The 99 ABC’s of Wellness

Article Credit: The original article 99 ABC’s of Wellness is by Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit, which has appeared on the Philippine Star on January 12, 1999.

Again, I have stumbled upon more of my Dad’s old news clippings. He is fond of collecting news clippings about health and wellness before when he is still alive. I think I would like to share some of it here.

Dr. Andrew Well, a famous doctor in America, has successfully incorporated alternative with traditional medicine. He says that, “Good health is all about good balance”. He teaches that the three most important principles to follow in order to keep the body’s healing system up are “Walking more, paying attention to breathing, and eating more fruits and vegetables. These are practices well within everyone’s reach”.

We always look for ways to keep our body in good shape. We try every new diet plan that we hear, increase physical activity, quit smoking and avoid excessive alcohol intake and many others but we fail to keep it up.

An old management dictum says that, “One should know where he is coming from, where he wants to go, and how to get there.” Along that line, it would be good if we first assess our present health condition. A medical check up would be best if we can afford it because that can give us a professional and scientific analysis of our body’s condition in that way we can have a realistic, relevant and measurable goal if we ought to make a lifestyle change.

A lifestyle change is difficult when it is drastic but if we can try to assimilate theses 99 principles into our daily practices slowly, then our lifestyle change would be more manageable. Wellness is not necessarily the absence of illness. “Wellness encompasses your total lifestyle and ideologies, what you do to your body to be in the peak of health”. People who live with unhealthy lifestyles may feel OK but in due time the excesses and abuses will manifest. I guess, they only have themselves to blame.

Principle #1: Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is important for cardiovascular endurance and fat loss. The key is to reach your target heart rate. Repetitive action of large muscle groups is required such as in aerobic dancing, swimming, walking, biking, rowing, running and skating.

If aerobic exercise is not for you, there are other exercise programs; muscle-building exercises that can help you keep the body moving. Exercise is not leisure. It is an integral part of an effective health regimen.

Image above courtesy of:

http://health.allrefer.com/pictures-images/aerobic-exercise.html