By Dr. Ken Berry
Health as defined by Webster’s Dictionary is:
“the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially: freedom from physical disease or pain”.
How many of us consider ourselves to be healthy? The vast majority of American’s would probably claim that, given this definition, they are pretty healthy. They have no disease that they are aware of, no “real” pain to speak of, their minds and spirits are sound and settled with barely a ripple in their psyches.
I believe that most of us know these are false and misleading claims that we make to convince ourselves that action can be put off until another day. Procrastination is the quiet enemy of most health programs we think about undertaking. Sadly, we often take our health and wellness for granted. Rarely are we moved to action until there is some accident, incident, or ailment that moves us to act. My question to you is, “What will it take for you to act and get busy improving and enriching your health?”
Taking action to improve your health does not have to be an overwhelming task. It does not have to be the 10,000 pound gorilla in the living room of your life. Achieving and sustaining optimum health does not have to be some fanciful or wishful thought. In fact, there are truly only five steps that you must take to affect a dramatic change in your life in a relatively short period of time.
The five primary areas of concern that must be addressed to attain optimal health are:
- Proper Nutrition
- Physical Exercise
- Proper Sleep and Rest
- Proper Health Care
- Mental and Spiritual Balance
I’m going to show you how to take one step in each of these areas to start making a difference today.
Step 1
Proper nutrition is my personal favorite of the five areas (probably not for the reasons that you might think). I love dealing with nutrition because there is an enormous amount of contradictory information and confusion out there on the subject. But, here are the simple facts. You should eat less (smaller portions), eat better (increase fruits and vegetables and decrease fatty and fast foods), and stop grazing (don’t keep snacking throughout the day to keep energy levels up). YES IT’S THAT SIMPLE! And no, that’s not a sneaky way of rolling three steps into one! Smaller, better, and less frequently is a 1-step plan, yielding noticeable results when taken on together.
Step 2
Physical exercise is the next area that requires attention. Our lives have become increasingly sedentary over the past few decades. It is not that we are lazy or unmotivated. The issue is that we have increasingly less active jobs and lives because of automation and digital media. Again, this is no revelation to most of you and neither is the remedy. Get out there and get busy a few times a week! I recommend that you make physical activity a part of your daily routine first thing in the morning all five days of the work week. Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes per day and get that heart rate up a bit. This can be as simple as a brisk walk in the morning. Start slowly and be sure to talk with your physician about what’s appropriate for you, but get started!
Step 3
Proper sleep and rest habits have become a huge issue in our society. Most of us need 7-9 hours of sleep per night to function optimally during the day. This is difficult because our busy lives make it difficult to get this much sleep. Moreover, the stress in most of our lives has led many people to feel they need medication just to get a few hours of sleep a night. Here’s a hint on this one: If you are doing well with the first two steps on this list, this one will come more easily. You may want to take a critical look at your mattress and pillows. They may need an overhaul for you to maximize the benefit of the sleep that you do get. Try “powering down” for a few minutes two or three times a day to rejuvenate. No siesta here – just take two or three quiet minutes where you don’t answer phones, questions, or to anyone! Sleep and rest are vital for your body to heal and revitalize itself. If you are lacking in this area, all other areas of your life will likely be affected. Remember this is not wasted time it is healing time.
Step 4
Proper health care has never been more important or easier to obtain than it is today. You need to put a premium on preemptive and timely health care. See your physician for your regular physical, breast, prostate, and colon checks. A focus on annual exams and preventative chiropractic care should be the cornerstone of any good physical wellness plan. An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure, and most physicians will tell you that it is far easier to prevent most forms of disease than it is to treat them once you begin to experience symptoms. It is imperative that you do whatever is necessary to make and keep your health care appointments.
Step 5
Finally, maintaining a healthy mental and spiritual balance is actually quite easy if you are even moderately successful in the other areas. If you are eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and a health care professional is monitoring all of these areas, you will truly be on the road to health and wellness. I would argue that you must also seek to achieve spiritual balance to give meaning and purpose to your new healthy life. This can take the form of focused meditative prayer and reflection on your short and long term goals as a good starting point. A daily commitment to devotional time spent reading scripture or other books about your spiritual development is also a good way to keep on track with this goal. The key is to take time for yourself to stay in touch with and strengthen your relationship with God. Remember, with Him all things are possible! That would include achieving optimal health and a wellness lifestyle that you can sustain for years to come.
There is only one “YOU”. You are a unique and wonderful masterpiece of form and function. It requires some commitment and work to keep all of your bits and pieces working properly and functioning at their optimum level, but with this simple five-step plan, you’ll be well on your way to living your life the way you were created to be!
Read Dr. Berry’s bio here.
Contact Dr. Berry at thevillagechiro@bellsouth.net
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