The emphasis on change for our culture and world should cause you to reflect on your need to personalize your health and change from your old ways. Before serious health issues occur, begin now by actively participating in a healthy life-style which with discipline and self control will prevent disease and certain ailments further in life.  This article will help you gain information for developing a total well being while focusing on your mind, body and spirit, for a better you.

A new year is a good reason to begin a new you.  When considering you, think of the total you.  The Greek philosopher Socrates said,” Know thyself”.  Self knowledge is the key ingredient in learning to be comfortable with you and accepting yourself. According to Merrill in the text, Health: A Wellness approach, “Good health is a condition of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being, free from disease, pain, or defect, that enables us to live our lives with choice and vitality.”  Your health is the foundation of life.  Therefore, we must consider how we are living our life and what we do to help us live a productive healthy life-style.  We are living longer.  According to the National Center for Health Statistics, “the average life expectancy during 2006 for African American women is 76.9 years, for white women, 81 years. Therefore, it is important to maintain or develop discipline and self control for your optimum health to live a longer and better quality of life.

It is possible to live our lives fully regardless of our present or past circumstances. Living a full life is possible through daily connections with our mind, body and spirit. We must create a sacred and daily practice for a longer healthier life.  We only have one life to live and we might as well live it to its fullest.  We must begin now, today, right now.  We must make our health a daily concern. There are certain actions we can take to promote a state of good health and well being and consequently live a longer more productive life.  You can add at least ten years to your life if you practice good health and cultivate the following practices.

MIND

Evaluate your lifestyle and goals. Are you pleased with the way you are living your life?  Ask yourself if there are changes I could make to improve my overall well-being, what would those changes be? Fix this vision of yourself in your mind.  Post pictures of your actualized self in your home and where you work to inspire you to work towards your goal. No one can do everything perfectly all the time. Each one of us was created and uniquely designed in our own way.  We are all beautiful.  Begin now loving and appreciating the beauty which lies within.  Do not become over-powered by the images mass media defines for us as beauty. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.  Through discipline, self control and hard work your inner beauty will emerge.  It’s there, allow it to surface.  We all have inner demons we are fighting.  Fight through them.  Speak about you what you expect of you.  Repeat often, in your mind or out loudly, “I am beautiful, I am disciplined, and I have self control.” This will help develop a stronger Mental Health.  Merrill, in his text, Health: A Wellness Approach states that, “Mental health is being comfortable with yourself; feeling good about your relationship with others; being able to meet the demands of life”. 

BODY

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention, being physically active can give you more energy, reduce stressors, help you feel better about yourself and helps you set a good example for your friends and family.  Therefore, you should exercise daily.  Exercise also helps to maintain normal weight for your height.  Dr. Beverly Roberts-Atwater of the Indiana Regional Medical Center in Indiana, PA suggests that you consult your physician before participating in a rigorous exercise program and also ask your doctor about the ideal weight for your height and age.  It is recommended that 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, most or all days of the week will improve your quality of life tremendously.  Because women tend to lose muscle and bone, it is also recommended to try strengthening activities 2-3 times per week.  It is never too late to get moving.  Start moving now!

Nutrition: eat regular nutritious meals.  Eat at least five different fruits and vegetables daily.  Your meal plate should be colorful; red, green, yellow orange, etc. Eat whole grains, fat free or low fat milk products, lean meat, poultry and fish. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed.  Avoid snacking between meals. If you must eat between meals, eat fruit.  Also, limit the amount of fat, sugar and salt you eat.  Keep your body hydrated with water. Do not drink sweetened water which consists of high fructose products.

Rest well nightly, at least 6-8 hours.

Do not smoke.

SPIRIT 

Acknowledge that there is a power we can sense beyond the natural processes of the world and life.  Maintain a positive connection with God and the power of the universe which is much stronger and more powerful than you.  The spiritual satisfaction that God offers sustains us in this world and will endure into eternity.

Feed your spirit with daily affirmations of what’s possible and of what you believe you can accomplish in life. We emit both positive and negative energy.  Send out what you want back.  “What goes around comes around”.  Begin meditating. Concentrating, focusing on the desires of your heart. Mediation helps to alleviate physical and mental diseases.  It also helps to bring about a sense of balance and harmony with the universe. Empty out your old practices and habits to allow the fulfillment of the new. Maintain/develop relationships with like-minded people. Network with girlfriends; supportive people increase the possibility for success and accomplishment of your desired goal.

While we are busy building our lives we must take time to build our bodies, mind and spiritual well-being.

We must empower ourselves with all the Guts Glam and Grace in dwelt in us to be successful and to be used for the purpose for which we were created.

~Dr. Lynda Lewis 

Dr. Lynda R. Lewis received her Doctorate of Education in Administration Policy Studies focusing on the Administrator’s role for improving the quality of Physical Fitness.  She is a former Health and Physical Education teacher, public school administrator, and univeristy professor.

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