How to DIY Health

It is not a given that you must get ill as you get older. It is not a given that rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes have to keep rising. Above all else it is not the case that you need to be a "victim" of disease, especially given that 70% of the diseases in Australia are related to lifestyle. Disease is not random.

Your health is directly influenced by how you live your life. The decisions and choices you make about what you put into your body, how active you are, how much rest and relaxation you get and how you deal with stress impact on your health, vitality and wellbeing.

Air and breathing

This seems obvious – the need to breathe. The body can only last a few minutes without air, yet many people breathe in a very shallow way. Good health is enhanced by slow deep breathing. There are also health benefits to guided relaxation, mediation, yoga or other pursuits where there is focus on the breath rather than it being just on auto pilot.

Water

The body is made up of 70% water and needs constant turnover. To illustrate why the water in the body needs to turn over and move, think about a stagnant pool and a flowing river. A stagnant pond will struggle to sustain life because it has virtually no energy about it. However, a river that is flowing will sustain life and has a tremendous energy about it.

Fuels

Keep it simple. Eat mainly foods that till recently were growing somewhere or moving around. Eat foods which if not eaten this week would have to be thrown out next week. Eat food that your ancestors from 100 years ago would recognise as food.

Movement

Our bodies are not designed to be sedentary. Lack of physical activity is a major contributor to premature ageing. It has been generally accepted that as people age that they will lose muscle mass, flexibility and fitness. However this is not a given. It comes about because of lack of activity, rather than the passage of time. Have a regular activity regime that includes cardiovascular (e.g. running, swimming), resistance (use of weights) and stretching exercises.

Sleep

We spend more time asleep than any other thing we do. It is more important than food ranking only behind air and water in the body's order of needs. Yet we don't treat it with respect and may "borrow" time from sleep and forget to repay the debt. The vast majority of adults need 8 hours per night. If you need 8 and get 7 then by the end of one week you are a whole night in arrears.

Relaxation

This is separate to sleep. This is about relaxing while awake. The time spent smelling the proverbial roses. Unwinding and letting go of tension and stress is essential for leading a healthy and happy life. Some people find it easy to relax, while others find it difficult and often get to the end of their holidays before they start to feel relaxed and carefree.

Relaxation is about the things you do for the enjoyment they bring, not for any other purpose. It is about playing ball for fun not to win. It is walking in the park, listening to music, being with your loved ones or whatever you enjoy doing and has no time frame to it.

Relationships

Humans are social creatures. We rely on relationships for our wellbeing. Relationships can broadly be regarded as external (those with others) and internal (which covers your view of yourself, your values and spirituality). Both are important to your health.

Fun and purpose

When you look at those who have been highly successful in their business, often they are the same people who continue to work long past "retirement" age because they love what they are doing and have fun doing it. What we do needs to be fun as eventually lying on the beach will get boring. We need a challenge that stimulates us and we need to feel that what we do matters, that there is purpose in what we are doing. This may be at the family level, at work or at a broader community level. Purpose relates to your desire to contribute and be part of something that is bigger than yourself. This connects us to our fellow human beings, be they in our family, business or community. Each person has unique skills and talents and deep down, we all feel that those skills and talents are meant for a purpose.

In the same way that a well maintained car will run better for longer, so is the case with a well maintained body. Principles of DIY Health are easy to apply. All that is needed is a plan and your desire to start. Remember, age is a given but the effects of aging are optional.

(Source: Dr Joe Kosterich: November 2009)