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The Building Blocks of Optimal Health
1. Exercise- You simply can not achieve optimal health if you do not employ exercise for your health prescription! You do not have to run each morning along mountain paths in order to get the benefits of exercise. Moderate exercise can make a decisive difference in your health- improving rhe quality of life AND the length of your life. Try walking 5 times a week uninterrupted for 30 minutes. If at first you are not comfortable with a brisk pace, then walk slowly. Build up over time to a faster rate. There is no rush! Even at slow speeds you are changing your body mechanics and physiology. Do resistance training (light weights) at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. This helps build strong bones , improves muscle tone and helps maintain (amongst other things) good control of your blood sugar. Even if you are not able to walk there are exercises designed for you while chair or even bed bound.
2. Diet- No matter how many supplements you may consume or diet/ low fat meals that you purchase, there is no substitute for a well balanced diet. It fuels your body, helps moderate aging and plays a key role in fighting and preventing disease. Eating fast foods and processed products simply does supply your body with the nutrition it needs. You may have special needs that require nutrition plans uniquely tailored to your requirements to help lose weight (high protein, low calorie, low carbs ), deal with high blood pressure (consider the DASH diet ) or help control heart problems (low salt). For most, the Mediterranean Diet has proven to extend life and contribute to an enjoyable life style. The diet stresses omega 3 fatty acids ("good" fats like olive oil), vegetables and salads, dairy, limited amounts of beef, fish and whole grains.
3. Good Medicine- When you need medical help, be sure to pick a health professional who holds your well being as the first priority. While most physicians have your best interests above all else it is important to ask whether they have financial incentives (for example) to withold care (this could happen with some insurance plans that incentivize the physician who limits costly procedures and medications) or to utilize unnecessary procedures and tests (this could happen when your provider profits by these referrals). Select a physician and office staff that sit well with you personally. Ideally, your physician will integrate allopathic (Western) care with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). That way you will get the best of both worlds. Last, be sure that your doctor wants YOU to be empowered and that s/he puts you in control of your health and well being.
4. Relaxation/Attitude- Your attutude can make incredible differences in the outcome of disease and in the prevention of illness. It is vital that you recognize how much the mind and the body (immune sysytem, organs, etc.) are interconnected. For this reason, it is vital to allow your mind and your body to truly rest. Few of us in our milieu have the skills needed to RELAX. Consider Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation,imaging mindfulness, music therapy, hypnosis and massage. These are powerful tools.
5. Prayer and Spirituality- We live in a diverse community and each of us perceives of spiritual issues as if we were looking at our universe through a kaleidoscope. Each one of us focuses on one part of the multicolor glass and that is how we decide to gaze upon the world around us. Regardless of how we interpret our world/cosmos, we are united, I believe, by an extraordinary force. Those who do not appreciate the existence of spirit and soul have lost an important dimension of life. We are much more than the sum of our bodily components. Research continues to accumulate in support of prayer and the need that we have for spiritual beliefs. People with faith appear healthier and are able to withstand health challengees better than those who have no spiritual credence.
6. Environment- No mattter how proactive you are about your health, if water bottles leach toxic chemicals that you consume and accumulate in your system, if cookware emits cancerous material and living within proximity of diesel emissions will increase your chances of contracting cancer, then all of your best efforts will be in vain. We tend to squirrel more "abstract" environmental dangers in corners within our mind and try to avoid confronting these realities. It seems so hopeless to deal with a toxic world! However,there are many things that you can do in your home and in your workplace to decrease dangerous exposures. You owe it to yourself and your children to make changes in your personal environment. As an example, pollution concentrates in your home air. By simply opening your windows you improve air exchange. Using an appropriate air filter (such as HEPA filters) at other times can effectively diminish dust and other particulates in the air that you breathe within your home. |
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