What else do you do to keep healthy?

While the focus of this blog is really on using the Wii to get exercise, I thought I'd try to write a post about some of the other aspects of being healthy. I'm definitely not an expert, so I'm not here to give advice, just to share my experience and invite you to share your own. Any comments, tips, criticisms, etc. are encouraged.

Based on my own observations, it seems like the number one response to "How do I lose weight/get in better shape?" is "Diet and exercise." Well, this blog is covering the exercise portion well, but what about diet? Honestly, that is probably the harder part of it for me. I'm 26, I've always eaten whatever I want, and never saw any negative consequences until the last few years. I'm not 17 anymore. I can't go out and devour a large pizza by myself and not gain an ounce. As a typical guy though, I'm constantly bombarded by advertising and the general young American guy culture encouraging me to eat "guy food" (i.e. eat this, its 5 pounds of steak covered in bacon, cheese, and deep fried). Mmmm. That sounds pretty good.

So how have I been doing with my diet since the start of my workout program? Well, better than I used to, but its still not good. I was using a calorie counting app on my phone for a couple of weeks just to get an idea of where I was at. Generally, it made me aware of what were good choices and what weren't. I cut the burger place down the street out of my weekly lunch rotation an discovered a gyro place that is a much better alternative. No more Chipotle burritos either. How about a light sushi lunch instead? No problem.


Its the weekends that get me. I have what I'd like to consider a semi-active social life and that often includes eating out and getting drinks about once a week. Let me tell you, alcohol is a calorie counter's worst nightmare. A shot of rum - 100 calories. A pint of your favorite Pacific Northwest microbrew - 200 calories. This stuff adds up fast if your night out spans several hours, especially if you don't need to drive anywhere. Don't forget about all of the food you're consuming all the while. I have to say, I really haven't improved this aspect of my diet at this point. I don't really drink or overindulge during the week, but maybe one night per weekend, I get out and eat/drink a lot more calories than I should. Its not like I'm getting blackout drunk every weekend or something, but four or five drinks and a burger and fries is probably about as many calories as I should be consuming in an entire day. Its not the end of the world, but I think if I could moderate myself a little better in this department I'd probably be seeing some improvement in my overall health.

Sleep is another thing I think about when I think of overall health. I'm a guy who likes to get eight hours of sleep, but it usually just doesn't happen. From when I leave for work to when I get home, its usually 12 or 13 hours, so the remaining hours of the day are quite precious to me. I like to get as much as I can done, plus now I'm squeezing in workouts four days a week, so there isn't usually time for eight hours a night. Its usually more like six or seven. By the weekend it starts to catch up to me a bit, and I'm usually able to lock in a solid eight or nine hours those two nights. We're all busy people right? We all want to seize the day and seize the night and sleep is an annoying thing that gets in the way of enjoying life. Not really sure how to get a healthier sleep schedule with so much going on in life.

Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for reading my ramblings. Let me know what steps you've taken to improve your overall health in the comments sections.