HEALTH MATTERS
New Season, Healthier You!
way in which we react to it - the fact remains that all of us are
affected by it in one way or the other.
Some of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress
include: memory problems, inability to concentrate, poor
judgment, anxious or racing thoughts, irritability etc.
While stress places demand on the human mind and body, with
the right attitude, it can be well managed. However when stress
becomes prolonged and chronic, it can become too demanding
and debilitating. Not only can it destroy your looks, but also your
vitality and eventually your health.
By Kepha Nyanumba
Stress Management Tips
T
he holiday season is a time for
celebrating, relaxing, and enjoying
time with family and friends. While
it is the most wonderful time of the year, the
foods that surround the holiday season can
take a toll on your health. With the turn of
a New Year, it is time to recommit to your
health and one word typically associated
with the New Year is resolution. Resolution
by definition is ‘a firm decision to do or not
to do something.’
Whether you realize it or not, you make
decisions based on staying true to your self-
stories. As you make New Year resolutions,
the best way to get long-term behavior
change, is by changing your self-story. Do
you want to be healthier? Then you should
have an operating self-story that says you
are a healthier person.
Detecting Your Body’s
Warning Signals
Your body is providing constant feedback.
Your ability to listen to your body signals
is the number one determining factor in
how healthfully you will live your life.
To detect your body's warnings, both
quiet and loud, requires increasing your
sensitivity to the nuances of its messages.
The art of listening entails sensing smaller
symptoms before they become full blown.
This leads to early detection of disease
which plays a key role in all treatment and
prevention strategies.
Important Strategies to
Keeping Healthy!
Your health status this year is closely
Your body is providing constant feedback.
Your ability to listen to your body signals is
the number one determining factor in how
healthfully you will live your life. To detect
your body's warnings, both quiet and loud,
requires increasing your sensitivity to the
nuances of its messages. The art of listen-
ing entails sensing smaller symptoms before
they become full blown. This leads to early
detection of disease which plays a key role in
all treatment and prevention strategies.
76 MAL28/19 ISSUE
associated with the steps you take to
maintain optimum health so that you can
perform to your absolute best as much as
possible. From healthy lifestyle choices,
eating healthy foods, and keeping a
positive attitude, there are many things
you can do to boost your health status
this year.
Drinking plenty of water is very
important for many reasons. It prevents
you from becoming dehydrated, and
helps with detoxification of your body. It
is also helpful to watch what goes into
your body. Processed foods, artificial
sugars, food colorings, and artificial
flavorings can all be harmful to your body
and reduce your chances of achieving the
full benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Kick Stress Out of Your
Life
One resolution that could assist you this
year is making your life less stressful.
Stress refers to the body’s response
to things it perceives as abnormal.
Modern life, with its quick pace,
personal ambitions, social pressures,
environmental
poisons
and
our
orientation to sedentary mental work,
presents almost all of us with constantly
stressful situations.
When you’re constantly running in
emergency mode, your mind and body
pay the price. Though we do differ in the
extent to which we are stressed and the
Keep a positive attitude and accept that there are events that
you cannot control. Don’t forget to keep up your sense of humor.
Laughter goes a long way towards making you feel relaxed; Set
limits appropriately and learn to say no to requests that would
create excessive stress in your life; Eating a well-balanced diet
will help you feel better in general. Your meals should be full of
vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.
You need to set aside time for things you enjoy. Try to do something
every day that makes you feel good and help relieve your stress.
Relaxing hobbies include reading, knitting, doing puzzles etc; Be
assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions, or
beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
If things are bothering you, talking about them can help lower
your stress. You can talk to family members, a trusted friend etc;
Learn to manage your time more effectively; Get enough rest and
sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
Don't rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce
stress; Seek treatment with a counselor or other mental health
professional trained in stress management
The Role of Exercise in Health and
Wellness
Your body is much like a machine and it needs to move!
Regular exercise helps to control your weight by using excess
calories and prevents several diseases. It does not matter what
type of physical activity you perform; sports, planned exercise,
household chores, or work-related tasks are all beneficial.
Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain
significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or
more on physical activity per day.
Regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits,
is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight.
Whether you are trying to lose or maintain it, you should
understand the important role of physical activity and include
it in your lifestyle.
Kepha Nyanumba is a seasoned Marketing Africa
Columnist working as a Consultant Nutritionist at
AAR Healthcare Limited. You can engage him on this
or related matters via email at: Kephanyanumba@
gmail.com, or follow him on twitter: KNyanumba.
Blog: kephanyanumba.blogspot.com.