4 WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY
How much would you pay for the elixir of life? How long have you spent looking for a magic formula which will make all your dreams come true? The answer is to stop looking and do the very best with what you already have. Follow my 4 step plan and reap the benfit.
1 FOCUS
Have you ever watched a child absorbed in play. The most outstanding feature is their absorption – total concentration on what they are doing. As we get older most of us lose this ability; we are easily sidetracked by the minutiae of everyday life. No matter whether we are working, retired or at home looking after children, there always seems to be an unending list of things that need to be done – so much so that we cannot decide where to start. The first trick here is to make a list of everything that you must do, put it into order of importance and work your way through it. The second trick is to learn to focus on the job in hand and not to be side-tracked by any others. Make sure that you have everything to hand before you start – and start. Learn to enjoy everything that you do, even if it is only a daily chore – do it quicker, better, a different way – anything that will give it an interest. One last point, no time-table is set in stone (not even British Rail) so if time runs out or something else becomes more important, stop. Re-schedule the job and focus on the one that is now in hand.
2 SLEEP
All living creatures sleep. It is the time that the body renews itself. Have on average 8 hours sleep and, if at all possible, try to keep to regular times - from about 10.00pm to about 6.00pm is optimum in general. Take time to prepare yourself for sleep. If there is anything on your mind, write it down so that your mind does not spend the night trying to remember it. Keep a notebook by the bed so that, if you do wake in the night with a problem, it can be written down in the same way. Read light or /and uplifting books before you sleep to quieten your thoughts and put yourself in the right frame of mind for sleep (Do not watch the late TV news of war etc). Ensure that the room is quiet, dark and well ventilated. Our body is designed to repair itself in the dark and without this darkness does not produce the correct chemicals.
One last point; if you worry about waking up in time for work or catching a train or getting the children to school, invest in an alarm clock – but be woken gently not with a strident bell. This will allow you to concentrate on sleeping without the worry of oversleeping. Sweet dreams!
3 EXERCISE
Man (or women) is designed to move – so move. Books on health and exercise vary but aim for 30 - 60mins a day spread throughout as convenient. This can include all the walking that you do to and from shops or work, but aim to walk briskly – not a dawdle whilst chatting with friends. Other types of exercise are also beneficial so that you can work all your muscle groups or be more aerobic. Whatever you do, even if it is only walking, have a routine, enjoy it, but most of all stick to it.
4 DIET
All the diet books say it – lots of fruit and vegetables a day, and many say minimum or no tea, coffee or alcohol. The trick is to find what works for you whilst actually following some guidelines instead of just reading about them. The best diet to follow is no-diet, but just good quality, fresh, non-processed food – and certainly no fast food, except on the rarest occasion. Don’t be put off foods because they are bad for you or make you fat – have a small amount as a treat for doing some other task. Remember a treat is just that, a treat, meant for occasional indulgence.
Which brings me neatly to the conclusion. Carryout the four steps above and you should notice improvements. The main guideline is moderation. Moderation in everything - don’t be excessive about anything and don’t be a bore about anything. What you are aiming for is quality, in work, sleep, diet and exercise - after all if rubbish in – rubbish out is true, you need to make sure that there is enough left to make you healthy, wealthy and wise?