We often tend to ignore our bodies and minds to the point of not realizing the fundamental importance and impact on our life that the properly functioning body and mind have. In the continuous rush of day-to-day existence, in the midst of all the important matters that we absolutely have to take care of, we forget that if our body starts to malfunction, we will not be able to direct our attention and energy into anything else anyway. To prevent this from happening, try to incorporate physical activity into the normal flow of your day. Move at every opportunity you have! This will not only allow you to maintain your physical fitness and ability to do things but it will also greatly impact your mental fitness and the way you feel in general! It is difficult sometimes to find an hour or two for physical exercise. However, it is possible to integrate a lot of physical activities into our other daily activities. Get off the bus a couple of stops earlier and take a walk. Use stairs instead of an elevator. From now on, every flight of stairs, every hill to climb can be your ally in being more active. Whenever practicable – ride a bike instead of a car. Park your car in a place that will make you take a nice walk. Do you like to dance? Put the music on and dance till you’re breathless! Stretch discreetly when at work, on the train or plane. Waiting for something? Another opportunity to open up the body, release the muscle tension and move your body! Move and stretch when you wake up in bed. Move, stretch and release when waiting in the traffic jam. Move when sitting and traveling on the bus. Move when watching TV or listening to your favorite podcast. The sky is the limit! Or your imagination is. Be creative. Every day can become a game, an interesting challenge – how do I create an opportunity for some movement today? Your body is designed to move. Regular, balanced movement activities prevent illness, heal and strengthen. ...
Slow health – philosophy of natural health cultivation.
Most of us are aware of a vast difference between “fast food” – mass produced food stuff that is highly processed, brought from far away, frequently “improved” with artificial ingredients, and the food that is prepared locally, with attention, from natural and fresh ingredients. The latter is sometimes referred to as Slow Food. There are also other similar approaches that introduce certain changes to our daily life in order to improve some of its aspects. Slow Living – aiming at improving the overall quality of our life Slow Cities – trying to improve the experience of living in the city Slow Money – dealing with investing into local, sustainable, eco-friendly projects. And many, many more. As easy as it is to understand the difference between fast and slow food, the principles of Slow Health are quite self-explanatory. Slow Health approach recognizes the necessity of our active participation in the process of determining the level of health and well-being that we experience. It doesn’t expect “quick fixes” and through understanding of our systems’ mechanisms and the interconnectedness of body and mind, it concentrates on creating qualities in our life that are stable and long lasting. Slow Health does not dictate us what we need to eat or how we should exercise. It merely shows us how important it is to pay attention to our moving habits (or their lack of) or what, how and why we eat what we eat. Slow Health is a concept according to which we begin to take responsibility for ourselves, we begin to learn about ourselves which results in better understanding of our own needs, goals and aspirations. Practicing Slow Health we realize the need to regularly challenge both our mind and our body in order to maintain their functionality as long as it is possible. SLOW in Slow Health is an acronym for: S – sustainable and simple – we choose practices that are possible to easily continue for an indefinite amount of time. L – local – the practices and exercises can be performed wherever we are without a need for any special, elaborate equipment or space. O – organic – the practices are natural and aligned with our predispositions W – whole – the different exercises address various aspects of our health and well-being. ...
