In a perfect world we would all be eating the right food, exercising, sleeping well and just generally enjoying life.

In the real world most of us manage a percentage of the healthy lifestyle and muddle through as best we can with the rest of it.  Part of the problem is we are encouraged to think, mostly by the media, that we should be doing everything possible towards a healthy lifestyle, all of the time.  For most of us this is just not possible.

Constant concern about what we should or shouldn’t be doing causes our stress levels to go up and that negates any good work that we’ve done.  Yes, we should certainly try for a healthy lifestyle, but the two key words are “moderation” and “balance”.  By applying these criteria to achieving a healthy lifestyle we won’t be beating ourselves up for failing another diet or dropping out of the latest exercise regime.

A common mistake that many people make when they decide to adopt a healthy lifestyle is to try to do too much too soon.  They then give themselves a guilt complex when it all falls apart. It is also easy to be influenced by others, when we should only be adopting a healthy lifestyle plan to suit ourselves.

Ah! Did I say lifestyle plan?  Do you have one, or do you just try the next thing that is in your magazine or Sunday supplement?  By all means read these articles and take them into account as you plan how you want your healthy lifestyle to take shape.

Leading a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you have got to run a mile before breakfast, eat seeds and think pure thoughts. Great if that’s what you want, but for most of us “healthy” means being in reasonable shape, eating our fruit and vegetables and generally having a feeling of vitality.

Decide on your definition of a healthy lifestyle, and then plan a strategy that works for you.

As part of my health plan I decided I wanted to walk in the mornings before breakfast, but there was no way I wanted to get up at the crack of dawn to do it.  So I planned a ten minute circuit that includes a short flight of steps and a not too steep incline.  I power walked that route every day and felt really good.  Sure l wouldn’t make the City to Surf marathon, but I compromised and made it work for me.

Today, much is made of organic foods, but the reality is that organic food is generally more expensive and well out of the range for most budgets. Yes organic is probably the best option, but it doesn’t mean that if you’re not eating all organic you are not eating right.  If you’re concerned about general produce, be a bit discerning when you shop.  Look for fruit and vegetables that are fresh and unblemished. You should also buy product brands that you can trust.  If you shop wisely, you can have a well-balanced healthy diet that won’t break the bank.

Basically living a healthy life means looking at your lifestyle as a whole, it is not just about diet and exercise.  It is not always necessary to make major changes.  Most people know their weak spots, and are happy if they can make a few changes that show results.

A friend of mine was drinking several cans of soft drink a day. She was feeling tired and generally under the weather.  When I read an article about the health risk of soft drink I copied it and gave it to her, whereupon she decided to give up the soft drink there and then.  A week later she got back to me and said she couldn’t believe the difference, her energy levels were up and she was feeling great.  Just that one change was able to make a difference and she feels good about the healthy choice.

Sleep and leisure time play a big part in a healthy lifestyle,  and for the most part people underestimate the value of good sleep.  Our bodies aren’t designed to operate at peak performance twenty four hours a day.  Anyone in industry knows that machines that have to work continuously need a lot of maintenance.  When we are sleeping our body is healing and regenerating itself and we should wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized.

We can go without sleep for extended periods, but we can’t do it indefinitely.  The amount of sleep an individual needs varies a great deal, and there is no such thing as the right time to sleep.  Obviously most people sleep at night, but if you are one of those folk that comes alive in the small hours, you might need to catch up with your sleep during the day.

A big part of healthy living is being comfortable with yourself.  Don’t be pressured into trying to attain a certain look, or push yourself down a career path you are not suited to.  Constant worry about what you are doing will only have the opposite effect on your health.  Don’t get paranoid about your diet, about what toothpaste you should use or about expensive exercise equipment you need to buy.

Allow a common sense approach to dictate when you are making lifestyle choices, and remember, there is nothing wrong with compromise if it means your healthy lifestyle plan will work for you.

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Some people have a problem getting their head around the idea of eye exercises, and not so long ago it was considered to be a new age fad with no scientific backing. New research, however, has proved that bad vision isn’t always caused by genetics; lifestyle and environment can play a major part in the health of our eyes.

Man is naturally a hunter, and the eyes of a hunter are designed to seek out and identify at some considerable distance. It is a known fact that people like farmers and sailors who spend a lot of time looking into the distance often retain good eye sight well into old age. In a natural environment we exercise our eyes all the time. When we look at the horizon, for instance and then look at something close by, our eyes or automatically refocus. When we are doing this all the time, our eye muscles retain their elasticity and strength.

The tiny muscles that control our eyes are just like any other muscle in our body, they need to be exercised regularly. Constant use and exercise means the muscles will remain supple and strong. Unfortunately, most people when they start to suffer from myopia reach for the eyeglasses. This is a good short-term solution, but is very damaging in the long run. The minute you put glasses on, the muscles stop working and the eye lens stiffens as their job is being done for them.

This is rather like going everywhere in a car instead of walking. Your Doctor would advise you to exercise instead of taking the car. When you visit the optician though he will prescribe glasses and tell you eye exercises won’t work.

Our environment also has a lot to answer for when we consider some of the causes of nearsightedness. The increasing use of computers and DVD’s, either in the house or the workplace are a major cause of vision problems. Computer screens are made up of thousands of pixels. The eyes cannot focus directly on to each pixel, so they need to focus over and over to keep the picture sharp. Over time this causes strain and tension on the eyes. The American Optometric Association has labelled this condition, “computer vision syndrome”.

Staring at a computer screen for any length of time restricts the blood flow and freezes the energy and muscles. Anyone working in an environment such as IT should be aware of the potential damage they could be doing to their eyes. The good news is that just five to 10 minutes spent on eye exercises every day can have a marked improvement. Get into the habit of looking away from the screen at regular intervals and if possible, look at the most distant object in your environment.

Aging causes the lens of the eye to harden and the muscles to tighten. For this situation there are special optical exercises and vision improvement techniques that can help to regain the elasticity and strength, restoring the clear vision previously enjoyed. People now enjoy better health and fitness well into old age, there is no reason why their vision shouldn’t remain clear and sharp as well.

At as we become more aware of how eye exercises can help us keep our vision and improve the health of our eyes, doing eye exercises will become an important part of our fitness regime. Most of us take our eyesight for granted and never give it much thought. Only when our eyesight starts to fail do we start to look for solutions, by then it is all too easy to use spectacles as the quick-fix option.

It is also important to remember that proper nutrition and diet play a big part in maintaining good eye health. Certain nutrients such as chromium copper gluconate and lutein can help to keep our eye diseases such as glaucoma and muscular degeneration at bay. Fruits and vegetables which are a bright orange, red or yellow in colour are a good source of lutein which explains the old theory of why carrots are so good for the eyes.

Eye exercises can do much to reduce strain and improve eye sight. It’s a natural healthy way to retain vision and eye health. With regular practice there is no reason why you shouldn’t retain good vision well into old age.

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For most of us the word seaweed conjures up images of beaches strewn with brown weed, particularly after stormy weather, when it lays in great heaps along the high tide mark.  Not so long ago the idea of eating seaweed or kelp as it is also known, would have been considered very strange to say the least.

Times change, however, and seaweed along with many other exotic and unusual foods are now considered practically mainstream for people wanting to improve their health and well-being.  Of course some food sources, that we considered unusual have been known to other cultures for centuries and have long been used for health or healing purposes.

The knowledge about plants and their beneficial properties has been handed down through the generations with little or no scientific evidence to back it up. Only now can modern research techniques find out so much more about these plants and pinpoint the sources of goodness they contain.

Findings in recent years, from the research that has been done on seaweed suggest that it is very beneficial in several ways.  It is well-known that seaweed contains iodine, vitamins and minerals as well as the by-products, algin and agar.  Algin offers good protection against pollution carcinogens and toxins and is also used to normalize bowel functions.

What is not so well known, and is the subject of much more research, is the ingredient known as Fucoidan.  One of the major health benefits of Fucoidan is the ability to interact with and modulate the immune system.  Modulation in this context is a term describing the process of reducing the extremes of cellular activity.  Fucoidan has also shown an ability to regenerate cells, thereby enabling tissue and organ regeneration.  This is beneficial for a long and healthy life, since it helps to slow the aging process.

Fucoidan has also been shown to help maintain a healthy blood flow.  Tests also suggest that it helps to slow the absorption rate of glucose or sugar into the bloodstream.  A slower absorption rate can help to minimize the potential damage caused by high blood sugar levels.  Due to the modulating properties of Fucoidan it has also been shown to support joint function and cartilage health.

In layman’s terms these benefits are:

• Assisting the immune system and the increase of circulating white blood cells
• Enables tissue and organ regeneration thereby assisting longevity
• Supports the circulatory system allowing better blood flow and cardiac functions
• Decreases the clotting ability of blood
• Reduces high blood sugar levels
• Maintains healthy levels of cholesterol
• Supports proper joint functions and cartilage health
• Assists in the elimination of harmful cells
• Aids in maintaining proper gastrointestinal function and health
• It is a potent antioxidant
• Plays a significant roll in maintaining optimal kidney function
• It is an aid for low thyroid activity

It would appear that the brown weed washed up on the beaches is beneficial to health in more ways than we can imagine!  So why aren’t we eating it by the bucket full?  Well some Asian countries like Japan do, and their longevity is renowned. For the western world though the taste of seaweed has stopped the use of this wonder food.

The good news now is we don’t actually have to eat it.  Kelp or seaweed in tablet form has been available for some time, but even so the taste is hardly palatable.  However, with suspended gel technology the manufacturers are able to create a very palatable version.

On a personal note, the more I researched seaweed and its beneficial properties the more fascinated I became.  After all the information I gleaned, I am definitely taking a sea weed supplement, and one I can enjoy, not force myself to take.  Now that seaweed tastes like apples, why wouldn’t you?

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