Physical Health

This past Saturday I attended a Stake Relief Society meeting on Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health and I'm so glad I did. I want to record some of the things I learned about physical health because I'm sure as time goes on I will forget these things and I want to be able to refer back to them when I need to. This is all how I interpreted what was taught during this class and may not be exactly what he said. And I certainly can't explain the reasoning behind everything because I don't have the knowledge to make sense of everything and articulate it the same way he did during class. All I know is what he said really spoke to me and I feel really encouraged and motivated because of it.

• Divorce the idea that if we eat right and exercise we will lose weight.
• After a hard workout, replace the calories burned by eating the same amount of calories.
• If you eat crap all day long and feel sick, you're not feeling sick from all the crap you ate, you're feeling sick from all the good things you didn't eat. It's okay to eat crap as long as you eat good things too.
• The idea that you can't eat after a certain time at night because those foods turn straight to fat is incorrect. The body breaks down food the same way it does all day long regardless of what time of day it is because it knows what nutrients it still needs. Once all those nutrients have been met for the day, then whatever you eat becomes fat regardless of if you consume ice cream or broccoli.
• God made food just as perfectly as He made each of His children. It's crazy that there are diets out there that cut out specific nutrient sources and claim that by doing so you will lose weight. If God created everything perfectly then it's safe to say our bodies need all of those nutrients to be healthy. It's pretty bold to say God created everything perfectly, except something like carbs so don't eat those.
• We should exercise to change our DNA, not to lose weight. Exercise is something our bodies need to fight off diseases and ultimately be healthier. It's something we should do regularly and consistently, not for a season to lose weight and then stop until we need to lose weight again.
• Exercise daily for at least 20 minutes (an hour is best) at a moderate pace.
• The harder you push yourself while exercising the more important it is to replace those calories you're burning because your body is borrowing calories from your muscles in order to keep up with the vigorous pace.
• Use the "3+ rule". 3 servings a day each of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and natural plant oils. A single serving is half a cup, except the serving size of natural plant oil is one teaspoon. The way to measure is to cup your hands together and visualize if what you're eating will fill your hands, if yes then you have one full serving. An example would be if you're eating a bowl of salad for lunch. If it looks like two handfuls of salad then you have two servings of vegetables for the day. 
• Before dinner cup your hands together and think about what you ate for the day. If you had more servings of veggies and whole grains, but less of fruit then add fruit to your dinner spread. By better balancing your intake of fruit, veggies, whole grains, and natural plant oils, it will naturally make your body healthier even if you're not getting a full three servings of each of them per day.
• Weigh yourself once a week rather than once a day. The body naturally fluctuates 6-8lbs during the day. You get a better idea of what your actual weight is by weighing yourself once a week. Monday morning wake up, use the bathroom, then weigh yourself. The following Monday morning do the same.
• Quantity is more important than quality when it comes to food. Don't worry about WHAT you're eating, worry about HOW MUCH you're eating. If you're trying to lose weight and weigh yourself a week later and still weigh the same, cut back on the amount you consume the next week. Portion control makes all the difference.
• Frozen veggies are best, but fresh and canned veggies are just as good for you. The reason frozen are best is because they are picked when they're ripe and then immediately stored in the freezer. Fresh fruits and veggies are picked when they're under ripe so they can last longer.
• Make exercise part of your lifestyle, not just something you do when you want to lose weight.

I loved everything he had to say about physical health. I love that he said we should divorce the idea that eating right and exercise means we'll lose weight. I've really been struggling with my physical appearance after having Shelby and I've felt really discouraged that I'm not losing any weight regardless of my efforts. This Stake Relief Society meeting was exactly what I needed. Everything that we learned in this physical health class seemed so backwards to what society teaches about weight loss and nutrition, but he tied it all back to the gospel and it all made so much sense. I wish I could articulate it the same way he did, but this is my understanding of what he talked about and I never want to forget it!