured we are consuming more calories than we are burning. Take an honest look at the calories you are consuming versus the calories you are burning and you will likely find the villains in your life that are causing weight gain. Use scientific tools to evaluate the calories you consume and the calories you burn – this will eliminate the possibility of error in judgment that we can all be guilty of.

 I wish for you the best of health!

Bill

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