Guidelines for Living a Naturally
Healthy Lifestyle
By: Mary Ann Dittmeier, BFRP
If you are among those who exercise regularly, eat organic food, supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals, take time to pray and meditate, and spend some time in natural settings you know the joy that a naturally healthy lifestyle can produce. Many who have not begun to change their unhealthy habits feel that “getting healthy” is too much work, it is expen-sive and that old age and illness are inevitable, so why bother?
In fact, illness is not necessarily inevitable and getting healthy does not always require a lot of work. Taking just one step to eliminate an unhealthy habit or adding just one new routine to your day can bring revitalization, happiness and well-being that is certainly worth the attempt. Currently millions of Americans suffer from fatigue, over-stress, lack of adequate sleep. High blood pressures, obesity, depression, diabetes, heart disease, and allergies, are on the rise not just in adults, but young children, too.
Living a more natural lifestyle to improve health can be gradual and quite simple. It can be done with a professional’s oversight or completely independently. Making a change in your own life not only has impact on you, but also positively affects your family, friends, co-workers, even the world as a whole.
Rather than making changes when illness is diagnosed, why not improve preventatively? Those who live and teach natural health techniques focus on balance in mind, body and spirit – they take a whol-isitic approach to determine what needs attention and what needs support to maintain health. Consider the following suggestions as you begin to evaluate how you are feeling and what you can change in order to function at your optimum level of health.
Mind:
Begin by looking at how you are feeling about yourself and about how your life is at the moment. Look at the sources of your lack energy, or happiness. How would you like to feel and what do you need to do to feel that way? Generally, any imbalance in our physical selves, our thoughts or emotions can be attributed to a general term: “stress”. Stress is a reaction to what is happening internally or externally and can be a result of negative or positive life exper-iences. Getting married, buying a new home, childbirth, etc. are all wonderful life experiences but create tremendous stress as well. Raising teenagers, unemployment, divorce, newly diagnosed illness, loss of a loved one, unemployment, etc. are negative life experiences that create stress. These and other experiences create stress chemically and biologically in our bodies that, over time, can lead to illness.
Dr. Edward Bach, a noted physician, immunologist and researcher discovered Bach® Flower Essences in the 19020’s and 1930’s as a way to support health by changing negative emotions and attitudes into positive ones. He found that one’s outlook contributed greatly to healing or the continuation of illness. Negative thought, emotion and lifestyle contributed to greater stress in mind, body and spirit and even put great stress on the immune system. The Bach Flowers are a subtle yet powerful support for mind and spirit in beginning or sticking to a healthy life style. For instance, Hornbeam can help change procrastination into motivation, Mimulus changes fear into courage, Walnut helps support during transitions, Larch strengthens low self esteem, and Wild Rose can turn resigned apathy into direction and action. Bach Flowers can be an important and incredibly helpful method to decide, commit to and maintain new health habits.
Body:
Exercise brings oxygen to the muscles, blood and cells, increases energy levels, improves sleep quality, decrease stress and anxiety, digestion and elimination improve, and heart disease can decrease.
Drinking 6-8 glasses of fresh, pure water each day regulates body temperature, flushes toxins and waste from the body, improves skin condition, decreases tired apathy, and bathes the joints.
Choosing fresh, organic foods is important to fuel the body and support the body’s functions. Eat an ample supply of fruits and vegetables, supplement with grains, nuts and seeds, and eat minimal amounts of meat, if you wish. It is very helpful to eliminate cow dairy products (use soymilks and cheeses, rice ice cream is delicious, almond cheese is, too), refined sugars, caffeine, foods with artificial preservatives and flavorings.
Spirit:
Folks with a sense of connectedness find spirituality. Those who follow religious traditions are often less stressed. Having a hobby, like gardening, walking, music or art, for example, offers distraction and concentration on a pleasant activity. Yoga, meditation and Tai Chi offer spiritual awareness and peace. Others find being in nature (in the sun, near the water, walking in the woods) to be spiritually uplifting. Healthy and supportive relationships can be satisfying spiritually. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Make yourself necessary in someone’s life.” Helping others develops gratitude in our own lives and happiness to others.
Take one idea per month and incorporate it into your life. Each small change will bring a noticeable improvement. Build on that healthy experience and choose another area to improve. Over time you will see the difference; these changes will motivate you to do more. It is not very difficult or expensive to begin living a healthier natural lifestyle. Set a goal this season to find your balance in mind, body and spirit!
Mary Ann Dittmeier, BFRP is a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner. Call (631)475-8308 for information or book a confidential consultation including your personalized Bach Flower Essences formula.