5 SIMPLE STEPS TO A HEALTHIER WAY OF LIFE.

Never before has society been so health aware and it has good reason to be. More people than ever are becoming ill and even dying from lifestyle related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, alcoholism and obesity. So why, when we have so much health advice available to us, do we choose to ignore it?

I believe there are three main reasons for this: Firstly it seems hard to incorporate healthy activities into our lifestyle. As soon as healthy lifestyle changes are mentioned I hear you all cry, I’m too busy, I can’t afford it or I have nowhere to do it. It would therefore seem logical to deduce that we are all living unhealthy lifestyles we cannot get out of.

Secondly we are confused by the amount of information available and how relevant and beneficial it is to us. The media is full of quick fix tips and cure alls such as gumba gumba oil saved my skin and my marriage or eat bananas to improve your sex life which out of context are of no benefit at all. Although I am sure the humble banana in the right hands could be extremely versatile in a bedroom situation, most of us would buy a few bananas, see no improvement become embarrassed and give up.

Finally, we perceive healthy things as being dull and boring and as daily life is often a combination of dull and boring with stressful and anxious, the last thing that is going to motivate you is to introduce more tedium into your life. You want pleasure and satisfaction and you want it now so lettuce, leotards and a rain lashed 5 mile run is never going to have the same appeal as TV, comfy sofa and double choc chip ice cream, especially when it comes with a flake.

It is true that if you want to be both happy and healthy, you have to make time and put effort into making it happen but this does not mean it has to be hard work or difficult to do and it certainly does not have to be dull or boring. In fact, the more you enjoy it, the less effort and the easier it is to sustain.

The only way you can maintain a healthy lifestyle is by choosing it over an unhealthy one because you prefer living it. Having experienced both types of lifestyle, I can tell you that there is nothing more dull and boring or anxious and stressful than being trapped in an unhealthy way of living. It makes you feel ill, exhausted, worthless and every thing is an effort.

You watch your life pass you by but dread the future, always harping on about the past and how things could or should have been. Miserable or what! Healthy options give you more energy so you can have more fun, more hours in the day, greater achievements, more contentment, greater self esteem and confidence. It is empowering so you feel more in control and love the future because you have plans and ambitions to look forward to. Seems good to me.

So let’s dispel a few myths:

1. Most people are not leading an unhealthy lifestyle, yes there are some unhealthy aspects in it but a few small tweaks can easily change that.
2. Good health advice is not confusing, contradictory or involves unrealistic quick fix solutions that raise expectations far too high, leading to endless disappointments.
3. There is no one thing be it in tablet form or hot stones rubbed liberally over your bottom that can make and keep you healthy it is a combination of 5 very straight forward factors.

To achieve good heath your body needs - 1) physical and mental activity and stimulation, 2) a balanced and nutritious diet, 3) to experience feelings of pleasure and achievement 4) needs time to restore and reenergize and 5) needs to manage stress healthily.

If you are missing one or more of these out of your life then your body is sure to let you know. Fatigue, weight gain, digestive disorders, poor skin, anxiety are just your body’s way of telling you it is not happy with the way you are using it but provide the right resources and it will reward you handsomely with oodles of energy, a glowing complexion, a happy outlook and the ability to burn lots of calories.

Although external factors out of our control do affect our ability to stay healthy, there is a huge amount you can do to limit the damage and influence your future state of wellbeing. Taking control not only improves physical health but is great for your emotional state. Call me power crazy but just knowing you can make your future life better even when presently it is not, has to be the first and biggest step towards good health.

Here are a few simple starting tips to help you get motivated.

STEP 1 – STIMULATION
“Use it or lose it” really does apply when you are talking about the human body. Body bits such as muscle and the brain need to be used otherwise the body sees no point in maintaining them and they shut down or waste away. This leads to fatigue and apathy, making it even harder to get moving and thinking. Your body was designed to be used and keeping it both physically and mentally challenged and stimulated keeps you in full working order. Being active also makes you feel happier, releasing wonderful feel good endorphins that range from mildly pleasing to fantastically wow. Making time for health can be hard but you don’t need to spend hours down the gym or read the entire works of Shakespeare to improve mind and body and let’s face it who would want to. Just increasing your overall everyday activity levels will make a big difference long term.

Here are some suggestions -
Buy a step meter and see how much you walk in a day. The healthy rate is 10,000 steps but don’t despair if you are initially way below that.

Set yourself an achievable weekly target to increase your steps while fitting into your lifestyle. You could – take more stairs, dance in front of the photocopier, move about while you wait for the kettle to boil, take the kids to the park, find little ways that suit you and make them as much fun as possible.

Instead of watching your favorite TV programme slobbed out on the sofa, buy a fit ball and bounce around the living room.

Get a group of friends, neighbours or family together and start your own fitness group. Arrange to meet after you have dropped the kids of from school, after work or at weekends and try a range of activities out.

Instead of the usual big meal out with drinks to match, arrange a social event around an activity like paintballing, bowling or going to a theme park. Much more fun and you are more likely to remember it!

Don’t forget to exercise your brain. Why not try an activity that helps you learn a new skill or introduces you to new people such as amateur dramatics or belly dancing.

STEP 2 – NUTRITION

Basically your body is made from the food you eat. Nutrients such as proteins, minerals and vitamins are needed to make and repair your body bits and allow essential processes such as your immune and digestive system to function. We also need food to power this wonderful piece of kit. To say food is important to your health is an understatement, simply put if your diet is poor, and then you will be poorly. I hate the terms good food, bad food. Things are only bad if they are eaten out of balance. One chocolate bar is not going to make you fat so enjoy but eating nothing but chocolate is neither healthy nor very enjoyable. Even fruit eaten to excess can make you ill, its all about balance and variety. The ratio of nutrients you consume corresponds with the nutritional ratio of your body so if you eat to high levels of fat, then your body will be mainly fat.

Here are some simple tips to help you balance your diet -

If you plan to lose weight, get a body fat meter. It’s not all about losing calories, your aim is to achieve a healthy fat ratio and BMI and monitoring your progress will help you achieve targets.

Cut down on foods high in sugar and fat, they mess up blood sugar levels and lead to cravings.

Cut down on processed and highly refined foods such as ready meals and white bread. They are generally low in nutrition, high in calories and full of additives.

The best foods to eat are pure basic food and the best way to check is look at the ingredient label. Go for foods that have less than 3 ingredients on the list, in fact the best foods are those that are so pure, they do not need an ingredient label such as meat, fish, vegetables and nuts.

Don’t make the excuse that you haven’t got time to eat properly, if you are that busy then you are going to need a good diet. Anyway, how long does it take to put a piece of fish or steak under the grill and some vegetables in a steamer?

Avoid high intakes of stimulating drinks such as fizzy drinks, those containing caffeine and alcohol, they dehydrate, drain long term energy and act as an anti- nutrient by blocking the absorption of certain essential minerals and vitamins. Water may initially seem boring but it is a great energy booster.

Give up smoking. There are no if, buts or maybes, it does affect your heart and lungs and you will dramatically increase your chances of dying younger. It is also an illusion that it is pleasurable because it substantially raises your chances of suffering from anxiety attacks and depression.

STEP 3 – PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION

We often feel guilty about taking time out to have fun but experiencing pleasure and satisfaction is one of the most important requirements for good health. We all know that life is difficult and challenging so what is our motivation? We are driven by our need to experience positive feelings such as happiness and contentment. We set goals, we have dreams and ambitions, we change our situation, have a need to socially interact and we do all this hoping that it will make our life that little bit better. We often refer to stress as a negative thing but most of the time we actively encourage stress into our lives. We have children, get married, forge a career or buy a bigger house. All these things have the potential to bring happiness into our life but they can drive us mad as well!

Feeling happy and contented is the greatest health tonic of all; it fills us with energy, reduces stress and increases our activity levels so taking time out to enjoy should be a priority because it will help you get healthy.

TIPS:

Set aside time to do something pleasurable. Even if it is just an hour or an afternoon a week, making plans for fun helps you through the bad days and when a boring chore needs to be finished because there is always something to look forward to.
Don’t neglect those you love. Spending quality time with friends or family is a great way to unwind. It also helps you get a better perspective on what is really important.

Does everyone around you seem negative? Try and start every conversation with a complement or a positive statement, it reduces confrontation and it is amazing how quickly others follow suit.

Be realistic. Often our expectations are over optimistic, we strive for perfection but under the circumstances, this is impossible. Aim for what is achievable in a realistic timescale under the limitations you know cant be changed. It is better to gradually improve than to be constantly disappointed by unrealistic expectations.

STEP 4 – RELAXATION

Relaxation is often seen as a luxurious indulgence but it actually serves a very vital role in maintaining good health. Without relaxation, we would not be able to cope with any activity or stressful experience that comes with living. Your body needs to rest every day to repair all the damage that living has generated. It also enables the body to restore energy levels, restock on resources and dispose of harmful toxins. The busier your life, the more important relaxation becomes. Like any machine, the body has bits that get worn down or break when the pressure gets too great and it also needs time out for service, repair and refueling. It is well worth making time for quality relaxation and a good nights sleep, it will make you feel like there are more hours in the day as your energy levels will be so much higher.

TIPS:

Massage is a great way to relax. See a professional or do a bit at home on your legs and arms. The key is to always make strokes towards the heart as this breaks up toxins and clears them out through the circulatory system. For real indulgence, get a Tens machine, this will do the massage for you, how restful is that?

Take micro relaxation breaks. You don’t need to take time out to get some sort of break, deep breathing is the body’s main way of relaxing and you can do this anywhere. Take 4 or 5 deep breaths while you are waiting at red traffic lights, in the supermarket queue, in a meeting, grab a few anywhere, you will really notice the difference in your energy levels.

Create a sanctuary space. This can be anywhere, in the bedroom, garden, bathroom, somewhere where you can escape for a few minutes to calm down. Keep it clutter and kid free and make it comfy.
Take time to daydream. Get yourself comfy, close your eyes and imagine you have just woken up in your perfect world. What does it look like, how do you feel? Then take yourself through a perfect day as if it were in real time. What are you going to do, with whom? At the end of the day, tell yourself you will be back soon, stretch and open your eyes. If you do this often enough, you will find that when you are stressed such as in a traffic jam, a little picture of your perfect world will pop into your head and instantly calm you down. You will also begin to realize that some things in the dream are actually achievable or already exist but sadly, neglected.

STEP 5 - STRESS

It is easy to see why we put Stress into the confusing and contradictory category of “can’t live with it, can’t live without it.” We view stress as an illness, a bad thing that needs to be avoided but then deliberately load our life with multiple stress inducing situations that are exciting and stimulating but can also ultimately result in disappointment and exhaustion.

Control and balance are the two key aspects of maintaining healthy levels of stress.

Negative Stress occurs from doing the same action for too long as this will ultimately upset the natural healthy balance of our body.

Everything we do has the potential to cause bodily harm even if we perceive it as healthy.

You will be glad to know excessive exercise or fruit eating can be harmful and moderated intakes of chocolate and alcohol can be beneficial.

It is a question of balance and this equation also explains our love hate relationship with stress. Like overloading one side of a set of scales, too much pressure on one side results in excessive strain and too little on the other makes it weak. In life our Stress balance can be upset by too much work and no home life, too much inactivity and little action or too much responsibility and no fun. Stress is not the problem, the imbalance of it is. Gain control of your Stress by organizing you mind and planning your life. Don’t ignore it, deal with it may seem scary and difficult but it will make Stress manageable.

1. Write down all your stresses and why you feel you cannot deal with them. Why you can’t deal with them? Perhaps you are trying to deal with too many things all at once or perhaps you are being too ambitious? Think small - small manageable steps improve and resolve when one big step won’t.

2. Are you being realistic? Some Stresses will not go away completely but they could be improved. By accepting a situation as it is, no matter how negative, you can then do something proactive to improve or change it no matter how small.

Are they really that important? Often we make demanding and difficult things a priority when in fact they are not important. For example, no one likes housework so we avoid it, the mess causes us anxiety and we neglect our loved ones because we are dominated by our anxiety. But which is the most important, having a happy relationship or the ironing? If you plan, you can divide your time between both.

Be prepared and have a plan B. If you go through life jumping from one emergency to another and always being late, take a step back and make a plan. If you work out potential pit falls before hand then knowing how to deal with them if they occur makes things run smoother, takes less time and removes anxiety.

Have you tried our Stress Questionnaire in the BE Tips section.

I hope we have inspired you to make your life a healthy one but if you are still not convinced ask yourself this question. What happens if I don’t do it? If the answer is nothing, then you must be in good shape already but if you can see your life spiraling into a negative situation, what better motivation is that?