Health Is Wealth—Value It!

Chelsea Vassaur
Certified Personal Trainer
National Academy of Sports Medicine
Wilmington, NC

 

Health Is Wealth—Value It!

We often spend our lives wanting what others have and living in a state of inconsistency. If you find yourself doing this, the good news is that I have a solution for you! In short, the answer is health. This 6-letter word has the ability to help you take control of your life.

As a personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, what I love most about my job is seeing clients take control of their health and make their lives the best they can be. Now my passion for health and fitness has extended beyond the walls of the gym, into a bigger venue, to the role of “Healthy Manager” for the National Organization of Rheumatology Managers (NORM).

When you go to my Healthy Manager blog on NORM’s website, you will find helpful information, including recipes, exercise tips, and strategies to help you stay adequately hydrated. The main goal of my blog is to emphasize the importance of making small, daily changes that can lead to big life changes. Just like you, I know how stressful life can be. My job is to offer you encouragement and to help you dodge life’s obstacles and make a new, healthy path.

In fact, let me start helping you right now by giving you 2 tips that my clients have found groundbreaking—some of the biggest obstacles to better health that Americans face on a daily basis are poor nutrition and working too many hours; often, these 2 issues go hand in hand.

We spend 5 (sometimes even 6 or 7) days a week working long hours. By the time we get home, we realize we never ate lunch, did not exercise, and to top it off, we have not gone to the grocery store, which means we probably have an empty refrigerator. Here are a couple of solutions that can help you avoid these obstacles in the future.

Make Hourly Moves

Many of my clients tell me that they are sitting for the majority of their workday. If you are in a similar situation, you probably have lower back pain, limited hip mobility, and a stiff upper body. My first tip is to simply make sure you are moving around every hour. According to an article in The New York Times, “Standing up and walking around for five minutes every hour during the workday could lift your mood, combat lethargy without reducing focus and attention, and even dull hunger pangs.”1 See how one small change can make a big difference?

Prepare Meals in Advance

My second tip involves meal preparation. Designate one day out of your week—preferably Sunday—to shop for groceries, cook all of your meals for the week, and organize those meals so they are ready for you to start using on Monday. Your meals should incorporate whole foods that are full of nutrients and minerals; do not be afraid to include some carbohydrates, as well. Meal preparation is an amazing tool that ensures proper nutrition and has even been shown to help individuals lose weight. According to an article on Active.com, “When you prep your food in advance, it’s a sure way of knowing what you are consuming. Preparing your own meals will give you insight into what a true portion of food is.”2 Again, this is another small change that can help improve your health significantly.

Conclusion

In the few minutes it took you to read this article, you learned 2 insightful tips that could improve the quality of your life. This is just a glimpse at how my blog posts can encourage you and help you overcome obstacles to better health. Come join me, and let us make that change together!

Subscribe to the NORM Healthy Manager blog for updates on my latest posts and videos. And most importantly, stay happy and stay healthy!

References

  1. Reynolds G. Work. Walk 5 minutes. Work. The New York Times. Published December 28, 2016. www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/well/move/work-walk-5-minutes-work.html. Accessed March 27, 2018.
  2. Rotstein N. 5 benefits of prepping your food. www.active.com/nutrition/articles/5-benefits-of-prepping-your-food?page=2. Accessed March 27, 2018.

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