20 ideas for taking responsibility for your health

For a good few years I have been a fan of really focusing on looking after what I put into my body. I'm not fanatical about it and I live by the moto "everything in moderation", and "My body is a temple".

Below are things that I have tried and have worked into my daily routine :-

• Always shop at local markets and look for fresh food (not used supermarkets since 30th Sept 2013)
• Cook all my own food... but I still go out and sometimes just eat whatever I fancy (once or twice a month type of frequency)
• I don't bash myself over the head for having a piece of cake or a cookie or something. I eat it and I enjoy it.
• I exercise regularly, Yoga, at home body workouts, Cycling and my first love Table Tennis... will be doing much more of that again this year coming
• I now rarely drink alcohol... and if I do... it is with great company and only in small quantities
• I am aware of my body and how it works. If you are not interested in your body and how it is functioning, then who is?
• We have been loaned a vessel (our body) for 70-100 years if we provide it with the nutrients and vitamins it needs then it will give us a long life of good service. Some people treat their cars better than they do their body
• I often mix large quantities of raw food into my diet. Raw food provides supplementary enzymes to assist our bodies
• Avoid all fizzy drinks, soda's, fruit juices (most)... and avoid all Low Fat products... stick to full fat milk, proper butter and normal food. Sugar.. I prefer savoury foods.. Fats, sugars, salts are all needed by the body... I just have taken time to learn what works for me.
• Eat fruit for breakfast every day
• I still eat meat... not every day. When I do it is always accompanied by plenty of fresh vegetables or salad. I try to also eat fish twice a week.
• I try to replace potatoes with Sweet Potato wherever possible, they are so much more healthy (always eat the skins they are the best). I limit the amount of bread I eat. Normally it is flat breads or wraps. I generally eat rice as my staple carbohydrate. I prefer not to eat pasta which is processed food.
• Practice intermittent fasting where I try to not eat after 6:30pm and then start eating in the morning around 9:30am ... this provides a 15 hour window of not eating which is good for my body... maybe yours too
• Drink a tepid water with Lemon slices, fresh ginger and a 1/4 teaspoon of locally produced honey each morning
• I don't put hardly any chemicals on my body. I use natural soaps. Never really used any creams or beauty products
• I don't have a TV so I don't watch adverts of amazing new healthy products or foods... if they have to advertise then it probably isn't good for you. Do your own research. Look for healthier options.
• Am an avid learner about nutrition and count many nutritionists amongst my friends. Also people who grow vegetables and food are lovely people to get to know
• Learn what herbs and natural foods contain... so many of the things our bodies need are absent from the supermarket fodder and fast food outlets... start to take an interest... it's a huge topic but progress starts with the 1st step
• We are pretty much all dehydrated, all the time... so up the amount of water you drink... just get used to having a glass of water where you work and keep topping it up
• Get a device you can wear to monitor your vital signs... it helps you to understand your body (more on this one in the next blog)

Our health is the only thing we've really got... once it is gone it is very hard to get it back. It's much much better to just start making better health choices. Of course we can't ever be sure that doing the above will guarantee good health, no one can... but once you get used to thinking about it then becomes second nature. Everyone of us is unique. There is no right or wrong way... we must each experiment and find something that works for our own body.

Some of the most miserable times in my life have been when I couldn't exercise... couldn't get about easily... Vertigo... torn Achilles tendon... damaged all the ligaments in my foot... when we lose what we take so much for granted we realise... develop a sense of gratitude for the amazing thing we have total control over in our lifetime... and help optimise it to deliver the best life for you. 

"It's no more difficult to eat healthily and look after your own body than it is to treat it badly"

These are just some ideas that you might like to try or adopt into your regime... happy to chat if you would like to know more... 

... Next Blog will be about preventation is better than pills, and how this could really reduce the burden to the NHS