The Official Book of Me: Tips for a Lifestyle of Health, Happiness & Wellness

introduction

THE OFFICIAL BOOK OF ME is a guide for you! Yes, you—that means it’s okay to flip through the pages, only answer the quizzes, check out just the parts that interest you, maybe read about the things you are not familiar with, or read the book in the traditional way from beginning to end. This book is a resource you can refer to for a lifetime.

Staying fit and eating healthy are things everyone wants to learn more about. You can always refer to this book to find a new sport or physical activity. And when do you ever stop wanting to feel good about yourself and learn new ways to help your inner beauty shine through or explore your spirituality? I refer to all these things as your wellness. Wellness includes everything about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual self . . . in short, your life.

The first part of the book deals with getting and staying fit. There are different options presented for physical fitness and sports, tips on eating right and sleeping enough, and fun facts and quizzes. It’s filled with practical advice and easy-to-follow steps that will help to guide you through a healthy day from the time you wake up in the morning to the time your head hits the pillow at night. You’ll learn that no matter what you see on TV or read in magazines, there is no such thing as perfect. No perfect body, no perfect food, no perfect exercise. Maybe this isn’t what you want to learn about at the moment or what you enjoy reading about, but regardless, it is there for when you are in the mood for tuning in to your health.

The second part of the book deals a lot with feelings, which we know are not black and white. You are a best friend, a daughter, a student, maybe a trendsetter, maybe a thrill seeker—how do you handle all this and not go insane? How do you help your unique beauty and personality shine through so that others can see how truly amazing you are? In this book, you’ll read about how you can deal with these issues, and you’ll find lots of tips and advice—everything you need to know to begin feeling self-confident and free to express yourself in your daily life.

And of course the two parts of this book cross over. We have all heard about how a good attitude and a positive outlook (emotional) can help cure certain illnesses (physical) and how when you feel good about yourself (emotional) you look good too (physical). An overall message of the book is that a good attitude helps with everything!

Being a girl today is terrific, terrifying, wonderful, and wacky—all at the same time. The Official Book of Me is here to help you learn how to live your amazing life to the fullest. So here we go. You’ll see—there’s a lot to learn.

chapter 1

KEEPING FIT

GET PUMPED

A BODY IN MOTION TENDS to stay in motion. Have you learned that yet in science class? This law of physics goes for people, too! If you’re physically active—dancing, jumping rope, playing sports, even just walking to a friend’s house—your body will respond by being a lot more energetic. And the more energy you have, the more ready you’ll be to tackle all the things that come up throughout the course of your day.

Before we begin, it’s important to know that exercise is already a part of your day, probably much more than you think. You go to school, right? You go up and down the steps, right? BINGO—you’re exercising. Do you ride a bike to a friend’s house, run an errand, or walk the dog? That’s exercise. Dance in your room or with your friends? That’s exercise too. Let’s explore ways to make exercise a fun part of your everyday routine.

THE LOWDOWN ON EXERCISE

EXERCISE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO two basic categories: cardiovascular and strength training. Cardiovascular is all about getting your heart rate up. It involves breaking a sweat for thirty minutes or longer, by going for a long jog or swimming laps, for example.

Strength training is designed to build muscle and tone your body. Lifting weights is the most popular form of strength training, but it’s not the only one. Yoga is also a form of strength training.

The goal is to come up with a routine that balances both kinds of exercise—one that you really enjoy. That way you’ll have a healthy heart and good muscle tone, and you’ll be a very happy person. Exercise is an important part of feeling good in both mind and body. Once you make exercise a part of your routine, you’ll notice how your mood improves every time you do it. Sound body, sound mind is how fitness experts describe the benefits of exercise.

NO GYM EQUIPMENT? NO EXCUSE!

A JUMP ROPE CAN ACT as a great piece of equipment for a variety of exercises.

• Hold one end of the rope in each hand and raise your hands over your head. Bend at the waist from side to side, stretching your waist and your arms.

• Hold one end of the rope in each hand and stretch your legs in the loop, one at a time.

• Jump rope and get your aerobic exercise. Skip rope down the street and see how quickly you get out of breath. Double Dutch with friends so your arms get a workout when it’s not your turn to jump. Then you jump twice as much when it’s your turn.

RIDING A BIKE