Being healthy does not only mean being fit. Your fitness is just a part of your whole health. At Bodyguards we want you to address as many factors of health as possible and find your way to well being
This year we want to help you achieve 'homeostasis'. That is the balance of all the important systems of the body such as the digestive system, the musculoskeletal system, the endocrine (hormonal) system and the nervous system to name but a few (see diagram below). Holistic health recognises that the human body is a system of systems. These systems are all connected to each other and in order to be able to achieve true health each system must have optimal function and work/communicate synergistically with each other.
Recent research has suggested that most diseases manifest as a result of a multitude of contributing factors including lifestyle, diet, exercise levels, stress and more commonly known disease-causing factors such as alcohol and cigarettes etc. We can safely conclude therefore, that in order to stay healthy we must look to address as many of these factors as possible. The BBC have recently reported that a lot of cancer could be avoided if people led healthier lives.
Core Values
Now is the ideal time to establish some rules to live by in the forthcoming year and onwards. I refer to these resolutions as Core Values. They must be in alignment with your 'dream' as discussed in a previous blog.
Hopefully by now you've had a think about what you want to achieve in your life and you've realised that for nearly every dream to be fulfilled you need optimal health. Therefore, when you establish your core values to live by they must contribute to an improvement in your overall level of well being. So now is the time to think about what changes to your diet and lifestyle you can make this year in order to help you move towards achieving your dreams.
In the section below I've suggested some significant changes you can make in order to improve your health. Try and make a list of 5 or 6 things you can do this year to improve your overall health, put them on your fridge or your wall and start implementing them immediately...
- Eat more wholefoods
- Avoid processed foods
- Visit more farmers markets
- Go organic
- Drink more filtered (bottled) water
- Avoid refined salt, sugar and grains (gluten)
- Cook more home-made meals
- Balance your meals (Protein:Fat:Carbs)
- Get more fresh air and sun
- Take more holidays + Plan breaks
- Make time to relax, recover and unwind
- Avoid stress and emotional outbursts
- Exercise in the gym more regularly
- Do more running, walking or cycling
- Improve your mobility and posture
- Drink less coffee
- Avoid alcohol
- Learn how to meditate
- Take up yoga or Tai-chi
- Be more mindful