Fuel Your Body

Getting fit has become complicated. Health and fitness experts have supported so many different diets and offered so many different products over the years that it makes the average person's head spin when trying to keep up with the latest craze.

What is important to remember when considering all the different options out there, including what gym to choose, what exercises to do, what food to eat, etc., is what your goals are. Most likely, they're similar to everyone else's: Look great and be healthy.

So before you down the next questionable chemical-laden diet drink or upset your stomach by taking vitamin pills with unknown ingredients, remember this simple list of healthy pointers, (and they're so common sense that they won't be hard to keep in mind).

• Do what makes you happy. If a certain gym appeals to you, great. If walking outside or riding your bike appeals more, do that. You won't be able to stick with something you don't enjoy.
• Listen to your body. If what you are doing makes you sick or overly tired, you aren't doing it right. That includes what you eat. A good fitness regime, combined with appropriate nutrition, will only boost your energy and make you feel better, not worse. If it doesn't, change your diet and cut your workouts in half. Give yourself a chance to build up to more intense sessions.
• Eat what you know is right. Or, even better, eat what you know. If a supplement contains unknown ingredients or items that sound like they came right from a chemical factory (aspartame, neotame, saccharine), they aren't good for you.
• Get your recommended daily dose. That includes following the government-sponsored FIVE-A-DAY program, which suggests you eat between five and nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day, combined with whole grains, soy and nuts.
• Add color to your life! The wider the variety of colorful fruits and vegetables you eat, the more health benefits you get. That's because different colors contain different phytochemicals, which are plant-based compounds that work to fight cancer, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and so much more!

There are products that offer all-natural, whole food supplements without any added sugar, fillers or artificial sweeteners. They are hard to find, but just do your research. If you read the label and don't understand the ingredients, don't buy it.

One product, DEFENDER, offers all natural, whole-food fruits and vegetables that are freeze-dried while ripe to form a special proprietary blend that makes the perfect morning smoothie. It's a great way to get the nutrients you need to start out the right way, and you'll meet your recommended FIVE-A-DAY of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables all in one delicious drink.

Even better, DEFENDER combines all the power-packed goodness of 40 different fruits and vegetables with the appetite suppressant and metabolism-boosting properties of green tea. Your body will tell you you're doing the right thing when you start feeling better and looking better, and most people notice results in as few as three days. Just always remember: Do what makes you happy, look great, and be healthy.