Choose a healthy lifestyle for a brighter future

Illustration by April Calvo/Et Cetera

Illustration by April Calvo/Et Cetera

KETURAH JONES, Contributor

It’s Lent season, a time when everybody is giving up chocolate to commemorate the sufferings of Christ. This is a great time for a lifestyle change, body, mind, and spirit.

The body is the connector to this earth, without it, you couldn’t operate among the living. The body is only a cage housing the real person—The spirit and the mind. When the body ceases to function at full capacity, weakness of the spirit and mind sets in.

Building the body up empowers all three parts. One is no good without the other. The aim of this argument is to raise awareness and stimulate action for change.

The mind, which is the inner person, the place where freedom of choice, and decision making abides. The spirit is the conscious, the place where God communicates with human beings.

What does being fit have to do with this? Well, exercising will heighten awareness, sharpen discernment, and relieve stress. Concentration is stronger and the spirit is more noticeable.

The physical benefits exceed far beyond anything imaginable. Confidence and a happier persona permeating from an elevated consciousness are worth every effort. There is an ore, a savvy, smooth, clean charisma about people who practice fitness.

Thirty minutes with an expert set the tone for achieving this end. Dr. Hussien, Ph.D in nutrition, recommended counting calories for control.

At mealtime there should only be a 1⁄2 of a plate of fresh vegetables, 1⁄4 of the plate is for grains with fiber to lower cholesterol levels. And a 1⁄4 of the plate should be for meat, unprocessed chicken, and protein from beans.

Make changes to any recipe requiring butter, instead use vegetable oil and half the recommended amount of butter. And drink only 2% Milk, to avoid saturated fats.

Dr. Hussien said to avoid cancer-causing foods like cold cuts, hot dogs and other processed lunch meat because of the elevated levels of nitrate.

Exercising is only 10% of the battle and eating is 90%. Belly fat is actively producing insulin resistance, inflammation in stored fat on the abdomen, increasing the bad LDL cholesterol. At this point the body is at risk, or more susceptible to diseases.

People who struggle with discipline, please know it will automatically come the moment you understand the purpose for food. After hearing a few tips from a nutritional expert, making changes for a healthier lifestyle should be easier now that our physical IQ has been elevated.

Please don’t be hard or overly concerned about making adjustments too fast. Change will take time, expect to see progress gradually.