Friday, July 5, 2024

Have you ever considered how the way you care for your physical body impacts your peace?

Over the past few weeks we’ve explored a variety of ways to journey at the pace of peace. Today we’re going to look at how healthy nutrition and regular activity will help you be resilient and respond better to stress.

Unfortunately, the standard American Diet is chock full of caffeine, sugar, and edible food-like substances. Excessive amounts of both caffeine and sugar can negatively affect sleep, impact our heart, and elevate our blood pressure. Both leave us feeling more depleted.

Sugar, while it provides a burst of energy, also weakens our immune system and can alter blood sugar regulation leading to diabetes. And the edible food-like substances—those with ingredients that are next to impossible to pronounce—leave our body craving the nutrients needed to complete necessary functions. This all has a direct impact on how we cope with stress.

The good news is a healthy diet doesn’t have to be intense or extreme. In fact, we are more likely to stick with it, if it isn’t.

Author, Dr. Michael Pollan in his book Food Rules has brilliant suggestions for making healthy food choices:

• Eat food—real food with ingredients you recognize and can pronounce
• Not too much—stop eating before you are stuffed
• Mostly plants—make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables daily

Another wise suggestion is to practice the 80/20 rule. This means you eat healthy 80% of the time, and indulge in the less healthy choices the other 20%.

Along with nutritious eating, regular activity is also beneficial for our bodies. Have you heard, “sitting is the new smoking”? In other words, lack of activity can be tremendously harmful to our health. Our bodies were designed to move. A sedentary lifestyle contributes to muscle and joint pain, as well as increased risk for chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

This doesn’t mean you need to become a bodybuilder or marathon runner. Aim to get 20-30 minutes of regular physical activity most days of the week doing something you love. Enjoy a brisk walk, pickleball, a game of hoops, or even pull up your dance playlist and bust a move in your living room.

By caring for your body well, you’ll increase resilience and well-being, adding to your peace.

Written by Kelly Pagel