diet and lifestyle

My golden rules for a healthy and happy life are: 

·      Plenty of fresh clean drinking water 

·      A good well balanced diet 

·      Love

·      Fresh air

·      Exercise

I do realise my own privilege in writing this. Not everyone in the world has access to all these elements for all kinds of different social and geographical reasons, but I maintain that they are vital to our well-being. 

In the western world, busy stressful lives often make us opt for processed convenience foods to feed our families in spite of the effects they have on our bodies. When clients consult me, I ask about their diet and lifestyle: not to judge, but to get a picture of the whole person. While people generally know what's good and bad for them, certain conditions and complaints can be improved by eliminating certain foods, even if on a temporary basis. 

So what about love? Take a moment to close your eyes and contrast how your body feels when focusing on someone who really annoys you or makes you angry, and then on someone or some animal you truly love. Can’t you feel how much more beneficial it is to your whole organism to feel the latter? Although love is such a vital ingredient on our planet and such a simple healing tool, it often gets lost. Not just love for others, but love and compassion for oneself. Once in tune with it, we'll also be more kind to our planet as well as our fellow beings. 

A good dose of fresh air and exercise also keeps us calm and energised. If I ever have a period of time without enough physical exercise, I am usually alerted by tiredness and a head full of mental chaos.