Staying in Balance

 

Bonnie Diamond, Licensed Acupuncturist

Easthampton, Massachusetts

781-718-6325

health@bonniediamond.com

 

 

Staying in Balance Volume 3

10 Steps to Good Health

Your body is the one thing you take with you from birth until death.  Like your home, car and clothing, your body requires a certain amount of care.  Here are my top ten suggestions for going through life healthy and balanced.  As I treat patients, I work with them on incorporating these 10 steps to good health into their lives.

 

Diet

1. Eat five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables every day.  Buy at least five different vegetables each week when you go food shopping.

2. Eat whole grains rather than sugar and white flour products.  In addition to switching to whole wheat and brown rice, experiment with the following: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulghur, miller, oats, quinoa and wheat berries.

3. Substitute good fats – olive oil, canola oil, nuts and seeds, avocados - for trans fats and saturated fats. Most junk foods contain trans fats - known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils - and should be avoided.  Saturated fats are found in animal products like butter, cheese and meat.  Take time to read labels.

4. Eat healthier protein sources like fish, chicken, beans and nuts, rather than red meat and dairy products.

5. Take a multivitamin.  Most of us aren’t able to get all the nutrients we need from foods alone.

 

Healthy eating requires having a refrigerator and pantry filled with healthy foods.  This requires healthy food shopping habits.  Make a shopping list that incorporates the above suggestions and only purchase foods that are on your list.

 

Activity and Rest

6. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. This may include housework, running around with children, walking as part of your commute, and gardening.  It can be helpful to start with 10 to 15 minutes a day and work your way up.  “Other than not smoking, exercise is the single best thing you can do to get healthy or stay healthy and keep chronic diseases at bay.”¹

7. Breathe from your abdomen. Set aside 5 minutes everyday to breathe consciously.  Place your hand on your abdomen, just under your navel.  As you breathe in, be sure that this area inflates like a balloon. Fully exhale before taking another breath in.

8. Get sufficient rest.  Recent studies show that sleep is important for immune system function, memory, learning and emotional health.

 

Emotional Well-Being

9. Express gratitude and find the silver lining in challenging situations.

10. Forgive yourself and those in your life and start new each day.

 

Spring, with the season change and focus on renewal, is a great time to get an acupuncture tune-up.  Balanced bodies lead to balanced lives.

 

¹Willet, W. C., editor. Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.    

 

Link to Staying in Balance—Volume 4