Staying healthy, eating right, and exercising isn’t just another chore to add to your to do list, a healthy and fit lifestyle can help you stay mentally focused as well. Even more important, it can set the stage for the rest of your life. Take it from Carolyn Moos, she’s not just an accomplished athlete (former WNBA player and Junior Olympic USA Basketball gold medalist) but she is an accomplished scholar as well (B.A. from Stanford and M.A. from University of Southern California where she focused on prevention over prescriptions and promotion of lifestyle modification). She is also an ACE certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant, providing online nutrition log analysis, menu planning by e-mail, phone and text. She works with everyone from pro athletes, to expectant mothers, students, elderly and elite/pro athletes. She is happy to share her wisdom with you and encourages you to visit her website at www.fitforlivinglife.com.

I spoke with her about how nutrition and exercise can help you stay focused in high school, but I learned so much more. Now I’m sharing with you her best advice for getting healthy in high school and staying healthy for life.

Tip One: Healthy Habits Start Now.

Carolyn says that people begin to form their habits from day one, nutrition and exercise habits have an accumulative affect throughout your life. So it’s best to start a healthy lifestyle when you’re young and even a mother’s habits affect the development of her child before they are born. “Teenagers are the target market because its difficult once the teenager turns into a young adult and the young adult turns into a thirty year old or forty year old who are seeking to make those exercise and nutrition changes becomes much more difficult for them…it’s really a combination of habits for life. “. So don’t wait, this is your cue, get started now or, if you are trying already, keep it up.

Tip Two: Eat every 3 hours with correct ratios of food groups to sustain your blood glucose levels and to Stay Focused in School.

That starts with breakfast. “Working with schools in California, I noticed a discrepancy with children who didn’t eat breakfast. This really affects their mental and physical peformance.” You need to eat steady throughout the day and ideally this means every 3 hours. “Nutrition effects blood glucose levels which are the primary source of mental and physical energy. I saw some children who were close to be misdiagnosed with ADD and this can be correlated to blood glucose levels being low and the combination of nutrition and exercise both contribute to students not performing well in school.”

To save time, Carolyn recommends taking about fifteen minutes to lay out your breakfast and snacks each night. “Breakfast is like homework…every night I set out my breakfast, my 10:30 snack, my 3:00 snack, and my post workout snack. Planning, preparation and storage are the most important aspects while seeking to be consistent with your nutrition and wellness. ”

Tip Three: Give Yourself a Mental Boost with Some Physical Activity.

Sitting all day in a classroom might be a fact of academic life, but get some exercise to stay alert and perform at your best. Academic pressure can raise the levels of cortisol, the “stress hormone,” but exercise can help counter that by releasing endorphins, the “feel good” hormone. “Endorphins and cortisol are serious components to feeling your best. When there is a lot of pressure to perform academically that raises cortisol and if you don’t have a physical outlet for both the right and left side of the brain and you focus too much energy on performing then it stops your progress. Without a physical outlet it’s very difficult to be an intellectual robot. Exercise sets the tone for concentration and makes for a better human being. ”

It can also help with those high school blues. “Fitness is a great way for finding friends, feeling good about yourself, and for teenagers to have something outside of academics.” Connect, have fun and get fit in the process!

Tip Four: Include Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility in Your Fitness Program.

Strength training does more than build muscle “…it also gives you a sense of going beyond limits. It also boosts your basal metabolic rate due to lean muscle mass, which is ideal.” Cardio builds endurance, which keeps your heart healthy and gets your blood flowing, and yoga is great for flexibility and endurance muscle work. Carolyn also believes yoga is good for your state of mind: “I practice and teach yoga. I think yoga is a practice of internal awareness and looking within to find yourself. It promotes internal focus. ”

It is really up to you how to get exercise and be creative! If you find an activity you enjoy, you are more motivated. If you’re not sure what kinds of activities you like, try a variety; hiking, dancing, swimming, and casual sports are all fun ways to get your exercise.

Tip Five: Eat Quality Foods in the Right Proportions and macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and good fats).

There is no one magic food that will carry you through your busy schedule, you need the right combinations of carbs, proteins, and good fats. “When you think about what are the best foods make sure you get the right ratios at any given meal. You want quality of food groups in the correct ratios, and then quantity can be calculated based on your personal goals. Carolyn designs menu plans by phone, e-mail and text.”

If you’re not sure what’s considered “quality” food, just keep the basics in mind. Whole grains, lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies, and unsaturated and omega 3 fats are the building blocks of any healthy meal. To get inspired, go to www.fitforlivinglife.com and download Carolyn Moos’ free power foods shopping list. She breaks the list down by category (carbs, proteins, and fats) to help you keep a balanced meal plan.

Tip Six: Multi-task to make time for a workout.

Busy people can still make their health a priority. By multitasking and planning ahead in other aspects of your life you can save time enough to get some exercise. Cook food in the oven while you do laundry and e-mails. Buy a mini freezer, stock up at Costco and save money and time by storing your food and planning ahead of time. If you still don’t have a lot of time, be sure to up the intensity of your shorter workouts. You can also replace some of your entertainment “down time” with exercise. “I think working out is a good mental escape” Moos says. She suggests working out with no other distractions other than music, as it really is your time to get away mentally. Yet if you really have no time at all to work out on a given day, you can make other healthy choices. Eating healthful meals and avoiding drugs and alcohol will promote a healthy body even if you can’t work out. Carolyn has never drank alcohol and has been very health conscious with her nutrition since day one. She promotes wellness from the inside out and starts from the very first choices we make.

Tip Seven: Take Baby Away from Junk Food.

Carolyn said caffeine and sugar are the biggest junk food concerns because they are hard to give up. Carolyn never drinks coffee maybe tea once every couple months and does not consume any sugar. “When I work with clients who are seeking to get off caffeine and sugar, I reduce the grams about 10% to 20% per week for a gradual progression as they work towards their goals. It is literally a physiological response, so you have to make gradual changes as they are easier to handle and sustain for a lifetime.”

It’s also important for people to replace the junk food with healthy alternatives. She recommends whole fresh fruit to fix a sweet craving. She also points out how you can have fun with frozen fruit like strawberries or melon on a stick, or frozen dark grapes in the summer.

Tip Eight: Get Moving with Baby Steps Too.

People who haven’t had much exercise don’t need to do extreme workouts. It’s important that people take it slow and build fitness into their life for good. They should find something that they truly enjoy. “Introduce Zumba, introduce hip hop dance or something that they really enjoy as then they will loose track of time.” Finding what you love to do is key to longevity and sustainability.

Tip Nine: Don’t Be Embarrassed, Exercise is Right for Everyone.

Even if you think you’re clumsy or awkward, and you don’t feel like you fit in with the athletic crowd, you can still get a lot of joy and fun from exercising. Again it comes down to finding what’s right for you. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find the right activity quickly:

“not everybody is going to be at the same level especially from sixth grade to ninth grade that’s when you’re just figuring yourself out. Find out who you are and what you enjoy. ” Encourage teens to be accepting of others, while they uplift and encourage themselves in that process.

You would think an accomplished athlete like Carolyn Moos wouldn’t understand what it’s like to not fit in, but even she understands: “It’s funny because, even though I was super athletic and coordinate, I can relate because I was 6 feet in middle school…I had that feeling like “where do I fit in?” I soon began to embrace my uniqueness and didn’t want to change it for anything.” So no matter how out of place you feel, just remember you are important and your health should be a priority. When you get moving doing something fun, you’ll forget about the excuses and feel good about yourself. Be fit and live your life! www.fitforlivinglife.com