Commentary: Resilience gets assist from daily activity and healthy eating

  • Published
  • By Katherine Amarelo
  • Air Force District of Washington Office of Manpower & Personnel
Resilience gives you the power to bounce back from disappointments, tragedies and life changing events. Lucky for us, an old dog can indeed learn new tricks.

Resilience can be learned and further developed as life throws you new curve balls. The following are two of the highlights from the Air Force District of Washington Manpower and Personnel (AFDW/A1) Capital Wingman Culture Resilience event Feb. 29, 2012.

Be Active in Your Life
Leaving the office to exercise can be difficult. However, the extra dose of sunshine and vitamin D can boost your spirits. Whether it's a walk to the post office or a jog around the track, make sure to fit in time for exercise.

If it's impossible to leave your desk while at work, and family life precludes a workout at home, consider doing some simple desk exercises that can help maintain flexibility and increase muscle tone.

Doing push-ups and triceps dips against your desk will help wake you up and gives you stronger arms. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator throughout the day will help to keep your heart young, and it's a great way to cope with job-related stress.

Need more ideas for office workouts? Contact the base health and wellness center at 240-857-3432.

Practice Healthy Eating
For your afternoon snack, instead of heading to the vending machines to get a sugar fix, bring a healthy snack from home.

Carrots and grapes provide a healthy dose of vitamins, while almonds and other nuts are heart healthy and can help lower cholesterol. Add some berries to a single serving of plain yogurt, top with some granola and you have an instant yogurt parfait.

Don't forget to drink water! Drinking plenty of water can make you feel more full at mealtimes and helps clean toxins from the body. If you don't already have a reusable water bottle, be sure to recycle store-bought bottles - this will save you money over time.

Skipping that afternoon fix of sugar at the vending machine will also save you money over time. If you put the $1.25 that you would have spent on your daily candy bar in a piggy bank, you could save $6.25 a week or $25 a month. Think about it...Turks and Caicos here you come!