Taking care
Keeping yourself healthy means taking control of your health – and medication is only one part. It means learning about the disease and how it affects the body, keeping a regular schedule, eating well, exercising and, of course, finding spiritual balance.
Tips on helping you find balance
If you are on medication, taking your medication consistently and as prescribed by your doctor is a key component to managing HIV; but so is maintaining or adopting good habits like exercise and eating well. Though you’ve been faced with a challenging disease, it is only one aspect of the total you. Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle may help you make the most of every day.
Strike a balance
Make sure you keep on (or start!) engaging in such good-for-you activities as exercising regularly, eating healthful and properly prepared foods, spending time outside in parks and nature, and avoiding excess alcohol or recreational drug consumption.
Exercise: A step in the right direction
Good for the mind, body and soul
The benefits of regular, moderate physical activity are numerous, whether as a great stress reliever, helping you look terrific in your clothes, or making you feel comfortable and capable in your own body. Find an activity – or activities – you enjoy and look forward to doing. Starting with just 30 minutes a day on most days of the week is all it takes to get you on the path to a healthier activity level. Start small – walk a few blocks instead of driving or taking the bus all the way to your destination, take the stairs instead of the elevator… Remember, it’s by burning energy that you gain energy!
There are three main components to becoming physically fit: flexibility, strength and cardiovascular conditioning, and different types of activities correspond to these different components.
Types of activities and the areas of the body they work
| Flexibility | Strength | Cardiovascular |
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Examples:
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Examples:
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Examples:
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| Add your own activities in the appropriate columns and make sure to do a variety of each exercise to avoid boredom! | ||
A balance of all three will provide you with the best recipe for physical fitness.
Strength training can also:
- Increase metabolism
- Increase bone density
- Positively impact blood fat levels (increase HDL cholesterol and reduce LDL cholesterol)
- Increase endurance (allow you to perform physical tasks with greater ease)
Whatever you choose to do, remember that it will be easier to stick with an exercise regimen if you actually enjoy what you’re doing. And don’t forget to pencil in some time for rest and recuperation!
Eat well – eat wisely!
Choose the foods that you put into your body with care
Eating a variety of foods using Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating is a good start for making healthful food choices. Eating whole grains, vegetables, fruits, good-quality proteins and foods low in saturated and trans fats will help keep your body strong and provide much-needed energy. For people living with HIV, because their immune system is weakened, it is especially important to cook foods properly to avoid harmful bacteria that can arise from foods cooked at the incorrect temperature.
Mind your mind!
Keeping a positive mental outlook and a good attitude goes hand in hand with eating well and becoming physically fit
Reduce the amount of stress in your day by taking a few moments to do something you enjoy like meditating, reading, napping, etc. Give yourself lots of time to accomplish things. Set realistic goals for yourself in terms of relationships with others. One of the best ways to monitor ongoing issues and to reign in negative thoughts is to write them down.
Remember that your doctor is a valuable resource and can help not only with physical concerns but emotional issues as well. You are never alone in that help is there if you reach out for it..
