Many factors go into creating a sense of well-being in your life. Feeling good, improving energy levels, increased sex drive, boosting immunity and decreasing risk factors for illness and disease are all benefits you may reap from integrating exercise, fitness and a well-balanced diet in your life.
Benefits of Fitness
MayoClinic.com cites seven benefits of regular physical activity: better mood, fights chronic disease like heart disease, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, helps maintain weight, increases energy levels, provides for better sleep, may increase sexual arousal in women and may leave men with fewer problems with erectile dysfunction and it's fun. The American Heart Association (AHA) charges inactivity with being a major risk factor to heart disease and stroke. All these benefits will combine to create a greater sense of well-being if physical activity becomes a part of your daily routine.
Benefits of a Balanced Diet
The AHA cites diet and exercise as your best tools to ward off cardiovascular disease. Eating well doesn't just decrease your risk of heart disease, it may also help you manage your weight, increase your energy, boost your immune system and help prevent afternoon crashes. My Pyramid.gov suggests you eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or no-fat milk and dairy products, lean proteins and limited sugars and oils. The USDA estimates how much you need of each food group depends on your age, gender and activity level. Be sure to keep your daily caloric intake at an appropriate level for your age, height, weight and activity level.
Benefits of Breakfast
Eating a well-balanced diet will mean including breakfast in your daily routine. Breakfast helps the body to refuel after many hours of no fuel overnight. Eating breakfast will help your body eliminate a mid-morning slump from a lack of glucose. The Arthritis Today website reports going without breakfast may mean you eat more during the day, increasing your overall calorie consumption. Eating breakfast will be an important part in incorporating a balanced diet into your daily routine.
Control of Cholesterol
Well-being implies good health. Part of being healthy is controlling cholesterol. Merck reports that an increased cholesterol may mean increased risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Controlling cholesterol in your diet will help to decrease your LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, while exercise can play a major factor in increasing your HDL, or the good cholesterol.
Misconceptions
While making exercise and fitness a part of your daily routine and focusing on eating a well-balanced diet may positively affect your well-being, it may not be enough. There are other factors that can contribute to a sense of unbalance: quality and quantity of sleep, stress management and healthy relationships all contribute to a feeling of well-being and balance in life. Focusing on fitness and nutrition are starting points to creating a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Once you have established good routines in these areas, identify and focus on other areas in your life that need some balance.
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