By Tanya Glos
What do golf, basketball, baseball and football have to do with men’s health? Read on to discover how you can relate healthful lifestyle changes to these four popular sports!
Visual Learners: Golf
Picture a golf course with lots of “green.” This means eat “clean” most of the time. Avoid anything artificial and opt for organic vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, grains, meats, dairy products and beverages whenever you can. Picture the water dispersed throughout the links. Similar to the placement of water features on a golf course, get creative with the water you drink daily. Mix it up with lemon, lime, cucumber, pineapple, grapefruit, ginger and herbs such as peppermint or basil. Drink this flavored water warm with lemon in the morning, with hot herbal tea at night, and chilled in the afternoon. Remember to also drink water between meals. Water has been known to have a similar energizing effect to caffeinated beverages. Also, avoid the traps! Meals don’t have to be man-sized, oversized, supersized, full of junk, or just meat-and-potatoes plain and boring.men cook and eat real food!
Action: Basketball
Basketball is an energetic game in which the players must keep the ball moving, keep their feet moving, look for opportunities to pass, and ultimately score two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws. This means live an active lifestyle! Of course your lifestyle includes daily exercise, but don’t just sit around on a date night or a night out with friends. Think outside the box of dinner and a movie. Do something physical and fun that includes walking around town, through art galleries, or even just the neighborhood. Play pool, darts, miniature golf, or dance. Go see a live band and rock the night away. You can have meaningful or fun conversations while moving and playing games. Fight the urge to be sedentary and get into action!
Goal-setting: Baseball
Keep your eye on the ball, be ready to run, score as often as you can, and occasionally knock it out of the ballpark! This means set attainable health goals for yourself, go for them, achieve them, and even aim to wow yourself by overachieving every once in awhile. When it comes to your health, if you love how you feel and have the energy to lead the life of your dreams, have a goal to remain and maintain. If you don’t love how you feel, or your loved ones or health practitioners are urging you to make changes, set your main goal for a reasonable time in the future with smaller goals at attainable levels in achievable timelines. Be patient with yourself. Get hooked on the feeling of winning each game in the series. Before you know it, the season will be over and you’ll be on top!
Teamwork/Accountability: Football
Touchdowns, field goals, pass completions, and defensive tackles are all achieved through teamwork. This means being open to getting assistance and forming an alliance with at least one teammate, maybe several. Make it a point to ask each other questions, check in with each other, compete against each other, or even give each other a hard time if necessary to stay on track. Don’t go it alone! Friends are the best teammates and accountability partners in life. Remember, TEAM means “together everyone achieves more!”
Tanya Glos helps people gain the benefits of a lifestyle filled with healthful, whole, organic foods. She has a degree in Dietetics and Nutrition Care and has practiced what she’s preached to individuals, families and groups since 1994.
For more articles about nutrition visit greenlivingaz.com/nutrition.
