Healthy Lifestyle

My Advice on Achieving a Healthy and Active Lifestyle

Life is about choices, and living healthy is a daily choice. Choices on what one eats, drinks, thinks about, and how he or she sleeps and exercises will all add up to the kind of lifestyle one is practicing. The older I get, the more I know about this topic. I have shared some of my insights and observations to help you improve your habits and take care of your body.

Some Modern Health Issues

There is so much poison consumed by today’s society. The more obvious culprits are drugs and alcohol. However, there is something more sinister—fast food. It is more common and accepted by everyone. Hence, it has spiraled out of control.

Personally, I think it should be illegal to even call most of it food. The ingredients are mostly addictive chemicals. Fast food places are cheap on purpose, after all. Selling cheap, low-quality food is what gives them income. However, most of their profit margin comes from fountain drinks.

What I Discovered

How do I know all this? As a kid, I worked at Togo's, a reputable West Coast sandwich shop. Within 6 months, I climbed my way to "shift manager.” I was opening and closing the store with the alarm code, ordered inventory, scheduled employees, and did the books at the end of my shift.

During my stay, I learned a lot about food and labor costs. What stood out to me was the profit margin on our fountain drinks. This was the early 90s, and I remember a 32 oz. soda being sold for $1.19. If calculated, the cost to Togo's was $0.08: $0.04 for the cup, $0.01 for the lid, $0.01 for the straw, and $0.02 for the syrup.

As I got older, I started serving various restaurants. In these experiences, I learned the same thing about profit revolving around alcohol sales. I know that most people who enjoy nightlife simply chalk up the cost of alcoholic drinks as part of the entertainment cost. I’ve been in that situation too, and I have happily paid costly bar tabs when the group was having a good time.

On Sugary Drinks

I do not correlate drinking massive amounts of soda to having a good time or as an activity weaved into nightlife. I just feel as though society has been duped to consume liquid poison and the food is simply a lure. At fast food places, you can buy so much food for very little money. Combos, dollar menus, value meals, coupons—all meant to get people into the restaurant where 90% fall prey to the liquid poison.

The Solution

One person at a time will reverse the obesity epidemic. If one person avoids sugary drinks from food establishments, then surely more people will follow. I will offer my thoughts on eating, sleeping, and thinking right as well as tips to achieve a consistent exercise regimen. Through these, I will hopefully help readers start and follow a healthier lifestyle.

A Philosophy to Follow

I believe that life is about "Give and Take.” One has to give energy to get energy.

Applying this thought in my daily activities allows me to maintain a healthy regimen.