Fit For Life: So, Tell me How You Really Feel…

Monday, May 02, 2016

Matt Espeut, GoLocalPDX Health +Lifestyle Contributor

How are you feeling? Feeling out of shape? Feeling tired and lazy all the time? Do your joints hurt? Are you irritable and grouchy all the time? Feeling depressed, and have low self-esteem? Do you get out of breath just walking up the stairs or carrying groceries from your car to the house? Are you sick of how you look in clothes and in the mirror? Or even worse, do you have trouble fitting into your clothes? Do you run and hide when someone pulls out a camera? Are you dreading putting on a bathing suit? Do you get sick often? Has your sex drive diminished, or even worse, your spouse’s? If you answered yes to any, most, or all of those questions, today is your lucky day because I have a solution for you.

Are you ready? Here it is, the solution to all your woes and ailments; the magic bullet, the too good to be true problem solving way to better health and vitality. Sit down because here it comes........ (Drum roll, please)!

STOP EATING GARBAGE - AND EXERCISE!
Yes, folks, exercise and good nutrition IS the answer to everything. It will make you feel better inside and out. It will give you more energy throughout your day, and when you have more energy, you become more productive. When you become more productive, you get more tasks done, and you become more efficient, and that can relate to being more organized, making more money, accomplishing your goals and the end result will be you feeling better about yourself on all levels.

Diet

One of the key aliments people experience is inflammation. In the joints, but also in the digestive tract. One of the top selling drug categories is treatment for inflammation. Sure you can take a pill, but be ready for side effects. Side effects that will be worse than the symptoms they are treating, in many cases. I listen to the commercials on TV, and when they roll off the disclaimer and the side effects at the end, I find myself yelling out loud at the television: “Or you can clean up your diet, and stop eating garbage”! That doesn’t work, but hopefully you will listen, and avoid this problem.

Wheat and dairy products are the main causes of arthritis, celiac, lactose intolerance, skin conditions, acid reflux, gas bloating, and the list goes on and on. If you don’t believe what I am saying, stay away from all dairy, wheat, and processed food products for two weeks, and I can guarantee you will feel better on all levels.

If you frequently get sick, that’s because your autoimmune system is compromised. We are nothing but a huge mass of cells. On a cellular level, we need proper nourishment through vitamins, minerals and proteins. By eating garbage food all the time, you block cell receptors, making it impossible for the cells to absorb nutrients and stay healthy. Instead, you are releasing toxic free radicals that actually attack us from a cellular level diminishing our ability to heal and fight off infections. When you eat a proper and balanced nutrition plan full of natural foods you stay strong and healthy.

Exercise

Exercise also improves libido on several levels. Many men need drugs such as Viagra and Cialis to be able to perform. This is due to poor blood flow and circulation throughout the entire body. This also can be caused from eating foods high in omega 6 fatty acids found in most manufactured oils such as canola and corn oil. This causes a buildup in the arterial walls restricting blood flow. Exercise and good nutrition will also solve this problem; over taking a pill that causes loss of vision, headaches, and other undesirable side effects. And, when women are self-conscious of their bodies due to weight gain, the last thing that want is to be intimate. Once again, eating well, and exercising will eliminate this feeling by making you look and feel sexier, therefore building your self-esteem.

These are just a few things that good nutrition and exercise can cure. I believe 95% of what ails the U.S population is food and lifestyle related, and avoidable. And, much of science is saying it too - that we can control what ails us – they call that “modifiable risk factors”. If you want to try a program guaranteed to work and make you feel better, I’m happy to talk to you and work with you.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years.

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

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MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

Made for iPhone and Android

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JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Strava

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

YogaStudio gets the top vote for Yoga apps. It has a lengthy collection of full class-length videos available at your fingertips. Unlike many other apps, this one also allows you to customize your own video yoga class. All of the poses are done by qualified yoga instructors, and you can find classes suitable for all levels of yogis.

Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android