Find Your Comfort Zone: Healthy Lifestyle Not About the Numbers

For the same reason everyone looks and acts differently, so too is their general health makeup. An exercise regimen may work wonders with some people, while for others not much improvement is noticed no matter how hard one tries. That is because each and every one of us has our own unique makeup.

The key to staying healthy can be elusive. But with good eating habits, support from loved ones, and a mental attitude that won’t take second best as an option, all of us can find that comfort zone to good general health.

Caroline Kelly, an instructor at Jones County Junior College (JCJC) in Ellisville, is a statuesque woman who has experienced all the ups and downs in regards to her general health. A Master’s Degree in exercise physiology has taught her the technical dynamics of general health, but did not necessarily translate to a healthy lifestyle for her.

“I’ve always been a very active person,” says Kelly, who at 32 still exercises to stay in shape. “I played basketball throughout high school at West Jones and Division I basketball with Mississippi State University. But my weight wasn’t what I wanted it to be once I stopped playing competitive sports. I knew there were other habits I needed to get to the point I wanted. So I had to shift gears.”

Good Eating Habits Start at Home

The foundation for good eating habits and good wholesome foods was always there for Kelly. Her mother always fixed well-balanced meals for dinner and Kelly’s grandparents had a massive garden where fresh produce was always close at hand.

“This goes back to the values we were brought up with,” Kelly says. “Sure, the fresh vegetables and the good food were a big plus. But we also looked at suppertime as a period to be together as a family. We caught up on what happened during the day. Combine that with good eating habits, and the basis for good health is there both physically and mentally.”

Find the Right Workout for You

But good meals aren’t enough. Exercise in the form of walking, jogging, or riding a bike are needed to keep the muscles toned, the heart rate strong, and the mind sharp. Kelly says she employs many different exercises, usually depending on the weather and the time of year.

Along with her husband, Jim Kelly, Caroline Kelly loves to do something very simple in order to give her the workout she is looking for. “We walk our dogs together a great deal,” she says. “Sometimes it can be a good challenge to try and keep up with the dogs. If I want to get more of a workout, I’ll run the bleachers at Jones County Junior College. Now that is a workout.”

At other times she’ll employ Pilates or yoga. Those exercises really help to reduce the stress in her life. Kelly says stress tends to break down her body; she tries to identify where the stress is coming from in her life and works to reduce it any way she can.

Stress from work is a major detriment to good overall health. Kelly tries to keep work at JCJC and not bring it home. “I absolutely love my job but it can be very stressful at times,” says Kelly. “But I just keep everything in its proper place; I try hard to leave work at work.”

Variety Is Key to Motivation

Kelly goes by the motto of eat, drink, and be merry.

“I eat all the time, I just don’t eat a whole lot at one time,” she says. “I try never to get hungry and I drink lots of water. But I don’t go for ‘health foods.’ I eat what I want and enjoy, just not in excess.”

Kelly cautions those who eat for a period of time and then starve themselves to try and lose weight. This can hurt your body. Find that middle ground and stick to it.

Other Good Habits

Try to stick to good sleeping habits. For example, limit naps to 30 minutes or less, and go to bed and get up at the same times every day. “The body has to have some down time to recover and recharge itself,” Kelly says.

Writing down all your health goals can help. If you come up with a plan, it is easier to achieve your goals.

Healthy Relationships: Healthy Body

Kelly says she is blessed to have a husband like Jim who is behind her 100%. Jim also joins her in many of her exercises and beliefs in regards to a healthy lifestyle.

“My husband is my biggest supporter,” says Kelly. “We are very conscious of our bodies and what we put in them. He inspires me each and every day to live healthy. I get the feeling he wants me around for a long while. Which is nice to know.”

Positive Attitudes Are Personal

Kelly says she is genuinely happy. But she realizes that happiness is ultimately up to her, no matter how many people are supporting her. No one else can do it but her. She is the one who has to look in the mirror every day and ask, “Are you happy with what you see?”

“I smile a lot,” she says. “It makes me and those around me feel good. It’s that positive attitude coming out. I can’t help it.”

And then there is the spiritual aspect of a person as it pertains to their health and the body God gave them in which to move through this world. “God is very important in this because without Him you aren’t healthy spiritually,” Kelly says. “How can you expect to be healthy physically when you don’t have a healthy soul?”

Kelly says a healthy lifestyle is all about choices. It is the choices we make today that will affect us later in life. And healthy choices will help that life be a long and joyous one.