The human body has often been likened to a car. And like all cars, the body needs care and maintenance.
The truth is, your body can be both a race car or a vintage version of a fine piece of machinery that can age gracefully.
Race cars require tune-ups and oil changes every three to six months. Just as a car needs a checkup, so does your body.
You can schedule a visit to your doctor twice a year to have a thorough executive checkup.
The best way to revive you internally is to exercise.
Well-oiled
It’s what keeps every part of the machine well-oiled. To oil your joints, you need good hydration and exercise.
Along with good nutrition, your internal organs receive the right nutrients contained in the food you eat.
Let’s go over the list of the right good food.
Organic leafy greens
Fresh, organic fruits
Meat from grass-fed animals (cows, goat, pigs)
Free-range chicken
Sea animals—sea vegetables (seaweeds), fish from the sea (with scales)
Organic grains—mountain rice, quinoa, couscous
Multigrain breads
Green teas
Herbal teas
Change filter
As all filters go, unwanted residue and toxins must be removed. So is the need to detoxify the body.
The first rule is to clear the lungs and clean the blood. Learn how to breathe the right way. Deep and deliberate breathing is essential to taking in adequate amounts of oxygen.
Be mindful of the quality of air that you breathe. Whenever there’s a chance, hie off to the beach, mountains or forests. The negative ions in nature’s clean environment is high enough to recharge you.
Time to take charge
As a gym rat, Danny in his 30s had a regular blood pressure reading of 100/60, much like an athlete’s.
When he became a workaholic at age 40, he reduced his exercise time from one hour daily workouts seven times a week to one hour twice a week.
One fine Friday after work, he felt slightly dizzy. Out of
curiosity and concern, he went to the company clinic to have his blood pressure taken. It was a whopping 150/90. Alarmed, he decided to take drastic measures.
1) Skipping boys’ night out: He said goodbye to alcohol bingeing.
2) Daily moderate exercise: He adopted a moderate workout program—20 minutes cardio on the treadmill and 20 minutes weight training.
Every week he also attended yoga sessions in order to improve his mind-body connection.
3) Sleeping early: Turning in by 10 p.m. allowed him to wake up by 5 a.m.—refreshed and recharged.
4) Nutrition instead of junk: By replacing the usual junk food (chips, pretzels, cookies, etc.) with nuts, fruits and protein shakes, he shed off 10 lbs in two weeks.
5) No midnight snacking: He enforced on himself a ban on raiding the ref at odd hours.
After 14 days of serious lifestyle changes, Danny’s blood pressure went down to a normal 110/70.
Balanced pH level
Inflammation is caused by a high level of acidity in the body. Health challenges that thrive on an acidic environment are cancer, colds/flu and yeast infections.
The ideal is to keep a balanced pH (power of hydrogen) level around 7.0 which is not too acidic and not too alkaline. The lower the level, the more acidic you get.
If you feel that you are too acidic, avoid meats and poultry, eggs and dairy, legumes, grains and nuts.
This means going vegan or limiting meals to vegetables, fruits and fish.
The four alkaline minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Include these mineral supplements in your daily vitamin-mineral regimen in order to bring internal balance.
Quick alkaline fix:
For daily maintenance, drink 1 teaspoon of baking soda in one cup lukewarm water. This brings instant relief.
Alkaline helpers:
Consider mineral-rich almonds, apples, avocado, berries, beets, beans, broccoli, cabbage, garlic, citrus fruits, sea vegetables (arame, wakame, hijiki, kelp), olive oil, green leafy vegetables, sweet potato, tomatoes, wild salmon and other fish.
This week’s affirmation: “I am calm and in control.”
Love and light!
E-mail the columnist at [email protected].
