A Healthy Balance

Written by: Bronwyn Huddleson


I have been a strong believer and doer of the phrase "A healthy body makes for a healthy mind"(in one form or another), and I want to encourage people to choose to take a lead and live a lifestyle that reflects this phrase. There are three things that I have discovered to be the most influential part of being happy and healthy all-around; eat healthy, exercise regularly, and RELAX. Those three factors to being healthy also balance out your happiness and I have noticed that the slightest increase in even one of those factors will start to improve your entire attitude, which in turn will improve your lifestyle.

1. Eat Healthy. As simple as this sounds, it is one of the biggest reasons people are not satisfied, either with their body or their work ethic. A poor eating habit will bring down your motivation, your strength, and your overall health. As I said earlier, a healthy body makes a healthy mind. Now, that is not the only factor keeping your mind healthy, but it plays an important role, and to be successful you need a healthy mind. Start eating healthy by cutting out fast food and other eat-out restaurants that don't give a good option of fresh food. A good start to adapting a healthy eating lifestyle is to buy food items that have no added sugar. The fake sugar is a huge factor in weight gain and unhealthy eating habits, (it is also one of the factors that makes you crave more). It is much easier to ease into new eating habits versus hopping into a diet that is a complete 180 degree flip from the way you had been eating which would make it much more difficult to adapt and accept the new habit for the long term. That is why I am not suggesting a diet, I am suggesting lifestyle changes, that will improve your health in your body and your mind, motivating you to become more successful.

2. Exercise Regularly. A lot of times people tend to assume that if they eat the right foods that their body is in excellent condition. That is not really the case, regardless of how much you weigh, you body needs exercise to stay healthy. You need muscle to keep your body healthy, because you need to be able to support yourself physically. Exercise can mean as much as walking one mile a day and doing some pushups and situps daily or at least 2-3 times a week. When your body is strong, your mind is strong, and you feel more ready to on challenges even if they aren't physically taking a toll on you, your physicality keeps your mind strong. Exercise is also a great way to relieve stress and clear your head. When you are feeling overwhelmed and you have a lot going on, go for a nice run, long or short, and you will feel significantly better. Exercise gives your energy and you feel more prepared to take on your challenges after you have released some endorphins and got your adrenaline pumping a little bit.

3. RELAX. Relaxation is something that most college students lose sight of, especially as you hit your senior(last) year and all you can think about is what you are going to do after you graduate. It is stressful, and you feel like you are taking on hundreds of tasks at once, how could you possibly stop and take a break when everything needs to get done? You need to be able to relax. That does not imply taking a 30 minute nap, or playing video games, or watching tv. True relaxation involves, you and your mind. Putting yourself at ease for even just five minutes can totally flip your vibe from freaking out to calm and composed. There are a lot of great methods, and relaxing will help you eliminate stress, which in turn keeps your mind healthy and attentive. When you clutter your mind with everything that is making you feel overwhelmed, your body loses touch with your mind, and your mind loses touch with the rest of the world, leaving you to feel like you are alone and taking on these ridiculous challenges with no time to think about the long term result. The long term result of letting yourself get overwhelmed and not allowing yourself a break to just relax is most likely going to be a complete breakdown. It may sound cliche, but the best way to relax and pull your composure together, setting your mind straight, and letting your body release its tensity, is to simply take a deep breath. Take a few deep breathes, really deep, and just let your mind be clear for those couple minutes of breathing. By the time you are done, you can sit back and look at everything in a bigger picture, then tackle it all with precision and composure.

Collectively, these three factors have been so influential on my physical and mental state that I have noticed a vivid difference in my lifestyle and the way it reflects my capabilities and success.

(For some great tips about relaxation and relieving stress, visit here: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/blissing-out-10-relaxation-techniques-reduce-stress-spot)