Today's Life

How should I begin a healthy living routine?

Hi,I did the following:
Q&A: How should I begin a healthy living routine?

heyy guys =]
okay im 13 and i have to say my lifestyle habits
are horrible. i stay up late, wake up early (to do
all my makeup and hair prep) so i dont get enough
sleep, i’m totally stressed out and have no form of
release, my diet is absolutely horrendous (and i
eat late at night), i lack focus, etc.

i want to get on my way to a healtier lifestyle,
but i’m not even sure where to start!

also, i want to start excercising, but with school
and everything, when would i even have time?
and where would i go to exercise? it just seems
that exercising is more convenient when you
have a car, but when you’re a kid like me, it’s
much more difficult.

oh btw, i DO NOT have sex, do drugs,
smoke, drink, etc. i’m 100% clean and
proud of it =D

and this is not about me wanting to lose weight
and be anorexic. it’s not about weight, it’s about
being a healthy, strong person so please dont
lecture me about body image! lol.

thanks soo much! =]

ANSWER:

Answer by lil vamp
go to bed earlier–try to get atleast 7/8 hours of sleep–your body needs it. you dont need a car to start a healthy lifestyle–after school take a walk around the block or 2. Next time you go to target/walmart/kmart go to the fitness section and look at dvd’s and equipement (or dvd section). there are lots of different things you can you. Start to eat better by not having as much soda, sugars, salt and dont eat so late. By eating better and getting more sleep you will get more focus.

hope this helps.

Answer by boonut
Cut out sugar, caffeine, meat, & processed foods. Check the ingredients list on packaged foods, & if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.

Aim for a diet that is about 70% fruits & dark green vegetables (with the emphasis on the vegetables; fruits should be eaten sparingly– like a dessert), and 30% whole grains (when you buy bread, look for the words, ’100% whole wheat,’ or ‘stone ground, 100% whole wheat.’)

Then, add a little protein, on top of that; a normal human adult should consume about 1 hen’s egg’s worth of protein daily, so you don’t need much, to stay healthy.

(Good sources of protein include: Tofu, beans, legumes, eggs, nuts, and some veggies & fruits, like broccoli (sp?), & avocado. You don’t need meat– all the saturated fats, plus the additives it contains, are unhealthy; also, properly combined, grains + beans & legumes = a ‘complete protein,’ comparable to most animal proteins.)

Finally, supplement your diet with a good multivitamin. ‘Centrum’ is one– take one tab daily, just to make sure all bases are covered, & you’re getting ALL the nutrients your body needs.

A good food writer is Jane Brody– she’s a writer for the NY Times, who studies & writes about healthful eating– pick up one of her books; it’ll tell you all you need to know.

Apart from eating, you’re going to want to exercise. 15-20 minutes, twice a week, is the minimum recommended by doctors, I think; you don’t need to join a gym– try walking, or jogging, or riding a bike– if your mom has an exercise tape, or will buy you one, you can exercise to it, at home. You could also try using exercise programs you can find on the internet.

Anything that gets your heart rate going is good exercise. The idea is to get your heart pumping at a good rate, and then sustain that, for 15-20 minutes. So any aerobic exercise is good.

The internet is chock-full of healthy diet/ exercise tips; just Google ‘healthy eating,’ or ‘excercise’ or similiar word combinations, and you should have more info than you’ll ever need.

It’s important to get a good night’s sleep, too; teenagers need more sleep than adults– doctors recommend an average of ten hours a night, for a girl your age, so get your homework done early, and then get your beauty rest!

Last, but not least, you might want to add some kind of meditation to your regimen– or pursue some exercise like Yoga, or Tai Chi, that relaxes both body & mind. The mind has the greatest effect on the body– more than food or exercise– so stay positive, keep stress to a minimum, & think good, happy thoughts!

–Good luck! Hope this helps!

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