BLOG

Meditation plays a very important part in daily life and our well being.  It is a powerful tool to help maintain health AND to improve health.  It is like an observation with total awareness and without any conclusion or judgment.  It demands that you be utterly one with the moment.  In this moment-to-moment awareness, there is a cleansing of the body, mind and consciousness. This will bring you to that state of peace which is joy, bliss and enlightenment.

You should honor the soul.  We must first recognize that we have one, then we must realize it is an integral part of who we are. It is only then that we can learn to nurture the needs of our soul.

Having negative thoughts and bad attitudes will make you less healthy and can cause stress on your immune system.  It has been seen that the more positive a person is, the less sick a person gets.  Try to end your day with something positive, like prayer, mediation, reading….don’t watch the 11 o’clock news.  It’s so depressing, it's all about violence and bad news and does not fill your mind with positive thoughts.

Positive mental attitudes also involves developing good relationships.  The better your friends and networks, the more likely you are to be happy and healthy.

We are spiritual beings, and our mind / attitude is capable of creating both negative and positive energy - but the two can't exist together...

The bottom line is:  You are what you think. Think positive and be positive.

Another important pillar of health is exercise.  Yes I tend to be an exercise nut (currently training for marathon #8) and while that may not be the best form of exercise for everyone, you need to be getting 3-5 days of exercise a week.  I'm not a big fan of just 3 days, since there are 7 days in a week which is less than 50% (exercising only 3 of 7 days), and that is basically failing! Increase your exercise to 5-6 days a week if you want results.

Exercise should be at least 30-45minutes.  While it is better to do it in one session, if you need to walk fast for ten minutes three times a day, then do that.  However, whether it is fast walking, biking, swimming, weight training, tennis or aerobics, just get active.  The intensity of the workout should at least cause you to break a sweat on the forehead, under the arms, and along the spinal column. This amount of exercise stimulates gastric fire, improves digestion, and relieves constipation.  It also induces relaxation and sound sleep. Exercising helps to eliminate toxins, reduces fat (weight control) and just makes you feel good.

Anyone I know who exercises a lot also sleeps well. If you suffer from insomnia -- start an exercise program.

If you don't "have time", there are several great home programs out there for you to follow -- P90X & Chalean Extreme are two to name a few.  Call me and I'll put you in touch with someone who can help you with those programs.

As a side note:  Aerobic exercise helps keep you heart and lungs healthy. Resistance training helps build strength and endurance.  Over-exercising may cause dehydration and breathlessness, even chest pain and muscle aches, eventually leading to arthritis, sciatica or heart conditions.

No matter what you do, just make sure you do it. You are only going to stick with an exercise program that you like, so make sure you like it.  Don't run if you hate running because you will eventually quit.  Don't lift weights if you hate it, because you will eventually quit. Find something you like and stick with it.

It will literally save your life.

Two weeks ago we talked about the importance of nutrition. This week we'll talk about rest.  Some think that rest/sleep is the most important thing for our health, more important than nutrition. This may be true if you think about it this way:  You could go weeks without eating, but you can't go 4 days without sleep. Nobody is happy and cheerful when they get too little sleep.

Adequate sleep is oftentimes described as an average of 8 hours of sleep if not more, although the elderly usually need more.  This is important to your health in that, it is during sleep and relaxing that the body restores and repairs itself from the day’s work and activities.  Rest helps promote growth, healing and it also prevents and minimizes pain.  Rest also helps the body fast, by allowing your gut to put food through further digestion and absorption, and prepare waste. This is all part of the body's normal daily rhythm.  It is a sort-of "reset" for the GI tract, which resumes its active function the following day when you start eating again.

To ensure you get adequate rest, you should follow a regular sleep cycle adjusting with time changes. Some say let the body determine when it has had enough sleep. If you can, the best thing you can do for your sleep cycle is to get rid of your alarm clock. This may not be realistic, but if you do get up too early, you're going to have a sleep deficit that you will have to make up at some future time. So when you have a chance you will sleep longer and correct that deficit.

Also, go to bed the same time each day and wake up the same time each day. Again, this may not be totally realistic.  However, if your body is use to going to bed around the same time each night, it is then easier to fall asleep.  Don't read or watch TV in bed either, because then your body is trained to be awake to do those activities, instead of being trained to fall asleep.

Lastly, be aware of your sleep positions.  Please try not to sleep on your stomach as it will put extra stress on your spine. The best position is on your side with a pillow between your knees. Try to keep your spine stable, as the spine is your life line to health.