Published 12/11/2012
The weather is getting warmer and our year is drawing to a close.
There is a need to re-assess our health and our lifestyles to prepare for the New Year ahead and a new beginning. With the increased stress that the global financial downturn has created, we need to be even more aware of our health and to set simple goals to enable our bodies to perform at their peak and help us maintain a calmness, a strength to deal with any surprises that this financial climate presents.
The first of these goals should look at an exercise plan that suits you. It needs to work well within your time constraints. Allow between 15 minutes to 30 minutes minimum a day – ¼ to ½ hour out of 24 hours is manageable in the busiest of schedules.
A walk in the park or on the beach calms the mind as well as exercising the body. It is often better to organise a simple plan near your work or home than spending $100’s of dollars on gym fees as well as losing many valuable hours in travel. A few deep breaths outside in the early morning sun oxygenates the body and stimulates the mind, stretching the muscles with lunges and twists gets them ready for the day.
Simplify your food, choosing mainly fresh fruit and vegetables, eating small amounts every few hours, including proteins to maintain sugar balance. Fish, meats, eggs, lentils, nuts and seeds, grains and dairy are very important for concentration and strength.
Revel in your body and be aware of it as your most valuable possession, do something about it if there is a persistent pain or ache, do not ignore it, this is how the serious illnesses start. An overlooked nausea, headache, pain, dizziness “it will go away” attitude is wrong, as you would do with a funny noise in your car engine – have it checked out.
Learn to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine we have in this part of the country, sit out in the early morning sun with your cup of tea for 10 mins. What a wonderful way to take in all that free Vitamin D. Vitamin D is very special to your health, as research has shown there is a connection to its lack with motor neuron and Parkinson’s disease. Many Queenslanders are showing a deficiency of Vitamin D even though we have so many hours of sun. We don’t need to go out at midday. It is light early and a good time to enjoy it is before 9 am. So add sitting in the sun for 10 mins to your health plan. It is not costly in time or money, but so beneficial.
Enjoy your friends and family with a picnic in the park, sit on the grass, kick a ball around for fun, play with water pistols – lets go back to the simple things that kept families together and didn’t create stress by costing a lot of money.
Many of our children have not being taught the value of simplicity; they believe they can only be happy if they are spending money, often the “pester power” creates so much stress in parents.
Simplify your life:
Plan your goals
Set time limits to achieve the most important of your goals.
Exercise every day
Eat only fresh foods
Enjoy your family
And remember love is the highest goal of all
Love of self- family-friends-neighbours-country
In health
Barbara
Image courtesy of nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net