A PRICELESS POSSESSION

What amount of money would you be willing to pay to buy health if you could? Would it be worth a million naira to you? How important is your health? It's a relative question, isn't it? If you are reasonably healthy, you may want to spend your money on something else. If you only suffer with a complaint or two, perhaps you are tired once in a while but overall you're doing fairly well, you might not be willing to shell out as much as someone else. What is wellness worth? Ask patients in hospital cancer wards that same question. Most would agree that they would pay any amount of money to regain their health. Ask the parents of a terminally ill child. A million naira is a small ransom to pay the disease that has taken their son or daughter hostage.
Health is a priceless possession, more important than the houses, cars, furniture, jewels, and other assets our culture so highly values. Strength and stamina-gifts most of us receive at birth-can be maintained or lost during a lifetime, depending on the receivers stewardship.
The world health organisation (W.H.O) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health is a dynamic process because it is always changing. We all have times of good health, times of sickness, and maybe even times of serious illness. As our lifestyles change, so does our level of health. Sometimes we don't realise the value of something until we have lost it.
A friend we'll call Daisy was this way. She possessed a remarkable immune system, one that was faithful to protect her in spite of her assault on it. A frightened diet of coffee, doughnuts, ice creams, alcoholic drinks and fast foods combined with sedentary job to pile on the kilograms (in spite of the concentrated bitter herbs she wouldn't stop because it "kept the weight off"). But she never got sick. Friends and families begged Daisy to change her lifestyle. At the time, it didn't matter to her. Today it does, however. She now has cancer. Daisy is facing death, and she's urgently searching the Internet for somewhere, anywhere, to find healing.
If good health were a place called Well being, would you be willing to travel there if it were a thousand miles away? Five thousand? Ten thousand? Daisy would, because when you lose something important, you desperately want it back. It becomes the pearl of great price to you. If you are in Daisy's shoes, wanting to recapture your vigour, remember the Chinese proverb, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Vibrant health may seem out of reach for you now. You believe you are too far gone. But we know you are not. People at death door have regained their health and even gone to levels they haven't previously experience .I (Sharon) know this from experience, when I lost my health some years back. It was a severe case of arthritis due to excess weight. I had to study extensively to learn how to rebuild my body through nutrition and lifestyle changes. When I began my restorative exercise regimen, I could literally only walk a few steps before I was forced to stop and rest. I have traveled great lengths to regain my health. And I'm still on that journey. In my future articles on Body Confidence. You will benefit from my experience of losing and recovering my health. The Body Confidence program that I now use for my clients was developed out of years of researching medical journals and health books, brainstorming with physicians and nutritionist, attending medical conferences and courses, consulting with experts, and experimenting on myself and other patients.
A healthy attitude is one that finds a balance between current pleasure and future benefits. It allows freedom for flexibility and occasional indulgences without sacrificing health and wellness. A healthy attitude says," it's my body and my choice. I'm choosing this."
If you need a little more motivation for making some positive changes in your eating and weight, here's a powerful fact that could dramatically extend your life.
Did you know that eating a very nutritious diet of 30% fewer calories can add 30% more time to your lifespan ? In addition to supercharging your overall health. This means that if you expect to live to the average age of seventy-five years, you can increase that amount to approximately ninety-seven years just by eaten less. I strongly agree that eating less is a proven method to increase longevity.
I encourage you to forget about all the reasons you have failed in the past. Today is a new day and a fresh start. My purpose for this article is to help you find solutions, not excuses. It doesn't matter what challenges are holding you back. If you want to achieve victory, you must find solutions to those speed bumps.
Those of us who participate in regular physical activity do so partly to improve the current and future level of our health. We strive toward an optimal state of well-being. As our lifestyle improves, our health also improves and we experience less disease and sickness.in a workshop recently a group of young scholars were asked what it means to be healthy, they responded with these four components of fitness (cardiorespiratory ability, muscular ability, flexibility, and body composition). Although these components are a critical part of being healthy, they are not the only contributing factors. Physical health is only one aspect of our overall health.
The other components of health that are just as important as physical health include the following:

1. Social health-The ability to interact well with people (friends, neighbors, relations and colleagues) and the environment and to have satisfying personal relationships.

2. Mental health-The ability to properly learn and grow intellectually. Life experiences as well as more formal structures (e.g., school) enhance mental health.

3. Emotional health-The ability to control emotions so that you feel comfortable expressing them and can express them appropriately.

4. Spiritual health- A belief in some unifying force. It varies from person to person but has the concept of faith at its core.

Wellness is the search for enhanced quality of life, personal growth, and potential through positive lifestyle behaviours and attitudes. If we take responsibility for our own health and well-being, we can improve our health on a daily basis. Certain factors influence our state of wellness, including nutrition, physical activity, stress-coping methods, good relationships, and career success.
Each day we work toward maximizing our level of health and wellness to live long, full, and healthy lives. The pursuit of health, personal growth, and improved quality of life relies on living a balanced life. To achieve balance, we need to care for our mind, body, and spirit.If any of these three areas is consistently lacking or forgotten about, we will not be at our optimal level of health. We are constantly challenged with balancing each of these three areas throughout life.

FIVE IMPORTANT STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH
1. The quality of your nutrition must get better.
2The amount of food you eat should be done in moderation.
3. The way you move and exercise should be purposeful.
4. The way you relax and sleep keep you from undue fatigue.
5. The way you respond to stress and worry is important. Don't get too emotional


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DAILY DOSAGE

Over time I have become very busy, responsibilities are mounting up daily, personal development for me cannot be overlooked. So to help myself stay alive, strong and healthy, I had to quickly come up with an effective method of staying active every day. Although it was not easy task at the beginning but I kept at it and now it’s part of me. I had to consciously take on one hour e-exercise for at least three times per week, which has really been beneficial to my health and has also help me work on my weight issues. You don’t have to set aside an hour every day to exercise. In fact, research suggests that short, one- to two-minute bouts of movement throughout the day can be just as beneficial as longer, more structured sweat sessions. Exercising can also be a lot more convenient when you only have to do it for a couple of minutes at a time. There are many simple exercises you can do in your own home using in expensive equipment and your own body weight for resistance. The first time, I ever entered a Gym to lift weights, I was able to bench press my own body weight. I didn't know it at the time but this was excellent. My physical trainer was completely blown away and asked me when I had started lifting weights. I hadn't been lifting weights, but had been doing pushups for over four years and "pushing my weight." I had no idea how strong I had become. Here are 10 easy ways to sneak exercise into your day. Make your bed- This is not only an easy way to get your muscles working — you’ll also feel happier when it’s time for bed. Traffic workout- Taking public transportation or walking or biking to work is great for both our health and the environment. But for many of us, long commutes make this difficult or impossible to do on a regular basis. Luckily, isometric exercises can be done in the car or on the bus. When you do isometric exercises, the goal is to flex every single muscle in your body individually. Start with your toes and, muscle by muscle, move all the way up to your eyebrows. Flex each muscle for three seconds and then release. Parking space workout - Whenever you find yourself arriving to work a few minutes early, try parking a bit further away from your office. We often spend so much time finding the “closest spot,” that this trick may even save you a minute or two. Make good use of stairs- This is another easy way to sneak in movement before you even start work. Moreover, taking the stairs throughout the day — using the bathroom on another floor, for example — is a great way to improve your circulation. Exercise at your desk- Exercises that can be done from the comfort of your desk include bicep curls, arm extensions, as well as these 8 yoga poses. Walk around during lunch break- Sitting destroys your health, so it’s really important that we take the chance to walk when we get it! Even if it’s only a 10–15 minute stroll, this little bit of movement can do wonders for your body and mind. Do housework- Housework is another great way to incorporate some movement into a mostly sedentary life, and it’s more of a workout than you might think! The average person burns about 170 calories per hour doing light housework tasks such as putting away groceries, ironing, washing dishes and cooking. Sweeping, mopping and vacuuming will burn around 300 calories per hour. In ten-minute, move your body - The “ten -minute workout” is a form of high-intensity circuit training. The workout requires you to do 9 to 15 exercises for 30 seconds each, with short rest periods of about ten seconds between exercises. The ten-minute workout gets your heart rate way up, increases strength, doesn’t require any equipment, and best of all — only takes ten minutes! Watching and moving- If your typical evening routine consists of watching TV, try to get some exercise in while you’re watching. Here are a few examples of ways to do this. Keep an exercise mat and a few hand weights nearby so you don’t have any excuses. Get a relevant app- There are literally hundreds of apps providing workouts that are customizable by length and fitness level. A few examples include Workout Trainer, FitStar, Endomondo, Sportrate Fitness and Sworkit. Downloading them to your smartphone or tablet will give you the flexibility to workout wherever, whenever. Let’s connect @ www.facebook.com/BodyConfidenceFitnessClub