Healthy Living- Final Blog

I value the concept of healthy living. I strongly believe from personal experience and scientific evidence that I have acquired over time, that there are 3 components to healthy living. These three components are all intertwined into the concept of wellness and I don't think either one is "more important" than the other. Rather than focusing on which healthy behavior is "most important", we should be focusing on how to balance all of them.
1) Physical

• Regular exercise has been proven to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other detrimental illnesses.
• Regular exercise has been proven to improve quality of sleep and manage stress levels.
• Regular exercise improves muscle and bone strength. 

2) Mental

• Stress management is one of the most important things you can do for your health. 
• Breathing exercises, meditation, and other forms of mental health exercises has been proven to improve overall health.
• Self-reflection is a key component to improving one's health.

3) Spiritual

• Spending time in prayer and focusing on things that are in the control of Jesus is very freeing. 
• Believing in a greater power can improve the holistic view of health.
• Spiritual health and self-reflection is vital.

Having a holistic approach to wellness can make the idea of healthy living sound appealing, rather than like a challenge. Setting goals and achieving them periodically over time can be rewarding because it comes with personal growth and getting a better understanding for who you are. Above all, it is important to know yourself, what you need and how often you need it. It is important to find what works for you and stick to it. The first step of healthy living begins with being self-aware.

Additional Sources

https://www.everydayhealth.com/lifestyle/healthy-living/

https://www.medicinenet.com/healthy_living/article.htm

Fitness Apps

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       Using technology as a way to improve physical fitness is very effective. Personally, the only fitness apps that I use are ones to track and view my daily calorie count and daily exercise. Being able to visualize my diet and exercise is very helpful and effective for me. There are many other uses, however, that may be effective for other users. Others like to use actual workout apps that show them exactly how to exercise and for how long. Some like to use motivational apps. The preference varies from person to person. Using technology is a very smart and useful tool for how our world is today. Having access to our phones can be used as a great opportunity for improving our overall wellness,

•     Although I would personally benefit most from a tracking app, I think the most effective app would be a weight loss app. The majority of those who use a physical fitness app are those who want to lose weight. 
•     In the Evidence-Based Strategies in Weight-Loss article, "The most common behavioral strategies in 30 popular weight-loss mobile apps were weight-loss goal setting, dietary goal setting, and calorie balance." (Pagoto et. al, 2013). Goal setting and self regulation may be the most effective ways to attract users. Being able to monitor all that you have been doing throughout the day would be a way to attract users because tracking activity on something as simple and useful as a phone is easy and convenient.
•     It was also stated in the Evidence-Based Strategies in Weight-Loss article that there was no significant difference in free apps or apps that cost money. This shocked me because I would think that an app that you would have to pay for would be more effective. However, there is no significant difference.
•     As college students as my audience, I would advise them to begin by setting goals and tracking their daily progress towards their goal. It is also important to think ahead and schedule their workouts into their daily routine.              

Exercise is Medicine

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. As a busy adult, there are so many barriers that can hold you back from reaching your goals. Many of us truly WANT to exercise, but don't know HOW to achieve our fitness goals. 

Some barriers include:
1) "I don't have time."

Adults should be doing a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous intensity aerobic activity a week. Adults should also be dedicating 2 or more days a week of muscle strengthening. (2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for America).

• For greater results, adults must increase the intensity and the duration of their workouts. As an adult, working and having a family take priority and make making time for exercise more difficult. 

2) "I don't have the energy."

According to the article, most health benefits occur when participating in 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity workouts. These workouts include brisk walking and others physical activity. After a long day, sometimes we simply do not have the energy to do anything physical for long periods of time. This can be a huge barrier when it comes to maintaining healthy living. The article also mentions that the most important thing that an adult can do is to avoid inactivity at all costs.

3) "I don't have a gym pass."

• Sometimes when we think of working out, we correlate it with imagining ourselves in a gym. Gyms can be a very helpful resource, but not everybody can have access to a gym membership. There are several other options than a gym membership, but it can cause discouragement. 

4) "I don't know where to start."

• According to 2009 Physical Activity Guidelines, "To do physical activity safely and reduce injuries and adverse events, people should increase physical activity gradually over time whenever more activity is necessary to meet guidelines or health goals. Inactive people should "start low and go slow" by gradually increasing how often and how long activities are done." 
• This chunk of information can sound very overwhelming to somebody who doesn't even know how and where to start. Without the direct instruction from someone, working out may never happen. 

How to achieve these barriers:

1) Time is very precious. Especially when balancing school, work, family, and a social life. I had a conversation about this with one of my friends the other day, and she said, "How am I supposed to set aside time for exercise? I don't even have time for myself!" I responded by asking her what if she used exercise as time for herself? We all need time to ourselves to decompress and refresh. Exercise is the perfect tool for that. Planning and setting aside YOUR time to be focus on improving YOUR health can give you a sense of independence and self-awareness.

2) Life never slows down. We live in a very fast-paced era. Personally, I like to workout early in the mornings simply to get my workout out of the way each day. I understand, however, that many people are not morning people or mornings simply don't work in their schedule. One tactic that I recommend is to plan your days ahead in advance. I understand that sometimes each day looks different. Before each day, find a time that works for your workout the following day, and spend the night before physically writing down how you are going to spend your day. This may sound silly, but it helps to physically write down and see your daily schedule on paper. 

3) When it comes to not having a gym pass, there are several workouts that can be done from home. You could simply google "Workouts from home" and find time at home (during commercials, while waiting for something to bake, etc.) where you can squeeze in time for exercise. If you are someone like me, who loves to be outdoors, there are several workouts you can do while enjoying nature. Hiking, walking, biking, swimming are all some of my favorite ways to workout.

4) If you don't know where to start, try to find somebody who is willing to workout alongside you, encourage you, and instruct you. Somebody who can give you tips on your form, new workout ideas, and other important input. Having a workout buddy can be the most encouraging thing you can do for yourself.

What's the point of exercise anyways?

• Physical activity if your everyday daily routine. Walking to class, moving around, etc.
• Exercise is scheduled and structured set aside time to work out.
• Exercise is used to improve physical and emotional health and it vital for every person. No matter what age, gender, body type, exercise is medicine for all.

Sources:

https://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/summary.aspx

Intermittent Fasting: Good idea or bad idea?

Unless it is for religious purposes, in which case I recommend, I am strongly against fasting. I have personally fasted a few times in my life as a way to strengthen my spiritual walk, but when it comes to physical health or weight loss, I have always said no way. I have always been taught that fasting, or going a period of time without eating actually might result in weight gain because your body begins to store fat.

For me personally, I have found that when I partake in a really strict diet or pay close attention to what I am eating/not eating for a short amount of time, it begins to consume me and I obsess over maintaining my habits and it quickly becomes unhealthy. With that it mind, for me, fasting for dieting purposes would not be healthy or wise. I would definitely not recommend fasting to anybody like me, who tends to be consumed by strict diets. However, there are many people who find that fasting has been very beneficial for their health and well-being.

The purpose of this study done by Horne and other researchers was, "We evaluated whether fasting initiates acute changes in biomarker expression in humans that may impact short-term and long-term health". They recorded the results of the participants of a 24-hour water fast.

• Increased hemoglobin
• Increased red blood cell count
• Increased hematocrit
• Increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 
• Decreased triglycerides
• Decreased bicarbonate 
• Weight loss

As I read more about the results of this study, I began to understand why people may fast and I am more open to recommending this diet tactic. I would definitely recommend fasting to anybody who would like to see and increase in human growth hormone and to be CONSISTENT after the fast is over. I recommend fasting to somebody who already has healthy eating habits and someone who has maybe even fasted in the past and is committed to maintaining healthy habits once the fast is over. Otherwise, you would begin go move backward rather than forward.

I would also advise partaking in a fast with another person. Having a friend or another accountability partner would be very beneficial in a fast as a way to have somebody else to encourage you along the way and to process your individual results with.

Response to the Bulletproof Diet

There are so many appealing components to the Bulletproof Diet. The conveying tone of the author and the simple instructions to this diet makes the plan sound so effective. Aspery explains the different "zones" in the diet, tells us that we don't have to count calories and tells us that we can get results fast. This diet sounds too good to be true! The truth is, this diet may not be the most effective.

If you have looked into other diet plans, you may notice that the Bulletproof Diet sounds similar to many others. What you may also notice is that the Bulletproof Diet provides very little statistics and research about the effectiveness. Aspery also lacks providing comparison to other diets. There are several other diets that can be much more effective, and Aspery does not address those.

If you are serious about improving your health, I encourage you to do some research of your own on various diet plans. From my own research, I have found that diet plans look different to each person, each body type and each genetic make-up.

In a study done by Jonny Bowden, a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health, he compares low-carb diets to low-fat diets to see which one is truly the most effective. This is how the study was briefly explained:
"Researchers took 307 participants and randomly divided them into two groups. One group went on a low-carb diet, right out of the Atkins playbook. For three months these folks consumed no more than 20 grams of carbs a day from fibrous, low-glycemic vegetables. For each week after the initial three months, this group then added back in 5 grams per day of carbs and were told to keep doing this until their weight stabilized. Other than carbs, this first group had no restrictions and could eat all the protein and fat they wanted.
The second group went on a standard low-fat diet of between 1,200-1,500 calories a day (for women), and 1,500-1,800 calories a day (for men). The only restriction was to keep fat to 30 percent or less of calories (standard advice). They were told to stick to this plan for the entire two years. The researchers were interested in weight loss, which in research terminology was what was called the "primary outcome." In other words, weight loss was what they were primarily interested in measuring. The results? There was no difference in weight loss between the two groups."
(Healthy Solutions: Low Fat Vs. Low Carb Diets)

Bowden goes on to explain that low-carb diets have the reputation of being very effective, but only for a short amount of time. However, researchers became concerned about more than just weight loss. They wanted to consider the cardiovascular risk factors, such as heart disease, that may come from low-fat diets.

The results that were found from this study comparing low carb diets vs. low fat diets showed that both groups lost a significant amount of weight in the time of the study, and gained the same amount of weight after they went back to their old eating habits. So...what does this mean? If they both has the same results, which diet, low-carb or low-fat, truly improves overall health?

The difference between these groups is that the participants of the low-carb diet group began noticing significant changes in their cardiovascular health. "Six months into the study, however, the low-carb group had a significantly greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure, a significantly greater reduction in triglycerides, and significantly greater reduction in a particularly bad form of "bad" cholesterol called VLDL (very low-density-lipoproteins). In other words, markers for heart disease risk actually improved. A lot."

These results show that there are several diets out there that draw you in by their appeal of losing weight and losing it fast by simple instructions. Low carb diets are very effective, but only if they are consistent. The participants in this study done by Bowden were on this strict diet, trying to improve their overall health- not just simply trying to lose weight. It is proven by this study that it is not effective to participate in a low-carb diet, begin seeing significant results in overall health, and then return to your old eating habits after you lost the weight you wanted to lose. By doing this, you are moving backwards and not allowing your body to improve the way you want it to. If you want to improve your health, stick to a strict diet plan that is most beneficial for you and stick to it for a long period of time.

The advertisements of diets such as The Bulletproof Diet are appealing to us because we may just want to lose a few pounds and improve how we feel, but these diets can be very dangerous. I encourage you to do research and maybe even talk to a doctor or nutritionist about which of your eating habits need to change. I encourage you to then stick to it for a long period of time and not be discouraged when you may not be losing weight fast, like you may have in previous low-fat diets. If you want to improve your overall wellness, it requires a lot of commitment and consistency. Find what works for you, and change your lifestyle as your body begins to change and improve.

Sources:
Bowden, J. (2010). HEALTHY SOLUTIONS. LOW-FAT VS. LOW-CARB DIETS: THE REMATCH. Better Nutrition, 72(11), 28-29.

https://blog.bulletproof.com/start-the-bulletproof-diet/

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The Concept of Healthy Living

My name is Alisa Bach and I'm a sophomore studying at Azusa Pacific University. I am majoring in Kinesiology and minoring in Psychology. I am very passionate about healthy living and wellness. I believe that wellness is composed of maintaining 3 things: physical health, emotional health and spiritual health. I want to pursue a career where I can help others reach their individual goals by promoting the importance of balancing these three components of wellness.

There are several healthy behaviors that are intertwined with wellness, and I don't think that there is one behavior that is "most important". They are all important. It is important to eat clean, exercise regularly, manage stress, spend time in prayer, invest in healthy relationships with others, get healthy amounts of sleep, and set aside time to be alone. These are all very important and vital healthy behaviors. Rather than focus on which behaviors are most important, let's focus on how we can balance all of these behaviors. This is what is most challenging for me, and often leads me to a lot of stress, trying to balance all of these healthy habits.

It all starts with getting an idea of who you are. Self-awareness is a key component of wellness. I'm sure you have all heard the saying "Listen to your body". This applies to physical, emotional and spiritual health. Learning about yourself, what brings you joy, what causes you stress, what helps you cope, how you handle certain situations, and being able to identify your emotions are all important things to know about yourself. In my opinion, the start of healthy living comes from learning how to be self-aware. The first step of living a healthy life is learning what behaviors are most beneficial to you, based on the type of person that you are.

For example, I am more introverted, so I need to set aside time each day to be alone, as a way to process my day. Alone time also allows me to feel more in-tune with the Holy Spirit, strengthening my relationship with Christ and helping me to look at everything in my life from his perspective. Exercise has always been an outlet for me to relieve some stress, so I try to exercise regularly. I am also very affected by certain types of food. For example, when I eat too much sugar it affects my body physically, resulting in headaches and feelings of fatigue. Therefore, I do not consume very much processed sugar throughout my day.  I am also very affected by the amount of sleep I get. When I run on low amounts of sleep, it results in a lot of anxiety and irritability.

These are all examples of how I stay healthy. I take care of myself by being aware of what I need to get me through each day. I know myself and I know that each day I need healthy amounts of sleep, nutritious food, exercise, and alone time. My healthy behaviors may look different than yours depending on the type of person that you are, and that is okay. Someone who is more extroverted than me or does not need as much sleep as me may not be as affected by these things. That does not mean one thing is more important than the other, it simply means that we were all created differently.

Everybody is wired differently and may be more or less affected by different behaviors than others. This does not mean that one behavior is more important than the other, it just means that one person may depend more on a certain behavior or react differently to a certain behavior than another person. This, to me, is a beautiful and fascinating concept. God created each one of us so uniquely that our individual healthy lives may look different than others. We need not compare ourselves to others, we must love and encourage one another. Although our individual lives and behaviors may look different, we are all striving to be healthy.