How is Frank Davis healthy?

One of my goals this year has been to get back in shape and stay healthy. For me, staying healthy means watching what I eat and staying active while enjoying my free time. Being a full-time college student and a part-time employee, it is very difficult to balance a school life, a work life and a social life. However, I found that I feel healthiest and happiest when all of these facets are functioning well and working together.

I am a very detailed and schedule-orientated person. Staying healthy requires that I stick to a schedule every day of every week. Each morning I wake up at seven o’clock. While most of my commitments do not begin until late morning (usually around 11) I find this the perfect time to squeeze in a “wake-me-up” work-out. Some mornings I drag myself to the gym and spend a minimum of a half hour doing cardio and a half hour doing weight training. Other mornings, I throw in one of my many yoga DVDs and “relax while building strength” in my living room. Mixing it up from day to day keeps me from getting bored; ergo I am more enthusiastic and prone to sticking with my schedule. Recently, I have made the decision to buy a bicycle. While I haven’t made this purchase yet, I am very excited about the possibilities for activity that this will open up (both leisure and for exercise).

Another important part of my ‘stay healthy’ regimen is eating right. This is sometimes the most difficult part of it all. Having such a tremendously heavy load of commitments within a day, it’s very easy to sometimes want to slip up and grab a burger or slice of pizza from the closest restaurant. Until recently, ordering out was my weakness. It was all too easy to come home from a day at the office or school and just order something from one of the local restaurants. Unfortunately, that became an all-too-expensive weakness.

Instead, I now cook 90% of all my meals at home. Cooking has become a treat for me. It’s very methodical in nature and thus very calming and soothing. After a long day at school or work I look forward to coming home and preparing the newest find from my cookbook.  Either in the morning or the night before, I plan each meal for the day. If I know I will not be around the house for lunch, I pack something to take along with me. I’ve always favored a big salad, and more often than not, that’s what I pack to bring with me to work or class. Over the past year or so, I’ve been trying to stay away from red meat. It’s not something I’ve been told I should do to reduce cholesterol or anything (although my family does have a history of high cholesterol and heart problems), it’s just that I’ve always favored chicken, turkey, and fish over burgers and steak.

Aside from all of the eating right and staying active, I feel that having a good social life is very important to my health. Not only in terms of my psychological well being but it also plays a huge part in keeping me healthy. My friends and family have always been a huge part of my life. Without many of them, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. Without them I wouldn’t be able to continue being the person that I strive to be. I know that I only have this one life and that I should make the most of it. Eating healthy, exercising and spending time with my friends are the most important on a list of many things that ensure that I will live this life to its fullest.

-- Frank Davis
Chicago

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