Here are some other Healthy Tips to start your year off with a BLAST…
4. Exercise
If Santa brought your children DVDs and computer games for Christmas, then chances are they could do with some outdoor exercise in the sunshine and fresh air.
Banishing them from the computer screen and sending them outside has its merits, but far more effective is the ‘lead by example’ method. Children learn that exercise is important if they see their parents prioritising time for it.
So start today by dragging the family out for a run, a bike ride, a bush-walking expedition, some swimming, a game of tennis—whatever keeps them moving! You can even create exercise circuits in your own back yard and become the family drill sergeant.
We all feel better when we exercise, and the endorphins that the body releases promote mental health as well as physical health.
If you find your family exercise regime is struggling to compete with the computer or X-Box, you can always strike a bargain: send your child for a run around the block before they are allowed to play the games. Or even more militant: one hour of indoor activity equals 30 minutes of exercise.
5. Commit to Regular Chiropractic Tune-ups
Most of us regularly take our car to the mechanics for tuning up—before it starts falling apart. The same principle should apply to our bodies and one of the best ‘body mechanics’ is a chiropractor, whose area of expertise is the nervous system.
The health of the nervous system is paramount to overall well-being. Think of your brain as a computer which co-ordinates, via your nervous system, the functions of your organs and cells. This affects millions of vital bodily functions such as respiration, immune responses, digestion and growth, as well as emotional and mental functions, like the quality of your thoughts and your energy levels.
Nerve messages can be interrupted by misalignments in the spinal vertebrae (called subluxations). When these messages are impaired we may not consciously be aware of their effects; it is like trying to concentrate despite the noise of a television or the drone of an air-conditioner. It is only when the nerve pathways are cleared (or when the television or air conditioner is turned off) that we suddenly think “Ahhh, that’s better.”
If you don’t already have a chiropractor, ask around for a reputable practitioner and get started! Regular chiropractic adjustments to the spine will free the nervous system of interference, promoting total well-being and vitality, and strengthening your overall health.
6. De-tox your Medicine Cupboard
Open up your family medicine cupboard and take a good look inside. How healthy is it, really? Is it crammed full of over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions that alleviate symptoms but do nothing to fix the cause and may even produce nasty side-effects?
This is a “reactive” medicine cupboard, where the products inside it are used only when some one falls ill. This is, of course, the principle of the western health model, where drugs are upheld as ‘cure-alls’. Pull all of these bottles and packets out and investigate each one. There’s probably a few things in there that you never use, or are outdated, or you bought because the doctor told you to. Chances are, most of it can be chucked away. The stuff you cannot bear to part with, set aside for further research or for ‘emergencies only’.
Now that the shelves are empty, there’s room in your life for a proactive health model—one that treats the body as a whole organism and which aims to strengthen health before ailments even arise. A medicine cupboard reflecting this philosophy could be called a “Health Investment Cupboard”. Such a cupboard can be filled with products which serve to address an infection with powerful safe remedies from nature and items that strengthen health and vitality. Such things might be:
Vitamin C Powder
Vitamin chewable tablets
Tea Tree Oil
Hydrogen Peroxide
Calcium Magnesium Powder
Zinc Powder
Olive Leaf
High Quality Fish or Marine Oil or capsules
Flaxseed Oil (keep in the fridge)
Probiotics (keep in the fridge)
A Homeopathic Kit
Rescue Remedy
If you don’t know what all of these things are used for yet, don’t worry: that’s part of the next task.
7. Pick a Family Health Issue and Research It
Think of something that interests you health-wise or has some special significance for your family and elect to find out more. Gathering knowledge is more empowering than gathering dust, which is probably what your health philosophy has been doing.
Many of us simply accept ‘old school’ health maxims such as “dairy builds strong bones” or “doctors always know best”. Yet as soon as you dig below the surface on any given topic, you are bound to uncover interesting facts and figures that will help you make more informed choices. You can access a plethora of information via the internet, by reading books, or by talking to allied health practitioners such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Aryuvedic medicine practitioners, chiropractors, naturopaths, homeopaths and kinesiologists, to name a few.
There is also a never-ending supply of topics to research. You might like to investigate the benefits of using high quality filters for your drinking water. Or what’s really in the beauty products you use every day on your skin. Or why sugar-replacements such as aspartame have received such a bad press.
Quite simply, it’s the quality of the questions we ask that determines the quality of our health!
8. Meditate
If these tips to good health are making you feel a little weary post-New Year, here is one you might like: do nothing.
Meditation is a wonderful way to start rejuvenating health. The simple act of quieting the mind and relaxing deeply has a profound influence on our mind, body and spirit. On a cellular level it relieves tension and helps our body to heal, while on a mental level it promotes peace and equilibrium.
Perhaps most importantly, meditation is a reconnection to our centre, our spiritual self. One of the most signifcant and positive contributions parents can make to the world is to raise children who are connected to their spirit, i.e. some form of teaching that encourages even our young children to be centred and gracious.
This could be quiet prayer, reflection or deep breathing.
There are many different ways of meditating and if you haven’t already found your favourite method, you might like to investigate the possibilities through some research or participating in a short meditation course.
9. Laugh
Good humour is good medicine. It doesn’t cost a cent, and its dividends grow when it is shared around. Positive thoughts are your most valuable asset—this year and every year.
The New Year is truly a time of reflection and what better way to start than by pondering the value of your good health. To sit back and appreciate that our health influences every aspect of our lives—our energy levels, our quality of sleep, our relationships, our capacity to earn and provide for those we love. We can choose to neglect our health or we can choose to step forward this New Year with determination and an inquiring mind to create a different health reality.
10. Find the Joy
One of the quickest ways to find more joy in your day and your life is to decide to go on a rampage of gratitude or appreciation. Look around and spend 2,5 or 10 minutes givng thanks for the sunshine or the rain, the warmth of your clothes, the food in your belly, beautiful shoes, delicious smells, the way a mother and child are interacting, your capacity to move and run with ease, the leather seats in your car etc, etc.
Remember to repeat this throughout the day, multiple times. You will soon find that by acknowledging the good things in your life, by monitoring your thoughts and focusing them on love and appreciation, you will attract more WONDERFUL things in your life.
Giving thanks is a FABULOUS way to start the year.
Love and good health to you all.
Jennifer
