In the Pink of Health

The Roman poet Virgil advised, “Health is the greatest wealth”. While we have heard the saying a zillion times, we have seldom made the correct health choices to ensure that we stay hale and hearty. With a multi-faceted lifestyle, demanding careers and success being the quest of modern lives, advices on how to stay fit and fine are not only baffling but also change from week to week. The basic practices for good health have remained constant over the years. All you need to do is incorporate them into your everyday life.

A lot of people in this world are seeking success. They spent hours slogging every day, aiming for promotions, pay-hike and a better lifestyle. Truth is, without a healthy body, you do not even have the potential to earn or afford a better standard of living. Unfortunately, there are way too many commercials on the television that promise you the ‘pink of health’ without doing much and only by using their products. Sometimes you get deceived; at others you do realize that they are all hoaxes. So you make plans, diet-charts, and daily routines, only to re-make them the following week. Don’t worry.
Being healthy is not a myth! Health is the greatest asset that we possess. It is a catalyst that helps us achieve our goals and fulfill our dreams in our life. Here are twenty effective tips on staying healthy and feeling great!

1.Your health is your responsibility
Remember the last time you fell ill? How did it feel? Rotten, isn’t it? Well, the good news is that there still is time to have the reins of your health in your hands to avoid such uncalled for run-downs. All it requires is a little bit of planning and prioritizing. Make healthy choices. Have a wholesome breakfast. If you have to stay back in office beyond the usual timings, pack some extra lunch to avoid ordering food from outside. Select water over soft drinks. Moderate yourself from excesses. Pack healthy food items for your children. Help them make correct choices and encourage the habit of eating home-cooked meals instead of snacks ordered from outside. For many parents, helping children develop healthy eating habits is a struggle. With the hectic pace of many families' lives and with more women working full time, even health-conscious parents are finding it easy to tolerate less than desirable eating habits. Although it's a myth that children become hyperactive by eating too much sugar, sugary food is still bad for oral health, can be stored as fat, and aggravates diabetes.

2. Balanced diet
It wasn’t a mere myth learnt at school. Balanced diet is the deciding factor behind good health. The proper diet can help control or eliminate high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods such as whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Cut down on your intake of sugars and fats. Drink alcohol in moderation.

3. Go organic!
You are what you eat. What you eat directly affects your health. Not watching your diet will cause health problems. Go organic! Organic foods not only taste better but also do your body a whole lot of good. They contain the least amount of pesticides and are thus good for overall health.

4. Say no to hydrogenated food
Hydrogenation Process shadows the fact that the food you are eating could be rancid. Do you really want to eat rotten or stale food? If not, e4liminate hydrogenated food-items from your list. These include all the ‘quick-bites’ that we grope for when hungry including crackers, cookies and chips.

5. Work towards having healthy relationships
Stress from relationships of whichever kind is the worst form of stress and totally wears a person out. Instead of brooding too much on sour relationships, take constructive steps to build and nurture them. This will be one of the greatest steps towards great health.

6. Exercise
Exercise not only helps in maintaining physical fitness but also ensures overall health and wellness. It has uncountable benefits. Exercise strengthens muscles and the cardiovascular system, hones our athletic skills, and enables weight loss and body-sculpting. Regular physical exercise enhances the immune system, and helps curb the ‘diseases of affluence’ such as heart and cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Exercise improves mental health, alleviates depression, builds self-esteem and boosts our body image.

7. Be positive
Attitude effects health and healing in a major way. While a positive attnitude triggers good health, a negative attitude not only drags you dow but also those around you. We all wallow from time to time and little slips here and there is allowed. When you think positive, you will be able to elude stress, think straight and work your way out of your problems. The point is to maintain a positive attitude most of the time, to learn from our mistakes instead of sulking about them and having a joyful heart to stay healthy and spread happiness all around.

8. Sleep well
After a long and tiring day at work, all that your body needs is a peaceful sleep. Six to eight hours of undisrupted sleep revitalizes all the worn out cells of the body. As against this, not getting enough sleep is been linked to heart attacks, high blood pressure and other serious health issues.

9. Smile
It takes lesser muscles to smile than to frown. Smiling is a sign of happiness. A nice smile not only enhances your face value but also attracts and exudes positivity. This in turn improves mental health.

10. Socialize
Expressing your feelings and emotions to your friends and family improves both physical and mental health. You will not have a hard time keeping things to yourself. It has been scientifically proved that people with strong social and family ties live longer, have stronger immunity to diseases and suffer less mental decline as they grow older.

11. Breath normally
Take your time in breathing in and exhaling. Avoid bad sleeping positions and never cover your head while sleeping as it only triggers the amassing of carbon dioxide that makes the brain function abnormally.

12. Be clean not crappy
Did you know that poor dental hygiene could give you a heart attack? Surprising but true! Brush your teeth everyday and floss regularly. Take showers daily. Ablutions should be timely to make sure that the digestive system runs smoothly. Maintain good hygine for your sake and for the sake of others.

13. Go for monthly check-ups
Prevention is better than cure! Regular check-ups will help you spot little health problems before they become humungous. Consult doctors at regular intervals. Go for timely immunizations, and blood-pressure and cholesterol checks. An illness can strike anytime. It is just proper to have a check-up to prevent or to detect and cure it.

14. Good poise, comfortable clothes
Although this has more to do with personal grooming, but when it comes to maintaining good health, one’s poise and clothes cannot be ignored. Sitting or standing up in a correct position de-stresses the body thus leaving you in a state of comfort. Wearing proper clothes that will maintain your normal body temperature is also important to have all your body parts function properly. You can’t be wearing a jacket when it is too hot or be wrapped in a chiffon sari when it is freezing outside.

15. Watch your hand
Wash your hands before touching any food item. Clean and trim your nails regularly. Remember to carry hand-sanitizers.

16. Abstain from smoking and drinking
Did you know that non-smokers and teetotalers live far longer than those who are addicted to cigarettes or alcohol? It is because once you are addicted to them, the chance of getting cancer or any illnesses increases tremendously. Most lung cancer cases are due to smoking while drinking increases the risk of coronary heart diseases and stroke. Smoking is responsible for most lung cancer while drinking greatly increases your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

17. Vaccines
Diseases are highly infectious and can affect anyone with low immunity. Therefore vaccination becomes an imperative if one were to stay healthy. Due to immunization, diseases like smallpox and polio have been almost eradicated. Vaccines are usually administered during childhood to safeguard a child from various ailments that mostly occur before the child reaches the age of two. As a parent, keep a track of your child's vaccines.

18. Stop eating out
While McDonalds and Pizza Hut might be tempting names, they are equally threatening for your health. Would you want a salad when you could easily order a large fry or have an entire pizza delivered to you within minutes? Unfortunately, the foods that taste the best are often the worst for your body. While we usually ignore this important fact, it is crucial that we at least try to consume nutritional food four days out of the week.

19. Manage stress
Stress with heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, acne and other health problems. Learning to control your stress can help you feel better every day and decrease your chances of long-term health problems. Meditation, relaxation and exercise are ways to manage stress.

20. Have a motto in life

Finally, finding a purpose in life keeps your mental faculty healthy leading to great physical health. Determine your short and long term goals, learn to plan and stick by them and be focused on your goals. Remember, although it’s all about saying ‘no’, the secret to great health lies in enjoying the sweetest pleasures of life in moderation and not in living in a state of denial.