Healthy body and soul...

My life sometimes feels like it is in fast motion...stop I want to get off!!!

I don't usually make New Years Resolutions, in fact for nearly a decade I have just been in survival mode, so getting out of bed, getting to work, not losing my mind, meal-making and bill-paying were actually worth celebrating because they actually happened!!! I think I am ready to expand myself in more evolved ways! So, anyway, I was reading the Weekend Australian Magazine on Sunday and my interest was peaked by the article entitled:


17 Ways To Get Healthy In Body and Soul - And Stay That Way.


MMMMmmmmm......after much consideration I will give you a quick run down with my take on each of the 17 suggestions:

1. GET OUT MORE
This refers to getting Vitamin D from the sun. The recommendation is 10-15 minutes of sunshine a day. Well, my BrisVegas friends will agree that this article is written distinctly for our southern counterparts in Australia, as we are bombarded by sunshine! Sun streams into my kitchen in the morning while making a cup of tea, breakfast and washing up (that's my half hour right there), sizzles on the concrete while I hang up my daily load of washing before I rush off to work, beats down on my right arm on my half hour drive to work, spends half the day annoying me and my classroom of children by warming the room up to about 30 degrees Celsius and causing glare on the whiteboard, and then there's the 45 minutes each day spent doing playground duty on the school oval with no hint of shade anywhere. More sun? I think not.

2.MOVE
Ha!!! This refers to moving to

a) The Sunshine Coast (apparently female residents there live longer than anywhere else in the country; my mum may live to 84.7 which is good for me, but longer would be better!)

b) Canberra or Melbourne (only if you're a bloke).

Sorry, very happy in my little part of the world (Paddington...it's beaut) and even more happy to visit the Sunny Coast and let a little longevity (instead of sand) rub off on me in the surf.

3. FLOSS
Yes, alright, alright....That one is a no brainer! Still hate doing it though....


4. KNOW YOUR FAMILY TREE
Actually I would rather not know if cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia are in my future at this stage, so piss that one off!!


5. MAKE NEW FRIENDS
Now you're talking! This one I can do. Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet, despite the fact that statistically, some of them are bound to be muggers, pedophiles, psychos or have serious personality disorders. I don't care, I have always spoken to absolute strangers, wherever I am. I love it. It's like a daily challenge to get someone to smile, or get them to tell you something about themselves. I love meeting new friends, and can never have enough of that uplifting social banter with new or old friends.

6. EMBRACE RANDOMNESS
Yes! Now you're are really talking!!! Random is my middle name.

Nassun Nicholas Taleb explains in his book Fooled By Randomness 'I am convinced that we are not made for clear-cut, well-delineated schedules. We are made to live like fireman or cheetahs, with downtime for lounging (possibly meditating) between calls or attacks, under the protection of protective certainty. Regrettably, some people might be turned into optimisers by their parents, like a suburban child having his precious weekend minutes squeezed between karate, guitar lessons, and religious education. It kills their ability to meditate - their chance encounters with nature's gifts.'
I have always been a randomiser. I hate rigidity, dogma, routine and schedules; love a bit of unpredictability in my life (that was lucky...as it turned out).
Let's let kids be kids, let's not hurry them. Let us as adults be human beings, not frantic robotics, corporately constipated and unable to see the real world of gifts around us, because we are too busy being perfect.

7. CONTENT YOURSELF
Don't get the wrong idea here, we are talking about de-stressing here, I, too got the wrong end of the stick at first, but hey this is The Australian, not Playboy, go directly to #10 for more on that subject....)
This refers to the fact that even though we are richer, safer and healthier than ever before, stress is through the roof, our level of trust in others has dropped and our children are feeling it too. Us Australians have always known that success is not determined by wealth as this leads to an obsession with competition, and well, we just don't have the energy!! It's far too hot here to worry...

8. WATCH WHAT YOU SLEEP
U.S researchers say 7 is the magic number when it comes to hours of sleep. I say that is a crock. 12 hours sleep (or more) is my recommendation, and if your husband tries to wake you up, confiscate his camera, smash it into a million pieces and bury it in the ironing basket, there is no way he will find it there!!! (you may need to read my previous blog post to appreciate my annoyance here)

9. TAKE THE STAIRS, NOT THE LIFT.
Boooring....

10. BREAK OUT THE BARRY WHITE
AACHEM, sorry no idea who that is.....Have to just look it up.......ooohhh,break out the BARRY WHITE means to use whatever croony music to organise yourself an ORGASM!!!! It appears that sex (the good stuff) is really healthy for us! Health benefits include:

• helping fight insomnia (sorry, don't have that problem)


• improves intimacy and bonding within a relationship (daah....except if it is not your husband you are having sex with!)


• pain relief; endorphins released during sex can soothe everything from PMS to back pain and knees. (Annielaural and Thufferin', hope you are listening)


• boosts immunity to disease (except of course syphilis, herpes, and aids) by raising anti-body (irony alert) activity.

BTW, BARRY WHITE won't do it for me, any other suggestions out there???

11. KNOW THY PHYSICIANApparently 'maintaining wellness' means visiting your doctor even when you are NOT sick. How stupid. I don't have time to go to the doctor when I AM sick. Stupid.

12. TURN A VICE INTO A VIRTUE

YES!! Pleasure keeps you healthy..

• causes our cells to release a natural antibiotic; enkelytin
  
• small doses of stuff like alcohol and chocolate can reverse the ageing process.

Everything in moderation, even moderation itself I say.

13. EAT BANANAS AND GARLIC AND DRINK GREEN TEA.

Stupid people, that is easy, as long as you don't have to have them altogether....

14. GOSSIP

The excitement of sharing gossip produces endorphins and , in a nod to the maxim that nice guys finish last, studies have shown that as you get older, remaining socially active - invited out and engaging in the mental stimulation of gossip - can extend your life by six years. In that case I have been mentally stimulating myself for years, who knew?

15. GO WITH THE FLOW

This is a mental state, in which a person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, and in which time is distorted and any awareness of what's going on around you disappears. My 13 year son has managed to perfect this....why can't I?

16. GET DOWN AND DIRTY

Yep, get all germy and at one with the microscopic critters. MMMMmmmmm, still thinking about that one..

17. BELIEVE IN SOMETHING

......Godly, that is. I don't take Holy Communion, face Mecca, meditate to Buddha or read the Bible. I believe in a lot of things...but not God. I prefer to believe in the beauty of the earth, nature, life and individual souls, which I may reveal in future posts.

Anybody got any other points to add? Let's make it 20. I need 3 more wise ways to have a healthy and happy soul. Help me out fellow bloggers.... ;)