We are all fond of New Year’s resolutions- we make them; we break them; resolutely, year after year. As we get older, our resolutions centre around health and well being; we resolve to start eating healthy and staying well, by way of diets and/or a rigorous exercise plan; unfortunately, we are not very regular with our habits as we do not find the time to commit to our wellness practice. We tend to fall back to our old ways very soon.
Wellness is a deeply desired state. Some are born with abundant wellness genes, whereas some have to work hard at staying well. When we are young, we take wellness for granted- as we get older, we hope that we will stay well. We try to maintain a moderate level of wellness by way of sporadic exercise, some careful eating and planned breaks from our stressful lives. We need to consciously build wellness into our everyday lives so that it becomes an integral part of life and is not just a New Year resolution that gets broken time and again.
We should incorporate a routine that includes the three main pillars of wellness: Exercise, Nutrition, and Rest and Relaxation into our daily lives. We should try to get our children to do this as well- habits they form in their youth will tend to stay with them forever- if they get used to sleeping till noon everyday and eating junk food, it will most likely be difficult to break the habit as they grow older.
I will begin with Rest and relaxation and move on to exercise and nutrition. One of the best things we can do to our body, is give it the rest it deserves- Try to be in bed by 10 or 10:30pm. It is said that the body renews and detoxifies itself between the hours of 10pm and 2am. Rise and shine between 6 and 6:30 am. Upon waking, try not to get out of bed right away. Try to be aware of your body, your breath, and feel a sense of gratitude for the life you have.
Before you begin your day, drink warm lemon water by squeezing half a fresh lemon into some warm water- this will help wash the gastro-intestinal tract, flush out the kidneys and stimulate good bowel health. If you are a coffee drinker, try switching to green tea with lemon instead- it is loaded with anti-oxidants and offers a multitude of benefits from lowering blood pressure to preventing heart disease and cancer. For those interested, I can do a special on the benefits of green tea. I got my mother who has a chronic lung condition and who was a life-long coffee drinker to switch to green tea and believe that has helped her manage her condition better.
We have to get our bodies moving every single day and do some exercise that suits our mood and the season. When done regularly, exercise grounds us, boosts the digestive system, and as a bonus, burns up any extra fat helping you stay slim. A brisk walk followed by Yoga will open and clear your energy channels, as well as your physical body. I cannot stress enough the good that Yoga will do to us- I have been a practitioner for over 10 years and attribute my physical and mental well being predominantly to Yoga. It is good to begin with a teacher who will take you through a structured sequence- some people also need a group class to be motivated to exercise. As you get into the routine, you may start doing it on your own. An ideal Yoga regimen would be everyday, but if you cannot do that, make it 3-4 times a week (an hour’s practice). Getting children to do Yoga is one of the best gifts you can give them for life, but it is easier said than done, isn’t it? Children will rebel when forced to do something: when they choose to do it on their own, it really has value. If you make your practice a public part of everyday life, kids can join in if they choose to. Also, as children are more flexible, they can do some Asanas(postures) much better than we can and this can motivate them to join in. I got my younger daughter Akshita to start doing Yoga with me when she turned 13 and although she is not as regular as I would like her to be, she does practice Yoga every now and then as she realises how good it is for her. That said, it is never too late to begin a wellness practice- I did not have the time or inclination to do all of this till I was in my thirties, but what I began then sporadically has now become an integral part of my routine and has contributed significantly to my health and well- being.
Finally, eating healthy is a key to well being. As a regular yoga practitioner, embracing a healthy approach to eating becomes easy. You are much more aware of your mind-body connection and will make healthy choices about food naturally. The ideal situation would be when you can eat organic and locally sourced plant based food and avoid processed ingredients, but that may not be possible all the time. You can begin with a fruit breakfast (which I have been following for more than 5 years), wherein you eat nothing but fruit and can then slowly make the rest of your meals plant-based as well. Avoid over-processed food. I occasionally indulge in less-than-healthy food, but the body can handle anything done in moderation. When I have a sugar craving, I reach for a banana before a bar of chocolate. It’s not that you’ll never touch a bar of chocolate or a slice of pizza again, but if you have a salad first, you get more filled up on the foods that are loaded with nutrition. For those interested in food options that work, you may get in touch with me for a detailed discussion.
“A river that appears hopelessly polluted is not beyond help. If you will simply stop putting bad substances into it, eventually the levels of contaminants drop to point where natural healing mechanisms revive – oxygenation increases, sunlight penetrates to deeper levels, beneficial organisms return and the river cleans itself up -our body is no different – it’s never late to stop dumping and allow healing”! So says Dr Andrew Weil, a proponent of healthy habits in his book ‘Spontaneous Healing’. One should be willing to make a beginning and commit to a routine: you will see that your physical and mental well being improve as wellness becomes a way of life!
For those keen on making wellness a way of life, here is a blog by my husband, who is a wellness fiend of sorts!
http://www.sattvaa.com/