Physical Health Foundation
I believe that you have to heal yourself.
The responsibility to heal yourself is yours, never give up this responsibility.
You and your body on a deeper level know best what is good for you. Get back to this responsibility and this knowledge of what is good for you, so that you heal yourself and stay fit and healthy. This doesn't exclude you from seeking proper health advice, quiet the opposite, get enough knowledge about your own health, to make an informed choice for your own personal, individual health care.
My main objective is to support you with enough information, that you can take care of your own healing.
There is one way, a Doctor,
Naturopath or Counsellor know they have succeeded, that is if they have become obsolete.
I always argued, if Doctors don't like that people visit a Natural Therapist, they simply should cure or care better for their patients.
Physical Foundation - the Good Habits:
The most obvious is always the most effective solution. We may have adopted a lot of bad habits, sometimes all it's needed, is to remind our self what is naturally good for us, and change bad habits into "Good Habits".
Your Posture
Do yourself a favour, when standing, stand on both feet, supporting the weight of your body equally with both legs. Avoid putting the weight of your body on one foot or leg, as this will distort the relationship of the hipbones and spine.
When sitting , do not slump over, half lying and half sitting. Unnatural distortion of your spine is often the result of sitting improperly.
Choose a chair that has adequate firmness to hold your weight comfortably and then sit straight. Avoid too soft, overstuffed chairs. Recliner chairs are acceptable if they are constructed so that when you are reclining your back is in a normal, straight position.
Cross your legs only at the ankle, not at the knees. Crossing your legs at the knees could aggravate an existing back condition as well as interfere with the circulation to the lower limbs.
Workplace: Choose appropriate sitting or standing position at your workplace. Try to adopt different good positions at hourly intervals, meaning; "don't sit on your computer, straining your neck for 8 hours, without hardly ever moving" ... should be obvious shouldn't it?
Rest, Relaxation And Sleep
Set aside a special time each day for complete mental and physical relaxation. This is important in the restoration, as well as maintenance, of normal health. A short meditation or relaxation exercise is ideal for such a purpose.
Get enough sleep to allow your body to recuperate and repair. If you do not get enough sleep you are drawing on reserves. Those reserves are limited. Find out how much rest you require to awake naturally refreshed and adopt a time of retiring that permits you to get the required amount.
For physical and mental regeneration (Alpha brainwave), 7-8 hours deep refreshing sleep is the average. More if you are depleted or sick, less once you have acquired total health.
Sleep on a firm mattress , but soft enough to allow your shoulders, buttocks, etc to depress into the mattress.
Your pillow should support you head so that your neck vertebrae are level with the rest of your spine. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Do not sleep sitting in a chair or in cramped quarters.
Exercise
Exercise in the Foundation Programme, has only ONE Reason;
to establish a level of fitness to suit your individual lifestyle.
The "harder" you "live", the harder you have to exercise to create the fitness for your lifestyle.
3 forms of exercise: Cardio Vascular - Stretching - Weights
Remember One Important Fact:
You cannot store Fitness !
Exercise every day, make it part of your lifestyle. Walking, swimming, bike or mini-trampoline for CardioVascular exercise, at least 20min. daily.
Become active to the point of getting up a light sweat, but one should never become exhausted.
Walking Programme :
Walk a distance, which you can walk comfortable in 20min. Having established this distance, slowly increase the distance, but stay in the 20min. time frame.
Doing this is building up fitness without exercising the whole day.
Do stretching exercise like Yoga for mobility and strength. Never strain yourself. 20min. beginner Yoga stretching, "salute to the sun" and about 8-10 yoga position.
The aim is to tone up muscle while at the same time improve digestion, keep weight down, stimulate circulation, correct metabolism and tissue oxygenation, increase vitality, encourage proper elimination, enrich mental function, invite restful sleep and combat depression.
Recommendation: Take a yoga class, the combined result from doing yoga and taking the time out for it, will have show profound positive health results.
Muscle building (keeping)
Use it or lose it ... is the first rule we all know.
However, something else is even more important, which is the ability to grow muscles. Doing that has shown to increase immunity, amongst other benefits. You are actually producing brand new cells, which has an anti-aging effect.
Muscles need time to grow, don't lift heavy weights every day, I suggest just 2 -3 times a week. Always have 2 - 3 days of rest after a weight lifting session. 20 min. per session is enough. If you can lift a weight for 12 - 15 repetition, increase the weight being lifted.
Recommendation: Get some instruction and a free weight lift program worked out for you.
Conscious Breathing
What can I say, is there anything more important than breathing, try doing it without.
We all do it, but like everything, to get a good result, we need to show a bit of effort.
Give your lungs a good clean out.
At least once daily, better twice, do a circle of conscious breathing. This will strengthen your lungs, and they will process more oxygen with less effort. The heartbeat will grow stronger pumping an increased volume of blood to the muscles. Sagging tissues will regain firmness. Your face will have better colour.
Body temperature is controlled through automatic change of breath between the right and left nostril.
The right represents the sun, heat and energy.
The left nostril, the moon, the cooling power, and the expansion of the mind.
1 circle consists of:
Inhale to the count of four, holding to the count of four, exhale to the count of four, retain to the count of four.
Repeat this circle 10 times. - Breathe through the nostrils. - If you develop chest pain, stop until pain is
relieved. - In the City, do your breathing exercise in the early morning, before traffic builds up.
One Nostril Breathing :
Close the right nostril with the right thumb. Slowly inhale deeply through the left nostril, then exhale through the same nostril, do that 6 times.
Next, inhale trough the right nostril by closing the left one with the ring finger of the right hand. Exhale through the same nostril, 6X.
Complete Deep Breathing :
Fill the lower lungs by lowering the diaphragm as the abdomen expands.
Then fill the middle part of your lungs, pushing out the lower chest.
Then fill the upper lungs, lifting the chest.
Then the uppermost part of the lungs, slightly draw in lower abdomen.
At the end of inhalation, raise shoulders slightly, permitting air to enter the extreme upper lope of the right lung.
Retain the breath for at least 15 sec., exhale slowly, relax.
.. and now .. breath normally again :-)
Recommendation: For Breathing and Meditation - click > Meditation-Course (free)
