GOOD HEALTH

Principle #1: Good Health Starts With Good Nutrition
Food is the most powerful "magic pill" you have for better health. The nutrients and nourishment your body receives from healthy food can improve all of your major bodily functions including:

Metabolism
Digestion
Immune system
Cognitive function

In other words, what you eat on a daily basis will affect how you look on the outside, how you feel on the inside, how well you can resist illness, and even how clearly you think. Once you start making healthy eating decisions, you can experience a significant improvement in your physical, mental and emotional health.

Develop your will power

Making the decision to eat better isn't about instant perfection. As long as you continually strive to make the right choices each day, you will start to feel better and gradually develop your will power.

Choose foods that provide your body with essential nutrients, such as whole grains, chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, low fat dairy and eggs. Make sure you're getting plenty of dietary fibre, and try to drink at least 12 to 15 250mL glasses of clean fluids such as water, diluted juice or plain tea each day.

Try to avoid the foods that wreak havoc on your body, such as fried and processed foods, white bread and pasta, sugar, trans fats, candy, and cream sauces.

Accept the fact that you have to be flexible in your diet and you will not be able to eat healthy 100% of the time. But if you become conscious about what you put into your body and make an honest effort, you will begin to experience remarkable benefits.

Healthy choices:

Choose healthy foods each day
Focus on low glycemic index foods
Increase daily fibre intake
Drink plenty of fluids
Reduce daily fat intake
Avoid trans fats and other unhealthy foods

You Should Know

Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates can be very good for you. The key is to consume carbohydrate foods with a low glycemic index (GI) score, as they are absorbed more slowly by the body and provide a steady supply of healthy energy. You can build a healthy diet around such low-GI carbohydrate foods as whole grains, brown or parboiled rice, legumes, many fruits and most vegetables.

Principle #2: Nutritional Supplements are Essential
Many people wonder if nutritional supplements a necessary part of healthy living. The answer is an unqualified “yes”, and here's why.

Although you can find some vitamins, minerals and nutrients in healthy foods, virtually all modern diets have gaps that must be filled with nutritional supplements. The solution is to get into the habit of making healthy eating choices, then backing them up with proven nutritional supplements such as antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and specific herbs.

There are thousands of nutritional supplements on the market providing a wide array of different health benefits. The right supplements will vary for each person, but the foundation of a supplement regimen should include the following:

Multi-Vitamin/Mineral

A multi-vitamin/mineral is absolutely essential. Eat well and supplement your diet with a good multi-vitamin/mineral in order to guarantee that you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Antioxidant Supplement

Free radicals are substances that build up in your body, attack your cells, and cause a wide variety of diseases. They are generally thought to be the result of stress, pollution and fatty foods. Antioxidants are the solution. They neutralize free radicals and flush them out of your body before they can do harm.

Phytonutrients

A “multi-phytonutrient” is always recommended. These plant-based nutrients are extremely important for health and are difficult to get from food alone, especially since most people do not eat the required amount of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Supplementing your diet with a good botanical blend will help ensure your body gets all the phytonutrients it needs.

Depending on your personal health conditions and concerns, you can add more targeted supplements to your routine to optimize your health and quality of life.

Healthy choices:

Supplement your vitamin/mineral intake
Neutralize free radicals with antioxidants
Always support your phytonutrient consumption
Take targeted supplements for specific health concerns

You Should Know

It's nearly impossible to get all your vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from food alone. First, modern soil is depleted of nutrients, which decreases the nutritional content of fruits and vegetables. Second, to get all your nutrition from food would require a full-time job monitoring and measuring the amount and type of food you eat everyday. Finally, stress, environmental pollution and processed foods can actually deplete your body of the nutrients it gets from healthy foods.

Principle #3: Achieve & Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
Diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and cancer are all becoming more widespread, and experts agree that poor diet is a major aggravating factor. In particular, obesity is a common issue that links – or even causes – many serious ailments. That's why we all need to achieve and maintain a sensible, healthy body weight.

One way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight is to use the glycemic index (GI) as a guide in choosing the foods you eat.

Control blood sugar to control weight

The glycemic index is a measure of the ability of a food to raise blood sugar levels after it is eaten. Food with a low-GI rating can help you control your weight in two important ways.

First, high-GI foods cause sudden increases in blood sugar, which trigger a greater insulin response in the body. This insulin response signals the body to store excess energy as fat. In contrast, low-GI foods provide a steady energy supply and reduce this storage effect.

Second, research has shown that when blood sugar plunges after reaching the post-meal peak, hunger sets in again, leading to more eating. Since we digest low-GI foods more slowly, we are less likely to feel hungry again, and will be less inclined to snack or overeat.

In addition to improving weight loss results and controlling appetite, several studies have shown that a low-GI diet can reduce insulin resistance, enhance blood sugar control in diabetics, lower levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and raise levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Healthy choices:

Switch from regular white rice to brown rice or parboiled white rice
Choose whole-wheat or other whole-grain bread instead of white bread
Have medium-GI sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes
Eat lots of fruit except for melons, which are high-GI foods
Consider a low-GI nutritional supplement or meal replacement

You Should Know

The high levels of insulin needed to control high-GI foods can increase your weight and cause other damage too. Research suggests that repeated overproduction of insulin could lead to insulin resistance, in which cells that normally respond to insulin become less sensitive. Excessive high-GI foods, high insulin levels, and insulin resistance have been associated with many health concerns, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

Principle #4: Live An Active Lifestyles
Active living is a crucial part of health. Exercise strengthens your body and everything inside. In fact, there are so many benefits, you'd be crazy not to start.

Regular exercise can:

Reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and colon cancer
Relieve depression and anxiety and promote psychological well-being
Build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
Help control body weight
Along with a healthy diet, exercise is necessary to keep us looking and feeling our best.
Balance strength & cardiovascular training

There are two forms of exercise that you need to be concerned with: strength (or resistance training) and cardiovascular training.

Strength training helps build muscle, which is absolutely necessary for a body that is stronger, healthier and leaner. Lifting weights will bring you the greatest benefits.

Cardiovascular exercise burns calories and strengthens your heart. There are a lot of different choices for cardio so you have to find one that you enjoy best. Consider joining an aerobics class, a sports team, or adding walking or cycling to your daily routine.

Even if you can't imagine yourself on a weight machine or jogging for miles, you can still benefit simply by replacing some of the time you currently spend in front of the TV or computer with gardening, dancing, or some other form of enjoyable physical activity.

Physical, mental and emotional health are always linked. Exercise helps “burn off” the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which can not only improve your mood, but also help lower your blood pressure and protect your arteries from stress damage.

Healthy choices:

Combine strength and cardiovascular training
Incorporate movement into your daily routine
Find a sport or other physical hobby that you enjoy
Consider walking or biking instead of taking the car
If you have children, make sure they are also active

You Should Know

When it comes to exercise, consistency is important. Shorter, more frequent workouts are usually better than intense but infrequent exercise. For most adults, as little as 20 minutes of continuous, rhythmic activity such as walking, jogging, biking, swimming or rowing three to five times per week can produce beneficial results. And don't forget – kids who develop the exercise habit will build strong bones and reduce the chance of obesity in adulthood.

Principle #5: Create A Healthy Home Environment
A healthy home environment is one that is as free of toxins as possible, and that promotes peace, rest, and relaxation. Most of us spend significantly more time in our homes than we do outside, so it's crucial for the home environment be healthy for us physically, mentally and emotionally.

Clean air

Believe it or not, the air inside many homes is more polluted than the air outside. Pets, cleaning products, chemical air fresheners, moulds, mildew, and smoke can all add to the problem. Open the windows of your home often to improve air circulation, and consider purchasing a high-quality are filtration system.

Clean water

Numerous studies have identified potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals in our tap water, so it's important to protect your family. High-quality bottled water or a water filtration system can help purify your water supply, and reduce the health risks.

Clean surroundings

Cleanliness is pleasing to the senses, but be selective about the cleaning products you use. Use only natural cleansers for your home and body. This includes detergents and other laundry products, air fresheners, soaps, shampoos and toothpaste.

Peaceful relationships

If your relationships in the home are stressful, your health will suffer. Often, the best solution is to rid your life of any outside things, tasks or people that don't contribute to your well-being, so you can focus on nurturing the relationships within your family. Take time to meditate on your own happiness, and let go of any blame, resentment or grudge that prevents you from enjoying the peace of mind you deserve.

Healthy choices:

Keep household air fresh and clean
Use effective water filtration
Reduce the use of chemicals in the home
Invest time in your family relationships
Release negative emotions

You Should Know

In 2005, the Environmental Working Group in Washington, DC released the results of a study revealing that even unborn babies have a soup of toxic chemicals flowing through their veins. This body pollution, present even before birth, is a direct result of the air we breathe and the water we drink. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate these toxins, air and water filtration systems can improve the healthiness of your home environment.

Principle #6: Reduce Stress & Increase Laughter
Stress and anxiety can have a significant negative impact on all aspects of health. A calm mind, serene and centered in its equilibrium, is unquestionably superior in terms of focus, attention span, retention of knowledge and problem-solving ability.

Beyond the mental and emotional effects of stress, there are also physical health risks. When stressed, the body diverts blood and energy from the digestive tract to the large muscles and the brain. Digestion slows down, and fewer digestive enzymes and acids are produced. Your body will no longer be able to extract all the nutrients it needs from your food, yet it will require even more nutrients than normal in order to maintain the stress response.

In this conflicted state, your body is almost certain to lack vital nutrients such as protein, antioxidants (including selenium and vitamins A, C and E), all B vitamins (including niacin, pantothenic acid and folic acid), calcium, magnesium and essential fatty acids.

Strategies for coping

It is important to manage stress before it becomes a severe problem. For example, plan tasks ahead of time, don't overburden your schedule, take occasional breaks during periods of intense mental activity, and maintain a healthy balance between work and relaxation.

Relaxing music, diffusing aromas such as sandalwood or lavender, or a quiet evening stroll alone or with a nurturing companion are good ways to help balance the mind and emotions. Social, leisure, and recreational activities, meditation/relaxation techniques, and exercise are also excellent outlets for stress. Certain nutritional and herbal supplements can also help your body respond better to daily stress factors.

Key Points:

Plan ahead to avoid stress
Give yourself a rest when you need it
Always make time for personal pursuits, meditation and relaxation
Consider stress-reducing nutritional supplements
Try to find humour in every day life

You Should Know

Researchers in California have shown that laughter can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, increase muscle flexion, and boost immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being. Sometimes the best way to diffuse a stressful situation is to find humour in it.

"I joined "Lifestyles" in 2001 when I was in Kuala Lumpur and I have been drinking "intra" ever since for my daily health. It gives me so much energy and I am quite healthy till today, imagine I have to toil around the house with so many rescued cats to take care, it involved a lot of hard work and need someone with full of energy and healthy always. I haven't been sick for years, Al hamdullillah! " Lily Arbee

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