HEALTHY EATING AND THE MARTIAL ARTS

HEALTHY EATING AND THE MARTIAL ARTS - page 3

A healthy diet may increase life & enhance overall quality of life.

Now to make this least confusing without a lot of guidelines I will start with a list to abide by for easy reference, the rest follows.

No fast foods, ever! A martial artist does not take the easy fast way out.

Limit dining out, most often chained restaurants use the most fattening ingredients for taste. Dine out maybe once a week at the very most. Once a month is ideal. If dining out - request a doggy bag rather than over indulgence. My favorite restaurants are small family operated ones where someone is actually a trained chef. They are quiet and most items can be modified upon request to where larger chain restaurants can’t do so. These restaurants can be enjoyed more frequently due to these requests being met concerning your diet.

No fried foods, or limit them in moderation.

No sweets, or limit these moderately.

Eat mostly vegetables, use proteins and carbohydrates as energy foods and eat plenty of fruit.

If eating meat, grill it or bake it.

Go healthier in choices- instead of whole milk do nonfat or soy, go to 100% juice. This information can be found above the nutrition label - and if budget permits, go organic.

No sodas, the carbonation is not good for health and the syrups are not good either and may lead to kidney and urinary track related issues. As a child, I had kidney issues and after reverting to a healthier diet, I found these issues could be better controlled.

Learn to breathe proper, see “tai chi” page for guidance. I had asthma as a child, proper breathing, eating and exercise stopped it, now I don’t have any problems with it.

Get adequate rest to relax the muscles also helping in digestion. You need 7-8 hours as an adult, 6 bare minimum. If you get less than this you need to stop and smell the flowers. When I first opened my school I was working a full time job, ran a full time school, and married. Remember this: first come health, family, and friends, second is school, third is work and last is hobby. If your health isn’t good then school and work is impossible. Family is important so don’t make work and school your family, find a balance. For young students, school is more important than a dime a dozen minimum wage jobs. When spare time permits it then have fun with your hobbies. Priorities first.

Remember that you must eat lots of vegetables for vitamins, and plenty of fruit. Grains are essential for minerals, and the proteins and carbohydrate are essential for energy. This is not a “fad diet” - this is a lifestyle. Don’t be fooled in fads, as it is unhealthy to cut certain nutrition from your diet. Carbohydrates are something that people watch a lot but you need them especially in your vegetables and fruit. A lot of bicyclists on the Tour De France eat lots of carbohydrates for energy before bicycling. Swimmers eat lots of carbohydrates for energy. Keep in mind that it is an energy food so eat in moderation if not very active.

If you want to bulk up, eat protein and carbohydrates (not so much the bread) because they are a high-energy food. Fats and alcohol are too, but alcohol depletes the energy in the body. As to fat intake, go minimal as some fat is necessary for optimum health. You must also get plenty of exercise or activity to accommodate your total health.

If you want to trim up, eat more vitamin and mineral compacted foods. These are low in energy and shed the weight off as well. Keep in mind though that when reaching an idea weight, you must create a balance of the two. Always be sensible and don’t abuse the body.

***THIS ARTICLE IS NOT INTENDED TO TAKE THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN. IN ADDITION, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN WHEN CONSIDERING ANY CHANGE IN YOUR DAILY DIET SO THAT A PLAN CAN BE SET TOGETHER WITH YOUR DOCTOR THAT WILL SATISFY INDIVIDUALS NEEDS.

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