Health Living Tips

Everyone wants to live a long and happy life, but not everyone is successful in this pursuit. In case you have been wondering what you have to do in order to be both healthy and happy, I would like to share with you some tips for living a long, healthy and meaningful life.

1. Don’t eat unless you are hungry

If you eat when you are not hungry you risk getting constipation and indigestion. Fermented and undigested food poisons the blood, weakening the organs and makes you susceptible to any of thousands of various acute and chronic diseases. To properly eliminate wastes, your digestive system should be rested by sufficient gaps between meals.

Try to find your natural rhythm and listen to what your body tells you. Overeating is also the cause of many illnesses. The yogis advise you to think of your stomach as having four parts, of which one part is still empty when you finish eating.

2. Sleep when you are tired

This means that you should go to bed when your body tells you, and not continue to lie around after you’ve woken up. As far as possible, conform to your natural rhythms. Sleeping during the day and staying awake at night when you are tired is said to be one of the causes of cancer.

3. Get out of bed before sunrise

Each day has a rhythm – like a wave. If you get up too late, you miss the wave and spend the rest of the day struggling to keep up. If you get up early, the wave is behind you, and carries you through the day. Some hours of sleep before midnight are said to be twice as valuable as sleep after midnight. Once you are habituated, the dawn hours are the best for meditation and personal development.

4. Take a half-bath or shower before meditation, food and sleep

Water has tremendous therapeutic value. By doing a half-bath (splashing cool water on all the limbs plus the face and neck) before meditation, eating and sleeping your body and mind become refreshed and relaxed. Yours activities will be performed at their optimum level, deriving maximum benefit. As far as possible, take a refreshing complete bath at least twice a day, certainly at least once a day. Water temperature should not exceed body temperature.

5. Practice meditation and yoga regularly

Regular meditation and yoga tune the body and mind so that they waste much less energy. This means your body and mind will last longer because the allotted amount of energy will carry you further. It is said by some that each person has a fixed number of breaths to their life. When you slow down the breathing during yogic practices, you extends the duration your life.

6. Eat raw food and yoghurt

Life depends upon on “Prana” or “Vital Energy”. Raw fresh food is full of life-giving, vital energy (zing!!) and this is more important than the nutrients in food. Enzymes enabling perfect digestion are present in raw fruits and veggies, but are lost during cooking. And raw food contains all of its fiber undiminished by cooking , which is so important for maintaining regularity in bowel movements, which should be as many as the number of meals you eat. Yoghurt is an easily digestible complete protein which contains bacteria that aids digestion. Milk products are also good for mental development.

7. Fast at regular intervals

During fasting, the body is not burdened with absorbing and metabolizing nutrition. As your digestive system rests, it shifts into healing and cleansing mode. Thus, during fasting, toxic dead and diseased cells are swept out – a sort of house-cleaning process, which is fundamental for achieving and maintaining good health. Fasting is the best and quickest means to cure most diseases.

Fasting also purifies the mind. When you are not distracted by food, your mind naturally turns inward, creating a good environment for contemplation and spiritual thoughts. At the same time, it overcomes guilty thinking, clearing your conscience and giving you a fresh start.

If you fast once a week or at least once every two weeks you will be able to get many benefits without weakening your body or disrupting your daily life. Care should be paid to eating, light, easily digestible and juicy food before and after fasting.

8. Engage yourself in physical labor or exercise

Regular exercise strengthens bones, muscles, organs and joints. Your lymphatic system is operated by motion. Inter-cellular fluid also depends on motion to enable it to channel nutrition and waste materials to-and-from cells. Without adequate exercise the body degenerates. As long as we have a body, it needs to be regularly worked and exercised, even bodies of the elderly. A certain amount of physical work is good for the mind also, releasing built up tensions, maintaining a harmonious link with body and environment, and giving a break to the overworked mind.

9. Drink enough water

Natural-therapy does not speak of needing merely eight glasses daily. Rather it specifies that everyone needs at least three to four liters (12 to 16 glasses) daily. Sick people need four to five liters. Those with skin trouble need even more. But you should not drink too much at a time, except in the very early morning on an empty stomach. And you should drink water between meals, not while you eat.

There you have it, nine steps that will help you to live a long, healthy and happy life.

It’s mid-Spring and according to Five Element Theory, the ‘Wood’ energy is coming to its lowest ebb.

If you’ve been reading BIOM’s Seasonal Health Tips, you’ve recognized that the effect Spring has on your body has been quite strong this year, based on whichever of the common Spring health problems you may be experiencing.

Self Checkup

Just as Five Element Theory indicates that the characteristic energy of Spring is “Wood,” it also says the color is ‘green,’ which is the color associated with your Liver and Gallbladder. The surging energy of Spring is seen in the vibrant green color of young leaves, and how you feel Spring’s energy in your body is determined by the health of your Liver and Gallbladder. If these organs are balanced, you’ll feel a smooth, pleasant energy flowing through you that stimulates your creativity and a sense that fundamentally all is well in your life.

If your Liver and Gallbladder are not functioning properly, emotional problems like frustration, irritation, anger, or rage are not uncommon. Physically, symptoms like insomnia, high blood pressure, sciatica, constipation, migraine headaches, vision and other eye-related problems, hives, asthma and eczema can all be exacerbated by Spring energy and may be bothering you more than usual right now.

Help Yourself

There are things you can do to help yourself get through this time of year more comfortably if you’re experiencing any of the problems mentioned above.

Foods To Avoid

Be aware that certain foods can have a detrimental effect on the Liver and Gallbladder. Try to avoid rich, fatty, oily, deep-fried, buttery, and creamy foods. For example, when you have a choice between fettuccine alfredo and fettuccine primavera, choose the primavera because fettuccine alfredo has cream and eggs in it, making it too rich for the Gallbladder. Also, be aware that the Liver and Gallbladder have a hard time processing alcohol — including beer and wine. So if you’re having Liver trouble consider avoiding, or minimizing, the amount of these foods you eat and drink.

Foods To Eat

Foods that improve the health and function of the Liver and Gallbladder include: shiitake mushrooms, sour citrus (grapefruit, lemon, lime, and sour apple), and marinades with a moderate amount of vinegar.

As always, Chinese medical herbs are extremely useful for strengthening and balancing the Liver and Gallbladder. Chinese medical herbal formulas have proven to be among the most effective treatments available for healing all degrees of Liver problems.

Get Enough Rest

Do your best to get enough rest. Rest is especially important for your body in the Spring because of the intensity of the energy discussed above. Remember that Liver imbalances can cause insomnia, which can be alleviated by Oriental Medicine.

Manage Your Stress With Exercise

Exercise is essential for your physical and emotional health, and Chi-based exercise methods like Chi Kung and Tai Chi for Gardeners are particularly beneficial in Spring to help the seasonal energy flow through your body. By combining a Chi-based exercise program with acupuncture and Chinese medical herbs, you can keep your body’s Chi, or energy, from becoming ‘stagnant.’

Summer Is Coming

Summer is the season of the Fire energy. It remains to be seen how quickly and intensely “Fire” flows into the northern hemisphere this year. Be aware that the drying out of all of the juicy Spring growth that you see today, is exactly what will happen to you and me in Summer. So think back and remember the health problems and discomforts you typically experience in Summer — now is definitely the time to get prepared.

A healthy colon is the backbone of a healthy body. It is responsible for collecting and ridding the body of any toxins and wastes. A colon that is not functioning properly affects the entire body. Toxins and parasites build up, which may lead to chronic disease. Thus, it is important to do all we can to achieve a healthy colon. Eating the right foods is a big part of this.

Most of us think we know what types of foods we should consume for a healthy colon. Foods that are low in fat, sodium, and sugars are considered to be healthy. But there specific colon-friendly foods that you should consume to achieve a healthy colon.

Here are some great tips on how to choose foods for a healthier colon:

1. Choose non-red, non-proccessed meats – These include poultry, fish, eggs, beans, whole grains, and soy products. Eating these foods will help you consume the necessary levels of protein for your body, without intaking any additional toxins or parasites.

Make sure that the poultry that you choose is “free range” and “steroid free.” Consuming poultry that have been injected with chemicals has proven to increase the risk of diseases in humans.

2. Eat vegetables and fruits with color – Vegetables and fruits of all colors will help you maintain a healthy colon. These foods are rich in anti-oxidants which help you fight the risk of cancer. They also strengthen your immune system, on top of helping you get a healthy colon.

Optimal food choices include blueberries, strawberries, bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli.

3. Consume fiber – Fiber is essential to achieving a healthy colon. A proper amount of fiber helps clean the walls of the colon.

Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Fiber is the part of plant foods that humans can’t digest. As fiber passes through the digestive system, fiber binds to cholesterol, helping the body eliminate it. Fiber also prevents constipation and reduces the risk of hemorrhoids. All in all, proper consumption of fiber is vital to a healthy colon.

4. Drink water – Especially with the consumption of fiber, you need to drink plenty of water for a healthy colon. Water will lubricate your body, prevent constipation, and flush your body of wastes and toxins.

Dehydration can lead to constipation, which will only clog your body more and increase the amount of toxins that are floating around inside you. Be sure to drink plenty of water, about 1-2 liters a day.

5. Folic acid – Folic acid is an essential B vitamin, which studies show can lower your risk of colon cancer. Adding folic acid to your current diet is pretty simple. Folic acid can be found in many foods, including lentils, collard greens, asparagus, broccoli, strawberries, and oranges. Consuming a moderate amount of folic acid goes a long way to getting a healthy colon.

These 5 colon-friendly foods can be incorporated into your diet today. Making conscious decisions in your diet will make a big difference in how healthy your colon is. So implement these foods today and continue on your way to getting a healthy colon.