In Summary, the 8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Are:
- Positive Mental Attitude (including Goal-Setting)
- Healthy, Balanced, Nutrition
- Adequate Hydration
- Adequate Physical Exercise
- Sleep. Adequate Rest
- Correct Breathing Technique
- Correct Posture
- Adequate Support
Part One of this article dealt with items 1-5 above. Today we'll look at the last 3 items.
8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Part Two
6) Correct Breathing Technique :
You're probably wondering why this is in here - after all, if you weren't breathing you'd be dead, right?
Right, and in a way, by not breathing properly, you *are* dying slowly.
Truth is, breathing to stay alive is a totally different animal from breathing for optimal health. By now you probably know I'm not one to settle for mediocrity, but rather excellence and optimal results. Health is no exception.
The correct breathing technique is vital if you desire optimal, lifelong, health.
In order to experience the following benefits:
- optimize your health,
- eliminate stress by causing your body to release chemicals which make you feel relaxed, eg empowering you to deal with an angry situation appropriately, thus leaving you feeling in control of the situation...
- to have lots of energy,
- to ensure that every cell in your body is receiving adequate oxygen,
- and many more benefits,
...you’ve got to learn to breathe properly. There are lots more benefits to breathing properly which will be added to this blog later on, but for now, here’s a technique you can use today to practice breathing properly.
It’s called the ‘4-7-8 method’ made popular by Dr Andrew Weil.
- Sit up straight
- Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process
- Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four
- Hold your breath to the count of seven
- Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “woosh” sound
- That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths
Do it every day. You’ll feel the difference and wonder why you’ve not been doing this all this time.
Go ahead and do it now.
Don't waste your time by just reading this stuff and not doing anything with the information.
7) Posture -
Good posture has the following benefits:
- Makes you look and feel taller and slimmer
, which is good because the way you feel influences the way you behave...
- Makes you look and feel strong and confident
- Causes your internal organs to be in their right positions rather than being squashed up inside you. When they're in the right position they function better.
- Prevents strain and fatigue on your joints and muscles. In this way it helps you have more energy cos your body is not working too hard to compensate for bad posture.
Neck strain, back strain , carpal tunnel syndrome, some forms of arthritis, muscle cramps, can result from prolonged bad posture. - Improves your mood and psychological ‘state’. Ever tried feeling depressed while standing up erect with your head held high on your shoulders?
- A good night's sleep
I'm going to share with you just 3 posture tips to start using now - there are more, but I don't want to overwhelm you into paralysis. With just 3 tips you can ACT now to start benefitting from great posture.
- When standing:
- Stand straight so that your weight is on the balls of your feet.
- You also want to align yourself in such a way that the back of your head, your bottom and the heels of your feet are in a straight line when you stand or walk (stand with your back against a wall, and when those 3 points are aligned, walk away, keeping your posture erect).
- This maintains your natural 'S' curve (a theme you'll find throughout this discussion on posture).
- Stand straight so that your weight is on the balls of your feet.
- When sitting:
- Keep both feet flat on the floor, sit straight and don’t slouch or lean forward.
- Bend your knees at a right angle
- Aim to maintain your natural 'S' curves: your buttocks should be touching the back of the chair.
- Rest your weight on your hips
- When standing from sitting, slide to the front edge of the seat then push yourself up by straightening your legs - don't bend at the waist.
- When lying down or sleeping:
- Keep the pillow under your head, not your shoulders
- Sleep in a position that maintains your natural 'S' curve eg on your back with a pillow under your knees or under the curve of your back, or on your side with your knees only slightly bent (not drawn up to your chest...)
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach - it's bad for your back and can also cause neck strain.
- Sleep on a firm mattress
- When standing from lying - turn to your side, bend your knees up and swing your legs down the side of the bed. Sit up by pushing on your hands. Avoid bending at the waist.
8) The 8th Pillar: ADEQUATE SUPPORT
This one is huge because without it, you can easily 'fall off the wayside' with the 1st 7.
Ever had the experience of making a New Year Resolution and finding you've broken it before February? Why do you think that keeps happening?
In many cases, it's because you've not got a solid support system in place to help you stick with the program.
Research repeatedly shows that health programs that include support in one form or another are associated with more permanent changes.
This support can be in the form of regular group meetings (virtual or live), one-to-one mentoring or coaching (which is one reason why coaching works so well, and so every successful man or woman has got a coach...), or buddy systems.
If you want to crack this health and fitness thing once and for all, and form lifelong habits that keep you healthy and full of energy, if you want to stick to your resolution to get healthier this year, you've got to do something differently this year - you've gotta plug yourself into a support system.
This is one reason why I've developed The Dr Kem Healthy Lifestyle Program. http://tinyurl.com/DrKemHealthy4Life
It's based on what I teach patients every day at work (with the benefit of seeing the results not only on their physical appearance and self esteem, but also in their blood test results: I'm seeing my patients come off medication, or in some cases, not have to go on medication, blood sugar and cholesterol normalise, blood pressure normalise as a result of the strategies I teach them in the Practice), plus the enhanced benefit of providing a robust, solid, you-can't-help-but-win, all-round support system.
I've even got my buddy Malcom Martin, Personal Trainer to celebrities and Founder of Roadwork Fitness - to join in and provide extra support and Personal Training for you if you're accepted onto the program. That's right: There's an application process designed to weed out time wasters who like to hear the right words but have no intention of ACTING on them.
Details here: The Dr Kem Healthy Lifestyle Program.
In Conclusion, the 8 Pillars of Lifelong Health Are:
- Positive Mental Attitude (including Goal-Setting)
- Healthy, Balanced, Nutrition
- Adequate Hydration
- Adequate Physical Exercise
- Sleep. Adequate Rest
- Correct Breathing Technique
- Correct Posture
- Adequate Support
Make these a part of your life today - that is your choice - and you will see the benefits - for life!
Here's wishing you a healthy, fantastic day!
Blessings to ya.
Kem
No comments:
Post a Comment