Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation And Sleep - The Recipe For A Healthy Lifestyle

I can honestly say I felt at my best when I was in my thirties. I was physically, mentally and emotionally at my peak and firing on all cylinders.

Since then, it's definitely gone down hill and I've lost plenty of brain cells and lean muscle. I haven't lost weight though as muscle has been replaced by fat - plenty of it.

Over the years it's crept on. I've gained a pound here, a pound there, but regrettably haven't taken action to get rid of it straight away. Now over the past twenty years those pounds have turned into stones, so no prizes for guessing what my New Year's resolution was.

I watched a programme on tv over the festive period which was probably cleverly scheduled to prevent people from eating too much over the Christmas break. It was about a poor man who had to lose 30 stone or risk dying. He had reached the point where he couldn't even get out of bed and his whole life was spent in the confines of his four walls.

He'd lost all self-esteem, and was physically incapable of doing any activity without getting out of breath. He'd been the butt of jokes and ridicule so had stopped venturing outside. He ate for comfort.

It seems he's not alone. Obesity is common and the numbers of morbidly obese are growing. People often turn to food as a substitute for something missing from their lives.

We all do things for a reason and apparently this poor chap had a cruel father and an unhappy childhood. He'd been forced to eat everything on his plate or suffer a beating. Even after the death of his father he continued to eat everything put in front of him. It became a vicious circle. He got depressed because of the name calling, being unfit, unhealthy and not finding clothes to wear, so to comfort himself he ate. Consequently, he got bigger, and even unhappier.

It doesn't matter what size you are as long as you are healthy and have self-confidence. This poor chap didn't. Self-confidence is a wonderful thing. When you feel good about yourself, life is wonderful and you can achieve so much.

In my thirties I felt elated, engaged, excited and focused. I want that feeling back again so I am not going to "diet" but focus on four areas in my life - Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation and Sleep.

I've neglected them all lately. My excuse is I've been very busy and this is true. However, if I want to get the most out of every day and live a lot longer I need to address them all. Excess weight carries lots of health issues and if you are morbidly obese, can reduce your life span by several years. Thankfully, I'm not in that category, but the thirty stone that man had to lose wasn't put on over night. It creeps up gradually as I've discovered and it's about time I reversed the situation. Hence the New Year's resolution - no diet, just a healthier lifestyle.

Nutrition is what, when and how much I eat; Fitness is sensible exercise and improving my recovery rate; and Relaxation and Sleep are the times during the day and night when I switch of and just rest, not only my body but my brain.

Friends and family say I'm doing "too much", but if I want to be more productive and expend more energy I have to become more efficient at renewing it.

Wish me luck!


Jean Shaw writes articles and is the author of three non fictional books on Autism and Mercury Poisoning Sign up for updates on her articles and other useful information