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Living the healthiest way we can is
the only true prevention for the many serious illnesses that are
around today, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic
fatigue, as well as the niggles like colds, flus, achy joints or
the occasional headache. If we're not actually ill, we consider
ourselves to be healthy. But when I talk about wellness, I'm not
just talking preventing illness, I mean the state of feeling vibrantly
alive and energetic.
There are many components that contribute
to wellness. Walt Stoll talks of the three-legged-stool approach
to healing - whole foods, exercise and skilled relaxation. And the
fourth leg of attitude also makes a big difference.
Let's look at what's involved here
in a bit more detail. Don't be put off by what seems a huge and
impossible list. Any little change you can make to help your energy
levels and physical reserves will be beneficial. And that may give
you the energy you need to make more changes. Somebody once said
that, with health, you get 80% of the benefit from 20% of the changes.
So start with a change that seems fairly easy, and take it from
there.
Nutrition
Although food is the building block
of our bodies, and literally "we are what we eat", everything
we put into (or onto) our bodies has an effect. In his book
“Never
be Sick Again”, Raymond Francis says that there is only
one disease – cell dysfunction – and only two causes
of disease – lack of nutrients, and too many toxins. So aim
to maximise nutrient intake and avoid as many toxins as possible.
- Food - The closer we can
get to a fresh, organic, whole
food diet, the better. If you have an extreme metabolism,
you will need to take that into account. And if you have food
intolerances, you will need to avoid the offending foods at
least for a while.
- Water - Our cells are largely
made up of water, so we need to drink freely. But avoid toxins
such as chlorine and fluoride. Most experts recommend 8 glasses
(2 litres) of water a day. Or for a slightly more personalised
approach, Paul Chek recommends you halve your weight in pounds
to find out how many ounces of water you need a day. But some
people need a lot more, depending on how much exercise they do
and how much they sweat, for example. And some people need less,
especially in winter.
- Supplements - The right supplements,
carefully chosen, can enhance your health and wellbeing, but are
not a fix-all for an unhealthy lifestyle. Consult a good health
care practitioner to be sure you’re getting the right ones.
- Prescription drugs - Sometimes
we need to resort to these. But they nearly always have side-effects,
and doctors often don't tell you about those. So they are best
kept to a minimum, and avoided unless essential.
- Recreational drugs - Small
amounts of marijuana or the occasional glass of wine may have
therapeutic effects on certain conditions. But otherwise, recreational
drugs will not improve your physical health.
Other Inputs
- Air - A most important nutrient
that we need constantly. Breathing correctly can make a huge difference
to how you feel. It's important that we breathe clean air,
and many people are now sensitive to various air pollutants
- Avoid cigarette smoke and other
air borne pollutants as much as possible
- When choosing house cleaning
products, remember that cleaners and detergents have
varying amounts of environmental and heavy metal poisons in
them. Air fresheners, for example, oftenhave a toxic chemical
in them called paradichlorobenzene.
- When buying new cars, furniture
or appliances, be aware they may give off fumes from the plastics
used to make them, and air them as much as possible before
use. For example:
- Permanent press drapes and sheets, particle board furniture,
and synthetic carpets and rugs leach formaldehyde fumes
- Pure wool carpets may be chemically treated to prevent
moths eating them
- Foam rubber cushions leach both pesticide and formaldehyde
fumes?
- Some people have become very
sick after doing house renovations, and eventually tracked
their symptoms to fumes from the materials used. Some
helpful sites include The
Healthy House Institute, American
Lung Association Health House and The
Healthy House UK. Some of the NZ suppliers listed on the
Where To Shop page supply environmentally
friendly household products, including paints.
- Cosmetics - Everything we
put on our skin is also absorbed into our bodies and can affect
our health. So be aware of what is in your shower gel, shampoo,
face cream, lipstick and perfume. There are some companies who
produce good quality natural personal care products, but most
do not. You can make your own massage lotions, moisturisers and
fragrances using essential oils and cold-pressed carrier oils.
- Radiation and EMFs (Electro Magnetic Fields)
- These can have insidous effects on us. Reduce exposure as much
as possible:
- Avoid non-essential medical treatments, such as x-rays
- Keep cell phone use to an absolute minimum (1 minute per
day max)
- Sit at least 2 feet away from your computer monitor, and
get the case as far away as possible – at least a metre.
If you can afford an LCD (flat) monitor, these put out less
electromagnetic radiation than CRT (std) ones, as well as
being easier on your eyes.
- Avoid living near power sub-stations, power pylons, overhead
power lines, or cell phone transmitter towers
- Internal stress - Clear your mind of negative
thoughts, beliefs and attitudes using Emotional
Freedom Technique, NLP, hypnotherapy, counselling, coaching
or whatever works for you.
Exercise
- Aerobic exercise - The minimum
amount of aerobic exercise for good health is generally considered
to be 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week. The maximum is harder to
define and is very personal. Remember that the more you exercise,
the more rest and recovery you need. And that excessive amounts
of exercise can actually be detrimental to your health
- Resistance exercise - Bones
don't grow unless they are stressed. So resistance exercise is
also vital for top condition.
- Stretching - After you work
your muscles, you need to stretch them out again. And one or two
longer sessions a week are most beneficial for elongating tight
muscles and releasing tension. Yoga and Pilates are two
modes of exercise that combine strength and stretching exercises
- Energy exercises
- Yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Kung are exercise systems that are designed
to improve the flow of energy, or chi, through your body. "Energy
Medicine" by Donna Eden and "How
To Eat, Move and Be Healthy!" by Paul Chek both have
good ranges of "energy exercises" .
- Special exercises - For example
: pelvic floor exercises for women, eye exercises for long or
short sightedness, breathing exercises for asthma, rebounding
for lymphatic drainage.
- Down time - Don't forget
your rest days, when your body can recover and grow stronger.
Rest and Recreation
All work and no play makes Jack a very
sick boy. Make time for at least some of these elements or the rest
is a waste of time and energy, really.
- Sleep - Everybody needs different
amounts of sleep. But work, stress and exercise will all increase
your need. It is vital to get enough regular sleep to allow your
body to regenerate. Most people need around 8 hours of sleep a
night and many of us don’t get enough. Also try to be asleep
by 10.30 each night to stay in tune with circadian rhythms. If
this is a problem area for you, check out Dr Mercola's guide
to sleep.
- Skilled relaxation - Blobbing
out in front of the TV doesn't count, because your mind doesn't
switch off. There are many ways to achieve an alpha state eg.
meditation, reiki and biofeedback, but it is a skill that you
need to consciously learn. 20 minutes, twice a day, will allow
your body to release pent-up stresses that you may not even be
aware of.
- Time with family and friends
- Needed for physical, emotional and mental wellbeing
- Leisure activities - Go on,
have some fun! You might like it.
- Bodywork - Massage, Reiki,
Alexander Technique and many other bodywork techniques can increase
your physical wellbeing.
- Therapeutic treatments -
If you need emergency help, go immediately to a medical centre.
But for chronic conditions, the right natural therapy combined
with the appropriate lifestyle factors might be all you need.
Attitude
The ABC's of attitude :
- Action - Without action,
no amount of attitude will do the job. But a positive outlook
and goals that motivate you will enhance the action you take.
- Balance - It is easy to focus
on one aspect and neglect the rest. But having some balance in
your life is vital.
- Commitment - Strangely, commitment
makes it easier to take action. Once you know you're not going
to eat sugar, for example, there is no need to decide whether
to have that piece of cake or not. You already know you won't.
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