Living a Healthy Life

In the fast paced world that we live in it can be easy to neglect our healthy life and wellness. We’re so busy racing through our day to day lives ñ family, friends, work, social engagements ñ that we donít take the time to look after ourselves. Itís really no wonder that so many of us are tired and run down. What are some simple things that we can do to improve our quality of life?

Youíve heard it a million times and youíll probably hear it a million more for a healthy life drink more water!

Think about it: The human body is 72% water. A 5% drop in fluids creates a 25-30% loss in energy. A 15% drop in fluids causes death! At this point in time 66% of us arenít drinking enough water, so over half the population isnít running on all six cylinders to begin with ñ before things like bad air, bad food and stress take their toll.

Itís not really a difficult thing to remedy. Just drink one glass of water every half hour or so ñ or 10-12 glasses of water per day ñ and youíll notice a huge jump in your energy levels.

Living Food and a Healthy  Life

A little known fact is that heating food above 116∞F destroys much of the nutrient content. Considering that we already arenít eating enough veggies, thatís a fairly substantial problem. Nutritionists recommend five serves of fresh vegetables per day. How many of us are actually taking that advice?

A great way to get the nutrients found in fresh veggies without spending all day at stove or eating raw celery sticks is to juice your veggies. Make sure that you own a good juicer (some juicers expose vegetables to heat created by friction during juicing, which breaks down important enzymes), grab some fresh vegetables and drink your way to good health. It takes a fraction of the time (thereís no cooking involved, for one thing) and itís convenient. You can take your juice to work and even give some to the littlies for school lunches!

Wheatgrass in particular is an excellent source of nutrition. Itís high in chlorophyll (sometimes described as ëplant bloodí because it closely resembles human red blood cell molecules) and has over 100 elements that the body needs. Fresh grains are another excellent source for vitamins and minerals.

Energy In Energy Out

Exercise is another dirty word for most of us. The thing is, exercise doesnít have to be horribly time consuming or mind-numbingly boring. There are plenty of options.

Years ago gyms usually offered weight rooms, aerobics classes and maybe a tydro-circuit. Now you can add water aerobics, yoga, pilates, dance-ercise, step classes and a whole range of new workout options.

If you donít really have the time or money for the gym, or prefer to spend your mornings/nights at home, then try an exercise bike or walker. Iíd be lost without my exercise bike ñ I set it up in front of the television and peddle away merrily during my favourite shows.

If, like me, you suffer from illness or injury or your level of fitness is quite low, you might like to consider some invaluable advice that I got from my doctor:

Once youíre physically unfit, and particularly if youíre also unwell, it can be a mammoth battle to just do the most minimal amount of exercise in a day. The danger is that inactivity leads to further loss of energy, which becomes a self-perpetuating cycle until you can barely get off the couch.

An excellent way to get back into a healthy life physical routine is to start slowly. Ridiculously slowly, it may seem. For the first couple of weeks, walk/ride for 5 minutes per day ñ exactly 5 minutes, no more, even if you think you could continue. When the 2 weeks are up, increase to 7 minutes, then 10 minutes, 12 minutesÖ continue to gradually increase your activity until youíre at a level that youíre comfortable with.

It may sound a little silly, but it works. In effect, you trick your body into producing more energy. Youíre building your exercise time up so slowly that your body doesnít really realise whatís happening. Follow this method and, before you know it, youíll be comfortably exercising within your limits every day.

So, folks, thatís the basics. If you can rearrange your life a little to allow for better eating habits and a little exercise, and if you remember to just drink a glass of water every half hour or so, youíll be well on the way to living a healthy life. On a final note, donít forget to take some quiet time for yourself. Meditating is an excellent way to minimise stress. You donít have to sit around for hours, just give yourself 5 minutes of quiet time every day ñ even in the shower, if thatís the only place where you can get time out ñ and have a little catch up with yourself.

And, last but by no means least, laugh! In fact, laugh like a loon ñ the louder the better! Youíll be amazed at how much such a simple thing can lift your spirits!