What do we need to do to keep a healthy body anyway? Here are 3 rules to base your fitness and nutrition plan on.

1. Be active

Our bodies were made to move, not sit around at a desk and be sedentary. Did you know that there are a lot of negative things that happen to our bodies if we sit around too long? Here are just a few examples, sitting curves your spine as you slouch, putting strain on your spinal cord and ultimately preventing your lungs from getting enough space to expand fully. With your lungs not breathing in completely, you have less oxygen being distributed throughout your body; less oxygen to your brain ultimately leads to lost concentration.

Your metabolism becomes slower, the decreased muscle contractions that occurs with prolonged, immobile sitting slows the clearance of fat from the blood stream and decreases the effect of insulin.

Obesity, sitting at a desk reduces a person’s energy expenditure because the body’s major muscle groups aren’t being utilized and calorie burning is minimized. Over an extended period of time this can lead to weight gain and in severe cases obesity.

Loneliness or depression, when the computer is used as the single form of communication, the size of a person’s social circle is believed to decline, and feelings of depression and loneliness increase. Being stuck at your desk also means you’re probably not getting outside enough. This lack of sunshine can cause person to become deficient in vitamin D and ultimately lead to depression.

These are just a few negative effects of lack of movement and sitting at a desk for an extended period of time.

2. Be Persistent

Let’s face it, our current society does not make it easy to stay at a healthy weight, there are so many “convenience foods” that are just bad for our bodies. Eating good quality, nutritious foods on a daily basis takes a lot of hard work and persistence, but in the long run it pays off in our overall health and well-being.

If we are persistent, and keep the course of health and fitness there will be reward in the end! What will happen if you eat healthy, nutritious foods and have a regular exercise program and you stick with it for an extended period of time? You will most likely lose weight, feel better and your overall health will be better, that’s a great reward isn’t it?

So what’s the last thing that will help us on this journey?

3. Self-Control

I think this one is the hardest out of all three. Self-Control. It sounds easy but I know it’s not, especially when we are tempted with our favorite treats or special desert. But it is so important! You can be persistent with a fitness program all you want, but if you can’t control what you eat you are just sabotaging everything you do in the gym.

First of all our bodies are the work of God, and if we abuse it with too much food, we are destroying the work of God! We should only eat as much as our bodies need, not overeat and make ourselves sick. When I eat too much, my stomach hurts and I feel gross and too full, and usually wish I hadn’t made the choice to eat so much.

So the next time you are tempted, think on these things. How will it affect my body?