Promoting a Fusion of Human Performance, Exercise Science and Sports Medicine

Our current system of improving Human Performance is fragmented. We need someone to synthesize the information. Someone who is a student, scientist, a doctor, an athlete and a sports performance coach. Dr Lyneil is this person and he welcomes the opportunity to provide you with the best information possible in a way that everyone can understand and implement into their daily lives.

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Monday, February 28, 2011

The Truth About Health - The Secret to Happiness

"As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 



We must develop a diet for ourselves.  It is dangerous to be indifferent to what we eat.  What we eat and put inside of our bodies dictates how well we feel and how good we are able to perform at life.  It helps us achieve any other goals that we would like to achieve.  Any one that is aiming for high goals can benefit from being on a good diet to provide them with energy, strength, stamina, focus, immunity, mental acuity and psychological well being.  These aspects are directly related to our ability to function optimally as a human being.


We must have enforce some principles that guide our lives.  We should all be starting somewhere on the path.  However, each of us is in a different position.  We should all be making our eating decisions more based off of health and less based from instant gratification or our culture.  Our food fuels our biochemistry and allows us to be in a state of good health or pathology.  So we must begin to learn and implement appropriate eating behaviors in our lives. It doesn’t matter what grade you are in or how old you are. You should be going to school and learning these health behaviors. 

People change their diets as they mature into adulthood.  The diets we are fed as babies, infants, toddlers and children are not the same as those in which adults eat.  This is for a very good reason.  
We are very concerned with what we feed our children and babies because they are developing at such a rapid rate, have unknown allergies and are very sensitive to foods that are only to be eaten by adults.  As we grow into adolescence and adulthood it seems that emphasis is taken away from our nutrition and many other measures to prevent us from becoming ill.  The difference is illnesses that strike a baby leave immediate, permanent damage and possibly lead to death.  Most adults do not die, they just get the diarrhea.  They get food poisoning, puke and then get diarrhea.  They get fatigue, decreased alertness and depression.  However, adults also get illnesses that can be permanent or fatal.  Unfortunately it takes many years for their poor behaviors to compile to experience the pathology.  It takes many years for the symptoms to burrow out from underneath the surface and smack the person in the face.  

We decide to change only once we experience the negative consequences.  Unfortunately we may not be able to repent.  Our god may still take us to a beautiful resting place following death but after ten, twenty and thirty or more years of poor nutrition and lifestyle behaviors some damage is permanent.  As a physical therapist I can tell you no one wants to have any more experiences with poor health than they have to.  No one is inviting themselves to be dysfunctional, in pain, limited, or disabled.  No matter what age.
The beauty is that it is not the way it has to be.  Some people believe the damage is permanent.  As one of my best friend's dads told me, "I have been way too bad for way too long."  The truth is that any pursuit towards improving our health will work.  Research indicates we get immediate changes when we improve our health behaviors, such as quitting smoking, cleaning up our diets and engaging in routine physical activity and exercise.  


All that it takes is to make the decision to put your health as priority.    The benefits are waiting for you to enjoy them.  Sometimes its hard to tell someone what a rose smells like that has never smelled one before.   I know for certain that no one is as happy as they could be when they are in poor health.  Don't wait.  Start today.  Discover that pursuing good health is the true secret to happiness.
Good Luck.  Join the Revolution!
Lyneil Mitchell, DPT
A sound mind in a sound body is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world. - John Locke

2 comments:

  1. Seriously.. How do I subscribe to your blog? Or whatever you want me to do... My Goals: To look like a Victoria secret model by Florida (6 weeks)...Meaning tight ass! And Long term- to stay healthy and off of sweets- I am def. a chocoholic-Step 1 is to admit!

    So my question: Women should have lots of Calcium to maintain a flat stomach- correct?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Calcium is a great supplement a for woman to take regardless of fat loss. It is recommended that women should take between 1200 - 1500mg per day. Calcium is used every time we have a muscle contraction. It s also used to support bone health. This is very important because women tend to experience osteoporosis(weaking of the bones secodnary to calcium loss) at much higher rates than their male counterparts. Resistance training and weight bearing exercise should also be a staple in woman's regular hygeine. Resistance training and weight bearing exercises have also been demonstrated to be effective as if not more than steady state cardio exercise at burning body fat.

    Recently studies have revealed that subjects with diets high in calcium(i.e. 1200-1500 mg/day) had less body fat than people on low calcium diets. Also be sure to get plenty of vitamin D. Vitamin D defiency is now being linked to many pathologies such as multiple sclerosis. Calcium absorption is also enhanced by Vitamin D.

    So yes there is a link to calcium intakes and get that nice stomach you want. Remember to also get vitamin D and plenty of resistance exercise 20-30 minutes 4-5 times per week. Thanks for the question.

    DrLyneil

    ReplyDelete