subject: Health tips for busy people [print this page] Health tips for busy people Health tips for busy people
I was onced asked to do an interview with a focus on what overworked and overstressed people could do to stay healthy. After giving it some thought, I decided not to do the interview because I didn't want to send the message that people can experience their best health by following a few tips on diet and lifestyle without regularly ensuring adequate physical and emotional rest.
Being overstressed and under-rested and thinking that there are a few simple steps that can be followed to stay healthy brings to mind the following thought:
It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law. - Cecile B. DeMille
Over time, a healthy diet, high quality supplements, and a smorgasbord of natural therapies cannot undo damage that is created by chronic stress and lack of rest.
A fundamental law of health is that our bodies need regular physical and emotional rest to heal itself from the rigors of everyday life. When we repeatedly disregard this law, we can expect to succumb to illness and/or injury.
With all of that said, I understand that there are life phases and circumstances that make it diffcult to get proper physical and emotional rest. During such times when you simply don't have the luxury of getting adequate rest, you might consider following one or more of the tips below:
If your schedule allows for only a few minutes of pause during the day, spend those minutes in complete silence with your eyes closed.
Closing your eyes can dramatically enhance the quality of rest that your body experiences. If you find it hard to believe that closing your eyes can help you rest, take a minute to observe the eyes of someone watching television. Simply put, processing our world through vision is enervating, and giving this pathway a rest, even for a few minutes, is restful for the entire body.
Keep a large container of field greens in your refrigerator. Include generous amounts of these greens with every meal that you eat.
Eating fresh, raw, green vegetables will provide you with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, and phytochemicals, all of which can help offset the negative health effects of being overworked and under-rested.
Whenever possible, choose mustard over mayonnaise.
Most commercial varieties of mayonnaise utilize inexpensive vegetable oils like soybean or canola oil. These oils can contribute to an imbalance of fatty acids in your tissues.
Cheap vegetable oils are also likely to contain large amounts of damaged polyunsaturated fatty acids which can cause direct injury to your tissues.
Even the least expensive varieties of mustard usually contain little but mustard seeds, turmeric, vinegar, and salt. While large amounts of vinegar and salt should be avoided, the amount of vinegar and salt found in modest portions of mustard are far less likely to cause health problems over the long haul vs. cheap vegetable oils found in mayonnaise.
