insideKENT Magazine Issue 66 - September 2017 | Page 105

HEALTH+WELLNESS
HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY LIFE
“AS HUMAN BEINGS, OUR GREATNESS LIES NOT SO MUCH IN BEING ABLE TO REMAKE THE WORLD
– THAT IS THE MYTH OF THE ATOMIC AGE – AS IN BEING ABLE TO REMAKE OURSELVES.” THE
WORDS OF MAHATMA GHANDI, AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN AND A TRUE EXCEPTION TO THE
LIMITATIONS THAT SEEM TO HOLD BACK MOST OF THE HUMAN RACE. THANKFULLY FOR THE REST
OF US, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE SOME POSITIVE CHANGES, SO, IN THE SPIRIT OF GHANDI
HIMSELF, WE’VE HAD A THINK ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN KEEP OUR MINDS IN TIP-TOP
HEALTH FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR LIVES AS A WHOLE. HERE GOES NOTHING… by Polly Humphris
Value your food, not your savings
Without naming names, did you know that a
particularly popular fizzy drink contains at
least six potentially very harmful chemical
additives? Researching what you eat will
highlight things like whether it contains toxic
GMOs (genetically modified organisms);
whether the eggs you eat are laid by hens
cruelly kept in tiny cages; whether the meat
you’re buying is factory farmed and treated
with hormones or antibiotics; and whether
the vegetables you’re eating have been picked
by someone paid a pittance – all of which
should be avoided to clear your conscience
and set your mind free of unnecessary guilt.
We’re not suggesting you splurge and be
frivolous; buying big name brands or suddenly
developing a penchant for white truffles, but
while buying whole, local food will likely dent
your wallet a little more, the overall benefits
you’ll receive from it will far outweigh how
much you paid for it and you’ll be supporting
local, hardworking farmers in the process.
Exercise
Regular exercise isn’t just a brilliant way for
you personally to get a free hit of happy
hormone, endorphin, it’s also undeniably good
for your health, which in turn means less trips
to the doctor and less strain on our already
stretched NHS. Plus, we live in a society where
(whether consciously or not) we are constantly
comparing ourselves to others – with fitness,
your only competition is yourself, so you’ll
start to feel more confident and less concerned
with the ins and outs of other people’s lives
too.
Start small if you’re a beginner though. A great
way to build your fitness confidence – and
your capability – slowly and safely is to train
for a 5K run; the NHS’s ‘Couch to 5K’ plan is a
really comprehensive online guide to
achieving that goal and you can view and
download the training schedule at:
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-
5k.aspx. If you’re not a runner, set a target to
do a 30-minute exercise class two to three
times a week, either at the gym, or online –
www.fitnessblender.com is brilliant.
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