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There’s a difference between not being sick and being well!

By Dr. Geno Pisciottano

iving a wellness lifestyle is more than not being sick. In the wellness lifestyle you must eat well, think well and move well. Understanding these three components of the wellness lifestyle can and will change your life.

Think of a scale from left to right, with far left as being sick or having symptoms and far right as living a wellness lifestyle. The center would be not being sick or not having any symptoms. With this in mind, where do you want to be?

First is learning how to eat well. There are a few components about eating well that you must implement into your lifestyle.

You should eat five times a day or every three hours. Eating this way will help keep your metabolism going all day so that you will have more energy and it will also help to keep the weight off.

The five meals are broken down into three meals and two snacks. The three meals should be properly proportioned between protein, carbohydrates and fat.

The proper proportions are: one part protein to one part carbohydrates to one-tenth part fat. Examples of protein are chicken, beef, fish, eggs and more.

In the carbohydrate portion some carbohydrates are better than others. The carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, like fruit and vegetables, are easier to break down than carbohydrates with a high glycemic index like potatoes and bread. Keep in mind they are all carbohydrates.

In a normal American diet there is enough fat to cover the one-tenth part fat so do not worry about having to add any fat to your diet. This is why the typical American meal is seven to 10 times too high in carbohydrates.

For example, think of a typical meal at a restaurant. The first thing you get when you sit down is bread (a carbohydrate). Then the next item is a salad (a carbohydrate). Then, if chosen well, your entrée is meat, chicken, or fish (a protein). (If you choose pasta for your entrée, you have now chosen a carbohydrate and have no hope for any protein in your entrée.) Your meal carbohydrate/protein proportions are now three carbohydrates to one protein.

Most entrees come with the choice of two side dishes. All side dish choices are carbohydrates. Now your carbohydrate/protein proportions are now five to one.

If you order anything to drink other than water, it is a carbohydrate. Now your proportions are six to one.

Finally, at the end of the meal, you order dessert and coffee. Your entire meal carbohydrate/protein proportions are eight carbohydrates to one protein. Remember, the formula is one part carbohydrate to one part protein to one-tenth part fat. This example meal is at a nice restaurant, not even at a fast food restaurant, which is why you need to learn to eat well for a wellness lifestyle.

Allowing ourselves to think well is a struggle with everyday stresses. We must keep a positive mental attitude. We must not dwell on the negatives and stresses of life. Things happen in life and we will get stressed about things that happen in life but how we respond to the situation and stress is the deciding factor. Learning how to deal with physical and emotional stressors will allow you to lead a wellness lifestyle.

Learning how to move well involves two parts.

The first part is the body itself. The joints of the body must move well and be free from subluxations. This is particularly important in the spine.

The spinal column houses the nervous system and, if the bone of the spine is not moving well or subluxated or out of the proper position, the nervous system cannot function properly. This, in turn, will cause the body to not function as well as it could or should. A chiropractor is the best doctor to evaluate and correct this subluxation or non-moving spinal complex.

The second part of moving well is exercise. Every man, woman and child should have some daily exercise. The minimum amount of exercise should be 20 minutes a day three to four days a week. To live the wellness lifestyle, it could be as much as five times a week, 40-60 minutes a day.

Infusing all three of these concepts into your daily life - eat well, think well and move well - you can and will be living the wellness lifestyle.

To Your Health is designed to help readers with overall wellness. Dr. Geno Pisciottano is owner of Wellness Chiropractic Center in Summit Corporate Center on Corporate Drive.

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