{"id":89,"date":"2013-05-16T17:22:30","date_gmt":"2013-05-16T17:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/?p=89"},"modified":"2013-08-01T17:15:17","modified_gmt":"2013-08-01T17:15:17","slug":"roadmap-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/2013\/05\/16\/roadmap-part-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Roadmap to Health and Vitality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 6:<\/span> \u00a0Habits and Lifestyle – and their Effect on Health<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The last significant area that influences our health and vitality is our lifestyle.\u00a0 Years of bad habits can, and will, adversely affect the way our body functions and fights off diseases.<\/p>\n

Do you Sleep Enough?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

First, the importance of adequate quality sleep is essential in keeping our mind and body in optimal shape.\u00a0 Body maintenance and recovery takes place during sleep and that’s when our \u201cyouth\u201d hormones, like HGH and testosterone are pumped into our bloodstream.\u00a0 We require at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to be sufficiently rested, for our endocrine system to be balanced and operating at optimal capacity.\u00a0 Many of us get much less sleep on a consistent basis which prevents our bodies to fully recover and recharge, and it needs to work harder to maintain physical and psychological functions.\u00a0 The absence of full recovery and the need to work harder accelerates aging and makes our body more susceptible to illness due to a compromised immune system.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A lack of sleep will quickly cause irritability, mood and behavior problems and slowed cognitive functions.\u00a0 A chronic lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, lethargy, depression, and eventually it will result in an immune system deficiency.<\/p>\n

Chronic Stress and Anxiety<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Second, it is imperative that we manage our stress and anxiety levels in order to protect our health.\u00a0 Stress has a profound effect in all areas of our lives especially our physical well being.\u00a0 Chronic stress plays an active role in causing hormonal imbalance, cardiovascular and mood disorders, and compromises our immune system. Sometimes it seems that there is nothing we can do about our stress level.\u00a0 There will always be bills to pay, errands to run, career, school and family responsibilities to take care of.\u00a0 But we have a lot more control than it may seem, in fact, the realization that we have control is the basis of stress management.\u00a0 Managing stress is about taking charge and creating a balanced life with plenty of rest and relaxation time.\u00a0\u00a0 A positive, optimistic mental attitude is essential in helping us deal with stressors in our lives.\u00a0 Meditation, prayer and journaling have been proven extremely effective in relieving the effects of stress.\u00a0 Being proactive and prepared for events that cause anxiety also greatly influences our responses in many situations.\u00a0 The saying \u201claughter is the best medicine\u201d has a scientific basis.\u00a0 Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones and increases the levels of health-enhancing hormones, like endorphins.\u00a0 It also increases anti-body producing cells and lessens the effects of stress on the immune system.\u00a0 The author of the article titled \u201cStrangely Charming: The Science of Laughter\u201d claims that scientists recently documented an important relationship between laughter and cardiovascular health.\u00a0 According to a study, laughing stimulates the release of beta endorphins in the brain, which help relax and dilate blood vessels.\u00a0 Since two of our top killers, heart attack and stroke, are often caused by blood clots, laughter can potentially save lives (Cackler).\u00a0 Besides a positive and proactive attitude, having a strong social support system is also very helpful in managing stress.<\/p>\n

Self Image<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Finally, having a healthy self-image also positively affects our health and vitality.\u00a0 People with a strong sense of self-worth tend to live healthier lives by being optimistic and by taking better care of their physical, mental and emotional health.\u00a0 Many people had less than optimal upbringing which can negatively influence their self esteem, and their lifestyle choices.\u00a0 Childhood abuse, neglect and over-indulgence can, and many times do, result in psychological difficulties that could affect a person’s entire life.\u00a0 Self destructive behaviors, such as alcohol and\u00a0 drug abuse, smoking, over-eating and other forms of self-sabotage are common for those suffering from a negative self-image.\u00a0 These damaging behaviors have profound and detrimental effect on their health and quality of life.\u00a0 Changing the way we think about ourselves, our life and our place in the world can boost self-esteem and increase emotional well being.\u00a0 Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is based on the idea that our thoughts create our feelings and behavior, is designed to help us identify negative thinking patterns and replace them with more positive and realistic ones.\u00a0 A strong self-esteem, self-confidence and feeling good about ourselves are essential factors in making healthy and wise lifestyle choices and keeping us healthier and happier.<\/p>\n

Our Genes and Beyond<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

It could be argued that, there are many other factors beyond our control that play key roles in determining our longevity, health and quality of our lives.\u00a0 I agree.\u00a0 Possibly the most significant factors is inherited diseases or genetic disorders that are passed on from generation to generation.\u00a0 Some of these diseases are congenital, we were born with them, some of them can show up later on in our lives.\u00a0 Research clearly shows that most chronic illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes or cancer tend to run in families and have a high heredity rate.\u00a0 We may be genetically predisposed to contract a disease our parents or grandparents had but we don’t have to resign to the notion that it will eventually cause our demise.\u00a0 Being proactive, living a healthy life and getting good medical care could greatly reduce our chances of succumbing to the illness, or at the very least it would prolong our lives and increase its quality.\u00a0 The situation is very different for those born with a debilitating disease or condition.\u00a0 It is heart-breaking to see children and adults suffer from various incurable conditions and abnormalities, like cystic fibrosis, spina bifida and a long list of others. \u00a0\u00a0The courage and determination of those so afflicted is awe-inspiring, like the story of Nick Vujicic.\u00a0 Nick was born with a disease called tetra amelia.\u00a0 He has no arms or legs.\u00a0 He didn’t just suffer from the obvious hardships of his condition, he also had to face cruel bullying of his peers.\u00a0 He even attempted suicide at a young age.\u00a0 Eventually he mastered the daily tasks of life, like writing, brushing his hair and teeth, and today he is an author and motivational speaker with a contagious zest for life.\u00a0 Similar is the case of Justin Yoder, whose father is a personal acquaintance of mine.\u00a0 He was born with spina bifida but he didn’t let his disability slow him down.\u00a0 He was the first disabled child to drive a soapbox in the All American Soapbox Derby and even had a Disney Channel Original Movie<\/i> made about him titled \u201cMiracle in Lane 2.\u201d\u00a0 Today he is a college student and he is an inspiration to many.\u00a0 These, and countless other people with a genetic disadvantage have taken control of their illnesses and are living a fulfilled life in spite of their disabilities.\u00a0 Their courage and determination is an example to follow.<\/p>\n

Bringing it all Together<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

In conclusion, the key to our health, happiness and longevity is in our hands.\u00a0 We are the ones who are responsible for creating an environment for our bodies and minds to thrive in.\u00a0 By providing our cells with the essential nutrients, by being physically active, and by having a health-promoting lifestyle we ensure that our lives are lived to their fullest potential.\u00a0 I envision a society where people turn from looking mainly on the outside for solutions to their health, and other problems, a culture where people stop complaining and making excuses and start taking personal responsibility and control of both their physical and mental well being.\u00a0 Then, and only then we would successfully reduce premature deaths caused by various diseases, obesity, tobacco and alcohol abuse.\u00a0 As a nation, we would free up billions of dollars we spend annually on fighting these potentially preventable diseases, and last, but certainly not the least, our country would have many more healthy, happy and balanced people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 6:  Habits and Lifestyle – and their Effect on Health The last significant area that influences our health and vitality is our lifestyle.  Years of bad habits can, and will, adversely affect the way our body functions and fights off diseases. Do you Sleep Enough? First, the importance of adequate quality sleep is essential […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[22,21,17,18,19,15,20,16,23],"class_list":["post-89","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stress-management","category-wellness-topics","tag-anxiety","tag-chronic-stress","tag-genetics","tag-health","tag-lack-of-sleep","tag-sleep","tag-sleep-and-health","tag-stress","tag-the-effects-of-improper-sleep"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89\/revisions\/107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalhealingcentermb.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}