Health is Wealth

Hi ,
Musing#17
All of us are familiar with the good -old adage "Health is Wealth". But does everyone take it seriously and follow a life style which guarantees good health. Unfortunately this is not the case. The prevalence of life style diseases like hypertension(B.P.), diabetes, coronary heart diseases,asthma,cancer etc. are on the rise at an alarming rate affecting the present generation.This, in spite of them ,having a better health care cover compared to the older generation. The older generation followed the dictum of "Prevention is better than the cure" and accordingly led a life style which protected them against these life style diseases. That is the reason many of our parents and grand parents lived past the age of eighty healthily.
By adhering to the following four Good Living Practices(GLP's) as advocated by many health care specialists one can, to a great extent ensure a healthy and long life.
1.Good Nutrition
"We are what we eat". This is a standard cliche, but it is very valid.
By eating right we can ensure good nutrition. Right eating first and foremost means"eat to live"and not "live to eat". As per the level of physical activity we carry out, to eat accordingly and also not to eat to one's heart's content ,if we have to ensure the health of our dear heart.
Avoid........ Red meat, hydrogenated oil(vanaspati),junk food
Restrict.........Meat, eggs, ghee, butter, sweets,desserts,fried food,chillies,salt
Add............. Plenty of vegetables(more fibrous the better),fruits,nuts(Walnut,almonds),yogurt(curds)
2. Good Hygiene
However nutritious our food may be but if our personal hygieneand surrounding hygiene is not good, then also we can not ensure good health.
The following practices are as part of good personal hygiene:
a)Emptying the bowels in the morning everyday is good personal hygiene as otherwise it leads to chronic constipation which is proved to be the triggering factor for many ailments.
b)Having a bath in the morning not only cleanses up and freshens us up, it also induces appetite and improves circulation.
c)"Cleanliness is next to Godliness", hence keep the surrounding clean not only at home or where we live in but in all the places where we spend time like school,offices,etc.
3.Good Habits
In Habit if you remove "H" ........ abit stays,
if you remove "A"also......bit stays,
if you remove "B" also......... it stays.
So, whether good or bad, habits once you cultivate "it" stays.
Hence it is better to cultivate only good habits which will keep us healthy till the end.
Avoid............. smoking in any form, gutka, snuff, binge drinking, pill popping
Restrict.......... alcohol,analgesics(pain killers)
Add........... 30mts. of walking/jogging, 15mts.of yoga, 6hrs. of sound sleep everyday.
If one is committed one can kick any bad habit, like 'yours truly' kicked the but after 36 years of smoking.
4.Good Psyche(Mind/Thoughts)
"A healthy mind is a healthy body". Very true, we may have the most nutritious food, very good hygiene, very good habits but if the mind is restless, agitated,corrupted, depressed or overall unhappy we can not be healthy.
Good mind is entirely due to the thought process of ours. If we have good,positive thoughts the mind is in a state of calmness and it helps all the cells in the body to remain healthy and function properly. On the contrary all the bad and negative thoughts kills large number of the cells in the body and makes the live cells also to malfunction.
Our thoughts are nothing but the constant conversations we keep on having with our own psyche(mind). As good and healthy conversations between people brings about only congeniality and happiness to one and all, similarly good and positive conversations with our own mind will bring about tranquility and happiness to our body thereby all the cells will function healthily and healthy regeneration of cells also will take place regularly.
Avoid............. anger, jealousy,hatred,being spiteful,arrogance,greediness
Have............... empathy,compassion,love,contentment,generosity.
Pass on this four cardinal principles of "Good Living Practices" to all your near and dear ones to see them in good health always.
mentor mohan