To Your Health - Healthy Habits for Living the Good Life

By Diane Babcock

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It may seem like we never learn absolutely everything about our bodies and how to best take care of them, but there are some good guidelines as well as other people's experiences that can help immensely.

Health

A healthy body starts with healthy thoughts. We can see how our own body responds to the life style we give it. For example, too much stress can cause weight gain because of the release of the hormone, cortisol. Stress can also cause weight loss because of a nervous stomach. Listen to your body.

• Exercise may be a walk or a marathon, or seem like a marathon attempt. Computers have brought new physical and mental strain that can create poor posture, muscle tension, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. Often, we are too tired to do anything more than cooking dinner, housework, kids, spouses, hobbies, etc. We always seem to compromise one thing for another and that's where we need to prioritize or we just agonize. The catch-22 here is that exercise gives us energy, reduces tension, clears the mind, but we're too tired to do it.
• Simple stretches and neck rolls throughout the day will help release some muscle tension, and for the totally lazy person, even using a rocking chair will give some benefit. A simple little "Twister-sizer" that you can keep under the coffee table and twist to your heart's content whenever you want is still better than nothing. Exercise balls are quite beneficial and wearing ankle and wrist weights will help build strength, too. Personally, I really like my Ab Lounger as it feels like I'm exercising just sitting in it.
• Walking is still the best form of exercise. Walking on the spot is a good start if you really don't want to go outside. Personally, I'm a walker...I love walking and hiking...and want it every day...I'm thinking of getting some Nordic poles to see if that will give me more of a workout. Won't that be a sight since I walk the trail that runs parallel to the highway. But, I don't care what I look like when I walk, I'm just being me at that time and enjoying what my body can do.
  • The proper way to walk: Pull your body forward with every step to create better posture and use your muscles properly...do not push your body forward by pushing your feet against the ground.
• Grief is a unique process that affects everyone in a different way and cannot be ignored. Take the time to grieve a loss so that you do not bury it and have to deal with it later.
• Food allergies cause weight gain and usually we have strong cravings for what we are allergic to.

Proper eating habits

The way you eat has a huge effect on how well that food is digested which directly affects how your body assimilates it. Here are a few ways to avoid indigestion and gas:

1. Never eat standing up
2. Do not load the fork until the last mouth-full is swallowed
3. Always entirely swallow a mouthful before taking another, i.e., don't have part of a mouthful lingering at the back of the throat when taking the next bite
4. Do not wash a mouth full of food down with liquids; sip liquids between swallows of food
5. Do not inhale while drinking liquids and do not slurp soup as you tend to swallow air at the same time; if something is too hot to drink, wait until it cools down
6. Do not smoke while eating
7. Do not work while eating
8. Eating in front of the TV is a poor habit as it doesn't allow us to enjoy our food and we often eat faster than when sitting at the table. The thing is that it's so common that it's even more important that other good eating habits come automatically.