Health Tips For A Busy Life

I was onced asked to do an interview with a focus on what overworked and overstressed corporate executives could do to stay healthy. After giving it some thought, I decided that it would be best not to go forth with the interview, because I felt that it would send the wrong message; namely, that a person can experience his or her best health by following a few pointers on diet and lifestyle despite abusing their bodies with a hectic schedule.

Being overstressed and under-rested and thinking that there are a few simple steps that can be followed to stay healthy brings to mind the following thought:

It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law. - Cecile B. DeMille

Over time, a healthy diet, high quality supplements, and a smorgasbord of natural therapies cannot undo the damage that is created in our bodies by chronic stress and lack of rest. A fundamental law of health is that our bodies need regular physical and emotional rest to heal itself from the rigors of everyday life. When we repeatedly disregard this law, we are asking to be broken; we are asking to develop illness.

With all of that said, I can appreciate many of the noble reasons why a person may find it necessary to be overworked and under-rested during various phases of life.

If you know someone whose life circumstances are such that he or she just does not have the luxury of getting adequate physical and emotional rest on a regular basis, please consider sharing the following health tips for a busy lifestyle with him or her:

1. If your schedule allows only a few minutes of pause during the day, spend those minutes in complete silence with your eyes closed. Closing your eyes while you rest can dramatically enhance the quality of rest that your body experiences. If you find it hard to believe that closing your eyes while you rest can make a difference with your health, take a minute to watch the eyes of someone watching television. This exercise should convince you of the merits of closing your eyes while you rest for a few minutes during a busy day.

2. Keep a large container of field greens in your refrigerator. Include generous amounts of these greens with every meal that you eat. Add a large handful to whole grain sandwiches that you make for lunch at work or school. Eating fresh, raw, green vegetables will provide you with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, and phytochemicals, all of which can help to offset the negative health effects of constantly being on the go.
3. Choose mustard over mayonnaise. Almost all commercial varieties of mayonnaise utilize a cheap vegetable oil, like soybean oil, that can contribute to an imbalance of fatty acids in your tissues. Cheap vegetable oils found in mayonnaise are also likely to contain damaged polyunsaturated fatty acids which can cause direct injury to your tissues. Even the least expensive varieties of mustard usually contain little but mustard seeds, tumeric, vinegar, and salt. While large amounts of vinegar and salt should be avoided, the amount of vinegar and salt found in modest portions of mustard are far less likely to cause health problems over the long haul vs. cheap vegetable oils found in mayonnaise.

   Even better than mustard is hummus or avocado slices.

4. Start your day with a green smoothie. All you need are fresh green vegetables, fresh fruit, and a strong blender. Green smoothies are extremely easy for most people to digest and provide a good blend of healthy carbohydrates and antioxidants; they make for perfect fuel to begin your day. When pressed for time, you can take your green smoothie to go in a thermos or mug.
5. Get into a habit of making a large pot of healthy soup over the weekend. Distribute the large batch into smaller containers that hold an appropriate serving size for one day and freeze these containers. Before heading off to school or work, transfer one container from your freezer to your refrigerator so that it can be warmed up within a few minutes for dinner
6. If you take a bus or subway to school or work, on your way home, get off one or two stops before the stop closest to your home and walk the rest of the way. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
7. If you have to take an elevator or escalator at work or at home, consider walking up a few flights of stairs instead.
8. If you have the luxury of watching a television program or movie in the evenings, stretch all of your major muscle groups while you watch.

Please remember: our best health can only be experienced by incorporating health tips like the ones listed above with a lifestyle that includes adequate emotional and physical rest. It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.

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