Wellness Wednesdays: “How to Become a Healthy Person”

Fitness
Food

Joanne January 21, 2015

This past weekend I attended a Perform Better Fitness seminar. Perform Better is mainly known for their Fitness equipment and do seminars on the side, but they do them very well. I use a lot of their equipment in multiple classes I teach and are pretty reasonable for small scale equipment. As a Fitness Professional, I love going to these seminars not because I have to, but because I love learning. The Fitness Industry is forever changing but the one thing that remains with me is that health is wealth!

In one of the lectures, Dan John, who was voted by JMaxFitness as the #1 Fitness Pro to listen to in 2015, always leaves me inspired. Maybe it’s because he’s from South San Francisco (where I work) or because he makes us laugh every time I’ve seen him. His site has some great stuff if you’re interested in learning about relevant topics like alignment, falling & aging, the forty day workout, the best cardio you’ve never tried, recovery, etc.

Anyway, he had one slide in his lecture that sums up what “most” of us need to do to become a healthy people. So, I’d like to share it with you:

What “Most” of us Need to Do

Source: Dan John, Fitness for Everybody Else

1. Stretch what is tightening (Pecs, Biceps, Hip Flexors, Hamstrings)

Most people sit. They sit down in front of computers at work, they sit in the car, they sit to watch TV, they sit when eating, they do a lot of sitting if you get my drift. Therefore, stretching out tight hip flexors, hamstrings, pecs & biceps will help reverse all the sitting people do in a day! I cannot stress this enough with my students and clients, doing this will save those knees, hips, etc!

2. Strengthen what is weakening (Glutes!!!, Abs, Delts, Triceps)

Again, because of increased sitting, we’re literally on our @$$ all day and those glutes are just getting flatter & flatter, so sad I know :(. It’s time to get up and get those buns & abs movin’.

3. Eat like an Adult

Yes! There’s no sense in limiting yourself if you don’t have to and from all the different “diets” out there, they all agree on the following:

cut out sugar
cut out “cardboard carbs” – any carb in a box or bag
get rid of of fats you can’t pronounce
eat your colorful veggies

4. Build in cardio by having seamless training

Be mobile by doing something that your body can handle, whether it’s walking, running, skipping or jumping. Whatever it is, do it without compromising your body.

5. Seek Mastery

Do something you may not be good at and get better. Then find something else and get better. Then find something else and get better. Appreciate the highs & the lows of whatever it is you want to achieve.

So, there you have it. Healthy doesn’t mean you need to run a marathon, healthy doesn’t mean you need to be a size 2 or on the cover of some magazine. Everyone has their own healthy and that, to me, is worth more than anything!