You Have Control Over Your Health.

The fitness industry, supplement companies, and social media extremists want you to believe they are the answer to your health and wellness. The secret diet plans, magical supplements, and transformational exercise programs they sell you are the only thing that will help you achieve your goals.

You are not destined to have poor health, be overweight, or have low energy. Your genetics are not the determiner of your longevity or a guarantee that you will inevitably have a heart attack at 55.

In my opinion the biggest determinants of one’s health and fitness come down 3 controllable areas.

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Movement Practices - Nutritional Intake - Lifestyle Habits

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Knowledge is power. With an increased understanding of your body and consistent effort you can positively impact all aspects of your health and fitness. 

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Choose to practice movement.

Movement practices are the foundation of our ability interact with the world. Decreased movement capacity is one of the biggest predictors of health. Those who are sedentary more often than not will suffer from decreases in muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular fitness, and cognitive abilities. Inevitably this will result in a lower quality and shorter lifespan for most.

We have the choice to move. While there are some ideals for movement the most important thing is that we are consistently moving more overtime. Start with what you can easily implement and overtime find a balance of resistance and aerobic training that allows you to function at your best.

Walking can be the simplest place to start. Go for three 10 minutes walks this week. Next week go for 15 minutes. The following weeks add 5 more minutes and continue until you can walk for a full hour 3 times per week.

Notice any changes you see in your body and mind.
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Movement is Medicine. Consistency is Key.

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Choose to Fuel your Body. ​

Nutritional Intake is essential for every aspect of human existence. The food we eat provides us with the raw materials to build who we are. From the skin we see to the molecules that are responsible for our brain function the nutrition we consume is responsible for function.

We have control over the food we consume. I understand that eating the highest quality food is not feasible for everyone, however, real food over processed food is a choice that we can make.
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Learning the details of nutrition can be complex. One place I start with clients is by building awareness. Here are a few questions to ask yourself that will improve your control over your nutritional habits.

Am I eating real food? How did this meal make me feel? Does my food increase my energy or decrease my energy? Did I digest the food I ate well?

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Take control of your lifestyle. ​

Lifestyle habits set the stage for our bodies rhythm. Our bodies work on a daily rhythm that can function efficiently or chaotically depending on the consistency of the habits we create.

The main habits I focus on with my client are morning & evening routines, sleep hygiene, hydration, and stress management. All of these habits are cost free choice that we work to implement overtime.
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We have the choice to stay awake and watch tv or to read a book before bed. We have the choice to drink water over our favorite sugary drink. We can choose to find positive coping mechanisms when we have a stressful day.

Habits can be the most difficult thing to implement. Start small. Pick one thing you think would benefit you that you feel very confident in your ability to change. Be consistent with the habit until you no longer have to think about it. Then add your next habit.

While you are taking control over your first habit pay attention to other areas of your lifestyle that may not be serving you. The more conscious awareness you have over the habit that are moving your forward and the ones holding you back the closer you will be to developing robust control over your health.

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Andrew Cataldo, CSCS OPEX CCP
Director - Performance Division 
E: [email protected]