The most prized possession to all of us is our health and surprisingly most of us show the least bit of interest in caring for it. We tend to take it for granted until something drastic happens. With rapid urbanisation and western culture influencing our Indian cities, there are many options for an average Indian to get into an unhealthy eating habit. These poor habits along with our living standards have created an increase in illness and lack of performance in the body. Due to all of this, we have literally lost control of what goes on in our body and in our health.
For many years now, I have been interested in healthy living and getting my body back into its natural state and how it should function. I prefer to focus on ‘prevention’ rather than cure and wellness over illness. Here are some tips to take back control of your health and get on the path to wellness:
Know your reasons:
If you’re looking to get healthier, fitter and look younger, then you’ve got to know your reasons as to why you want to become healthier. If you’re familiar with any work done in the field of personal development, you may have heard of Tony Robbins and his work which states that no matter what goal you set, the more reasons you have for achieving it the more you’ll convince yourself of wanting to achieve it. You’ll go all out and get it. Why do you want to get more healthy now and not before in your life? What has caused this change? And how committed are you? These are some of the questions you can ask yourself before you embark on this wonderful journey.
Create your wellness plan:
You need to know how you actually want to invest time, energy and resources into taking back control of your health and getting on to the path of wellness. Creating your own plan requires you to know what you’d like your body and health to look, feel and be like in about 1-5 years from now and then breaking down that vision into monthly goals of nutrition, exercise and anything else needed to get you there. See yourself everyday in your mind’s eye as to how you want to look in a couple of years from now.
Get rid of your negative influences:
Have you ever tried to improve one part of your life but find that no matter how hard you try, it may not seem to work? It’s usually because you haven’t cleared out the negative energies or things that are conflicting with it. For example, if you find eating junk food is a negative thing when you’re trying to get healthy but are still eating it, you’re really inhibiting how well your body could do. Make a list of things that you are tolerating in your life, things you know you shouldn’t do or have but are still doing it. And slowly cut down and get rid of it.
Drink lots of water:
During the course of your day, you lose a lot of water and it’s important that you begin your day with a big glass of water. The vitality that our cells get from water is very important and will keep your body working in correct order. Without water, your cells start to wilt just like plants without water. Ensure on an average that you drink 10-12 big glasses of water.
Eat lots of water-rich content:
Our body is made up of about 70% of water just like our planet. Naturally we should consume enough water to keep our body well hydrated in order to recycle our body’s capacity often. Consume lots of water-rich fruits and vegetables every day. I make it a point to include good enough quantities of fresh vegetables and fruits during the day to increase my fibre intake. The simple sugars from fruits are important nutrients and vitamins for our body.
Rest well:
Without sleep, your body’s clock loses its rhythm and starts to dysfunction, causing poor habits. Rest well and consistently each day. Try to keep your timings consistent so that your body can set its routine. If you can’t sleep early, get some blindfolds, ear plugs, soothing music, or whatever you need but stay away from watching the Television for at least half an hour before you sleep. An even better option will be to move the television from your bedroom altogether to ensure that you set a good platform before you hit the snooze button.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day:
This article won’t do justice if I don’t include exercise and fitness in it. If you don’t exercise, seriously consider the impacts on your body. Exercise gets your body moving, your blood circulating and your energy in motion. If you work at home or at an office, get up every 60 minutes and walk around. If you have a staircase nearby, run up and down it several times a day. If you can get out for a walk, I highly recommend it for at least 10 minutes a day. The great thing is that you can break up your 30 minutes exercise a day into 2-3 segments so that you can exercise wherever you are. The simplest exercise is always walking and be creative in how you do it. Do refer my previous articles for some creative ideas.
Don’t overeat:
Only eat till you are satisfied. Don’t overeat or stuff yourself. Eat with content and till your stomach is satisfied. You can always go and eat something healthy later – and that’s better than overeating. Thumb rule is to eat a little more than your fistful at any point of time.
Keep a food journal:
One of the best ways to ensure that you keep healthy and stay on track is to keep a food journal. It will make you aware of what and when you eat. Write down what you eat and drink at every meal time and in between, as well as the exercises you do and when. It’s a great momentum-building tool. I still maintain this and always look back to see and learn from my own mistakes. Many of my coaching clients still swear by this one practise.
Finally it is only you who can make and take the decision to follow a healthy lifestyle and as always more than the destination it is always the journey which is more fulfilling. In case you do require additional tips and motivation on healthy lifestyle follow me on www.facebook.com/B.N.Satishrao. You can share your success stories with me and other like minded people in the platform.