I’ve got some exciting news! The Lifetime Body Podcast was just named the inaugural “Show of the Week” by Castos. This is a huge honor for PK and I to be recognized as innovators in podcasting and health information delivery. We are proud and thankful and will keep on bringing you quality wellness education and entertainment!
There are a number of Basic Principles in operation at The Lifetime Body. These principles can be considered codes of conduct for both health and fitness practices and the manner in which we communicate and interact with others. They are simple and effective guidelines that are integral to my work with clients and they are peppered throughout my writing and presenting.
This week in the Podcast, PK and I discussed a number of the Basic Principles. Today I would like to share just one of those with you, and it’s this: Quality Matters…in everything! This may strike you like a total Captain Obvious, but I’d like to highlight a few areas where I see folks often applying the concept of quality in their wellness endeavors, to great success.
Quality in food seems like a no-brainer. But when we consider source and nutrient density, food becomes more than basic sustenance and takes on the role of true, deep nourishment. Quality in food means not only that it is good for us, nutritious, and free of toxins. It also mandates that the food is respectful to animals, plants, and the land, without polluting or other negative impacts on the environment. And how we eat that food is just as important. Dining, sharing, and celebrating are key. Regardless of your dietary preferences, consuming the highest quality food you can find and afford is a fabulous contributor to wellness.
Relationships are critical to the human experience. When we are enriched by respectful, loving, and gratitude-filled connections with others, we are proven by research to be happier, healthier, and longer-living. Working at building and maintaining quality relationships is always time well invested.
With sleep, many times we get caught up in looking at it as simply time spent in bed. Or maybe we break it down a little further and emphasize the total time spent asleep. While that may be important, the real mojo lies in the absolute quality of that sleep. Did we get the ideal amount of deep, restorative sleep along with the appropriate level of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep during our time between the sheets? Optimizing our sleep hygiene habits, like keeping the bedroom totally dark and cool (62-66 ℉), can really 10x our results in everything from fitness to cognition to weight loss to healing and recovery.
And finally, for today, I want to touch on the topic of quality movement. Sure, movement matters, but the quality of that movement is extremely important. Many people mistakenly focus only on the metabolic aspects of movement, and overlook the necessity of the mechanics of activity and exercise. Employing good posture, body mechanics, and movement patterns is a necessity in the proper functioning of our bodies. When we move poetically, artistically, and with grace, we harness more efficiency and also suffer very little if any wear and tear. Our neuromuscular systems benefit from training just as much as our cardiorespiratory systems. Sometimes doing a little less in training, but focusing on doing it better, can yield amazing dividends. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with a client to get faster, stronger, leaner, or more muscular, without ever increasing volume or duration in training, just by helping them to improve the quality of their movement patterns.
So there you have it. Just a few examples of how quality helps us to maximize our healthspan and to make the world a better place. I’m sure you can come up with lots more examples. Thanks for reading and have an amazing day!
Excellent! Congratulations JZ!