Looking to make positive impact on your health goals? Good health is not only about sweating out in the gym or checking your stats on your Fitbit. Good health starts before you hit the gym or check your latest step count in that app that pays go to go for a walk. 

When it comes down to it, good health is a mindset. Once you change your mindset, you will notice an improvement in many areas of your life. 

Getting into the right mindset is a bit like getting into the fat-burning zone. You don’t just dive right in – you need to have a good health strategy to get there. 

Once you got your strategy, you can start crushing your goals. 

Let’s start putting together a strategy. 

1 Reduce Inflammation

Ultimately, what holds us back is inflammation. We all experience some kind of inflammation. However, what matters is how we manage our level of inflammation. 

Pain is a sign of inflammation. Excess weight can lead to inflammation but is also a sign that your body is experiencing inflammation. 

In many ways, you can say that inflammation is the root of all evil when it comes to setting fitness goals. If we can manage inflammation, we can better manage our health. And yes, reducing inflammation leads to weight loss if that is what you are focused on. 

2 Scales – Do We Need Them? 

Many see scales as a way of measuring success when it comes to fitness goals. What scales really are is an indication of your health. They never give you the complete picture. 

Athletes often step on scales only to find they indicate they are overweight. Are they overweight? Most of the time, athletes weigh more because they have a better muscle-to-fat ratio. But, a doctor may even say they are overweight. 

So, when we consider our weight, we should only see it as an indicator. 

3 Diet and Good Health

Diet is just as important as exercise. Without eating the right foods, you are too tired to exercise. 

We often look at food as a way of filling our stomachs. That is the problem. Instead of eating to fill your stomach, eat to fill your body with energy instead. 

This way of eating starts first thing in the morning. You will find you need to eat more to achieve good health. It is a matter of eating the right things and in the right way. 

4 Cross Training

Going swimming is great, but if you are serious about achieving good health, you should get into cross training. 

That does not mean you need to run 5k one day and swim 1000 meters the next day. It simply means you should exercise in different ways. Walking is just as good for you as running. 

Don’t forget to incorporate strength and flexibility training. This is what keeps you fit and healthy in the latter part of your life.

5 Pain Is Never Okay!

Experiencing pain when working out? Stop! Your body is trying to tell you something. If you are in pain, it is a good idea to check out a pain calculator. That’s a quick way of learning more about pain.  

Pain is an indication of physical damage. Yes, in the 1980s feeling the burn was all in. Now we know our bodies are not meant to feel the burn. 

You should feel that you have worked out and experience you have increased your fitness level. Sometimes we call it straining ourselves. 

Strain does not necessarily mean we have caused a physical injury such as a strained tendon. Strain is not the same as pain. Challenging (straining yourself to do more) yourself is good, but feeling pain is not good. 

6 What Are Endorphins? 

Endorphins are feel-good hormones. The more we learn about endorphins, the more we realise how important they are to our good health. 

Not only do they help to boost our mood, but they also help to reduce inflammation in the body. You are probably familiar with at least one feel-good hormone -serotonin. 

This is the hormone which is released when we sleep and explains why we feel better after we had good quality sleep. 

7 The Energy Factor

Having energy is vital when it comes to good health. If you don’t have any energy, your body can’t heal and you can’t do the things you want to do. 

As part of good health, it is essential you eat for energy instead of filling your belly. It is energy that helps our body to reach a status that scientists call homeostasis – the right balance. 

8 Make Friends With Food

Making friends with food is important. We all have different reactions to food. Some of us are allergic and others can’t eat a certain thing without having a sugar rush or putting on weight. 

The right eating plan is what works for you and supports your body to produce energy. 

9 Ditch Acidity

Acidity makes us ill. This goes back to the concept of homeostasis. For instance, too much citric acid and sugar increases the risk of excess acid being produced in our bodies. 

Shockingly, we find both in ready-made food. It is true – our modern food and way of eating are making us ill. Some basic natural foods can also cause a problem. Two of the worst culprits are oranges and soy. 

Oranges are rich in citric acid and soy is an endocrine system disruptor. Both can lead to problems with our homeostasis function. 

10 Eat For Your Immune System

One of the best ways of achieving good health fast is to eat for your immune system. 

This is easier to do than you think and does not necessarily involve those pesky bifidus yogurts. Fruits vegetables, berries, and grains are excellent and so is dairy. 

One of the best ways to start the day is with cottage cheese, grains and berries. 

Cottage cheese helps to boost your immune system, berries are packed with antioxidants, fibers, minerals, and vitamins. They also give you quick energy to start your day. The grains provide you with slow-release energy and natural oils helping to keep you full for longer. 

That’s right. When you feel hungry, it is your body telling you it is running out of energy. 

Final Thoughts On Good Health

Yes, we are what we eat, but we are also what we do. Take a look at your body. You will soon realise that it needs to do things. Our bodies have not changed that much since we first walked out of Africa if that is where all mankind originated. But, no matter where we came from our bodies have not changed that much. It is we who have to try to change them. Big mistake – we should support our bodies to function – that is how we achieve good health.