“How to be healthy?” is a question that is asked by millions of people around the world on a daily basis. With the new year starting many people take a new look at how to get healthy. The dictionary definition of healthy is a person that has good health, but what does that mean? That definition is not helpful if you know you have to do more, or something, anything to improve your health.

We all know that good health can be achieved through diet and exercise. We would have been in a cave all this time if we did not hear that before. This answer is vague because not all people are knowledgeable about the proper food to eat and the proper exercises to do, or even how to get started. Health and wellness begin with getting on the path to feeling and looking better in your Mind Body and Spirit. We will share with you the various intelligences and how to work with each one and balance all four. There are 4 intelligences that we will use as our system, those being, Physical Intelligence (PQ-Body), Cognitive Intelligence (IQ– Mind), Emotional Intelligence (EQ – Mind and Body), and finally Spiritual Intelligence (SQ – Spirit – connected to the Mind and Body). Keep checking in for more on all of these and how you can work with them for Mind, Body, Spirit Health and Wellness.

How to be Healthy – Diet

It is said that good health is composed of 75% diet and 25% exercise. Diet plays a huge role in

good health because the human body is only capable of metabolizing so much food each day. Excessive eating and/or eating the wrong things means that the body will go over its daily allowance for food resulting to the storage of fats instead of using them to fuel the body. Having a proper diet requires an individual to make healthier choices such as white meat over red meat, or no meat at all and the addition of fruits and vegetables in every meal. Dieting also means that an individual should stay away from fatty food or any food that is cooked in oil.

This of course is a quick introduction to diet and we will offer more as time goes on. Creating change can be difficult so the first place to start is making it easy to lose weight and feel better… HOW? Start where it is easiest for you. I know my downfall is sweets. I love chocolate and used to eat ice cream, although now I am lactose intolerant. So cutting down on processed food that is full of sugar and preservatives is the place I started. Skip desert and have a piece of fruit for starters.

If you love potato chips, as my husband does, then find other crunchy alternatives. You can put sea salt on crunchy veggies. Do this alone for a week and see how you do. I have long since learned that if you try to do it all at once and make big changes in a lot of areas the mind will talk us into rebelling eventually. Go slow with changes because this is simple and more importantly sustainable!

How to be Healthy – Exercise

The 25% allocation of exercise in good health is spot on. Basically, exercise is meant to improve the body’s metabolism and also to strengthen the physical aspect of the body. Exercise should be done daily so that the body continually burns carbohydrates and fat. Simple exercises that can be done include cardiovascular exercises such as walking and running. Hitting the gym and lifting weights can also be done since these also increase heart rate. However, it is advised that trainers be hired for beginners since lifting weights can result to injury when proper form is not established. Of course it is always important to consult your doctor before beginning any workout or exercise program.

One thing that is super easy to get you started to move more is to get a fitness tracker. There are many on the market to chose from. It has been amazing to look at how many hours I sit and I love my tracker as it silently tells me when I have sat for one hour and then additional 15 minute intervals. It makes me get up and move and also helps me to increase the amount of steps I take each day. My husband and I both sit for our work and has been helpful to both of us. Just get moving - your body and heart will thank you!

Drink Plenty of Water.

We all need at least 8 8 oz glasses of water per day. If you drink caffeinated or carbonated

drinks you need to replace the water being taken from these drinks and add 2 more glasses of water for each can or cup you have. Increasing your water intake is an easy step to take if you set your mind to it. Again, start easy and just increase your water consumption daily until you get to the healthy amount.

This is one that I need to constantly remind myself as I get busy with my day. To help myself out I drink 2-3 8 oz glasses in the morning when I get up. This feels really cleansing to me and gets me in the mindset to drink my water.

If you drink anything with sugar in it, as many people do, you will be shocked how much better you will feel and the pounds you can shed by giving these up. It is unbelievable how many calories can slip passed your awareness when you drink sugary drinks.

How to be Healthy – Sleep

To be healthy it is vitally important that you get enough sleep for sustainable health and wellness. Much of my life I ignored my body’s need for sleep and pushed past it with coffee. I eventually paid a price by wearing myself out and eventually got Chronic Fatigue (CFIDS). Now is the time to look at how much sleep you get and how you feel in the morning and throughout your day, a feature the Garmin Vivofit and other Fitness trackers have. Adults need 8-9 hours a night of sleep for sustainable health and wellness and children need 9-10 hours. Teens need a lot of sleep and can sleep 14-15 hours a night on the weekends. Teens are growing important brain cells and creating new neural pathways. Please parents let your teenager sleep, they will be happier, healthier and probably nicer people to be around.

This is just the beginning of caring for your mind, body, spirit health and wellness. Take time for yourself and take time to come back and read more if you want to have a better life!

About the Author

Veronika has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and a Board Certified Personal, Executive and Leadership Coach. She has been a psychotherapists in private practice for over 28 years as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California. She is certified as a Spiritual Intelligence Coach and Trainer through Deep Change. Veronika has done coaching and presentations in business, law enforcement, spiritual communities, Employee Assistance Programs, and with non-profit, county and state agencies since 1994. Read More About Veronika.

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