Content provided in partnership with
Introduction
Ebony, July, 2005 by Winston Price
STAYING fit is the best investment a person can make in their lives. It adds years to your life expectancy, greater productivity to your work effort and brings value to you and your family. But just like any investment, you have to put something into it to get the benefits out. The god thing is that everyone is given the same 24-hour chance to make that daily investment. So what's stopping you from getting "rich" in health? Nothing should.
Staying healthy in today's environment takes planning and serious commitment to be consistent. Thankfully, technology has kept pace with that need. Individuals should take advantage of the many fitness accessories that help to remind, monitor and track your progress and success toward reaching your goals.
- Most Popular Articles in News
- The Ten Best Laptop bags
- Tata plans cheapest-ever car for Indian market
- GLOBALIZATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE THIRD WORLD
- Corn is good for you; Corn is not only a tasty treat, but also a cereal that ...
- THE 50 BEST STYLISH HANDBAGS TO CARRY
- More »
The best aid to good health and fitness is making sure you eat right and get adequate rest. Technology brings the right solution to this task as well by providing nutritional value information right to your hand. And for those with the latest cellular service, the food RDA and calorie counts are right at hand in your phone. Modern technological advances using Radio-Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) on food containers are even linking the nutritional value of those foods to the RFID-linked health records to match the health risks of the individual, allowing him or her to choose the right foods and the right amounts to stay fit. For those people with out cell phones, more grocery stores and convenience shops are providing interactive panels on grocery carts or adequately distributing them around the store to allow consumers free access to healthy food information. Parents trying to keep up with the nutrition of their children are able, with the use of computers, to gather information on the nutritional value of a myriad of food stuffs that children like. There are also software programs geared to kids to help them understand how to balance their diet and choose the right foods in an entertaining format to keep them engaged.
While balancing the right types of foods and amounts, it's always nice to have a professional around to help you know what exercises are best and to motivate you to maximize your exercise routine. Having a personal trainer makes a lot of sense, but this can be expensive for those on a limited budget. Fortunately, there are many good instructional CD-ROM programs that can get moving in the right direction.
A word of caution for everyone: Remember to have regular medical checkups and periodic: screening tests even though you are exercising regularly. Individuals who have any type of chronic disease--diabetes, hypertension, kidney dysfunction, arthritis--or those who are taking medication should consult their health care provider before starting an exercise routine.
WINSTON PRICE, M.D., FAAP
President
National Medical Association
COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
