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We’re well into the New Year and many are
still feeling a bit of angst when it comes to pursuing a simple and meaningful
strategy for attaining improved health and wellness.
Internationally
respected health and wellness expert, Premchit Na Thalang, shares her wisdom on
this subject. "I truly believe
wellness is for everyone and my desire is that if you wish to have a long life
of joy and vitality, you may do so, regardless of where you live or the
circumstances of your life, simply by deciding to live your life comprised of
four key elements: a healthy diet, moving and resting, a healthy lifestyle, and
having healthy relationships".
Her “Top Wellness
Tips for Healthful Longevity” are easy, simple wellness ideas that promote
a long life of joy and vitality. Imagine having a long life of joy and
vitality, staying healthy in body, mind and spirit, while enjoying an active
and fulfilling life! Following are her
simple steps to achieving these goals.
Enjoy!
HEALTHY DIET IDEAS
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~ Eat and Drink More Fresh Fruits, Herbs, Spices, and Vegetables ~
All fresh fruits, herbs, spices and vegetables taste good
and are good for you. Eat as many and as wide a variety as possible. Fruit,
herbs, spices and vegetables are a rich source of amino acids, antioxidants,
carotenoids, enzymes, fats, fiber, flavonoids, minerals, oils, pectin, sugars,
trace elements, vitamins, water and phytochemicals with anti-bacterial,
anti-aging, anti-allergenic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic,
anti-tumor, anti-viral, blood thinning, detoxifying, memory and vision
enhancement, immune-stimulating, tonic, wound healing and vasoprotective
properties, amongst others - promoting healthy cellular metabolism and growth,
as well as the efficient detoxification and elimination of metabolic toxins.
Eating fresh fruits, herbs, spices and vegetables in juice
form, sometimes referred to as "juice therapy", meaning "the use
of concentrated nutritional elixirs made from fresh fruits, herbs, spices and
vegetables for nutritional maintenance, illness prevention, body detoxification
and the treatment of ailments and diseases", is very beneficial in
promoting a long life of joy and vitality.
Every fresh fruit, herb, spice and vegetable offers one or
more positive effects on promoting a long life of joy and vitality, including
preventing or minimizing risks associated with: Alzheimer’s, arthritis, asthma,
blood pressure, blood sugar, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol,
constipation, diabetes, glaucoma, heart attack, obesity, osteoporosis,
over-weight, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and urinary tract
infections, amongst others.
~ Eat Like the Animals and the Birds ~
Many animals and birds eat in harmony with
"trophology", the science of combining compatible foods to ensure
optimal digestion leading to optimal health and a long life of joy and
vitality. The key principles of trophology are:
~ Consume only one type of food during any meal, such as
carbohydrate or protein.
~ Eat animal proteins, with plenty of non-starch
vegetables, preferably raw such as in a salad, once a day.
~ Eat starches, with vegetables, preferably raw, as in a
salad, and/or with non-acid fruits, once a day.
~ Eat fats with carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and
light plant proteins, not with concentrated animal proteins. Do NOT eat
margarine, other butter substitutes, or hydrogenated oils.
~ Eat at least one large fresh salad of raw non-starch
vegetables every day, ideally just before a protein or carbohydrate meal.
~ Eat fresh fruits, nuts and seeds on an empty stomach.
~ Forget Food-Like Substances ~
There are many "food-like substances" that must
be avoided if you want to pursue a long life of joy and vitality. The worst
food-like substances are artificial sweeteners, margarine, processed foods and
sugar. Other food-like substances best avoided are pasteurized and/or
homogenized milk, salty foods, soft drinks and white wheat-flour.
MOVING AND RESTING IDEAS
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~ Move Your Body ~
For a long life of joy and vitality it is very important
to move your body on a regular basis, preferably every day, for at least a
moderate amount of time, in a way that you like doing, such as gently exercise,
light sport, martial arts, playing, swimming, walking, yoga, etc. Natural movement
of the body, ideally to a rhythm, is the foundation to cultivating a long life
of joy and vitality.
The best forms of body movement are slow and rhythmic,
which will loosen, stretch and relax your body, to collect and store energy, to
leave you feeling refreshed. This type of movement is aerobic, beneficial to
the particular body part being moved, as well as to the cardiovascular system
and all other body systems.
Be sure to warm up before doing a movement or exercise
regime, especially to relax a stressed or tired body and to stimulate blood and
energy circulation. Loosening movements should be focused on the joints, with
stretching movements should be focused on the ligaments, muscles and tendons.
It is now recognized that regular movement of the body
offers diverse and significant benefits, including positive effects on:
addiction, aging, anxiety, attention, attraction to the opposite sex, blood
pressure, blood, bones, brain, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain,
confidence, constipation, dementia, depression, diabetes, emotions, energy
levels, erectile dysfunction, euphoria, fun, heart, immunity, infections,
injury pain, learning, longevity, motivation, muscles, obesity, osteoporosis,
Parkinson's, physical function, prostate, self esteem, sex, skin, sleep,
stress, strokes, weight.
~ Rest Your Mind ~
Meditating for just ten minutes a day makes a positive
difference to one’s wellbeing and the pursuit of a long life of joy and
vitality. Meditation can mean many things, however fundamentally it involves
stilling the movement of the mind and bringing it to a state of undisturbed
silence.
People approach meditation for many reasons, some to
reduce stress and others to heal themselves physically and mentally. Some
people just want to calm the mind and reflect. Meditation can effectively do
all of these things, and much more. A review of the literature identifies 101
benefits of meditation, including physiological, psychological and spiritual
benefits.
Meditation is also one of the ways of knowing the most
important person in your life. Yourself! Not through others opinions, or
through reading self-help books, but through sitting quietly, tuning into your
breath, and going into that vast world inside yourself. When the thought waves
are under control, the mind becomes quiet and we then experience our higher
state of consciousness.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IDEAS
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~ Enjoy a Red, or a Blond ~
Red wine contains resveratrol, a polyphenol also found in
cranberries and blueberries, which is a powerful antioxidant and which reduces
the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as having anti-aging
properties. White wine also contains resveratrol, however in smaller amounts
than red wine.
The optimal consumption of red wine has indicated a
reduction in the risk of heart attack in middle age people by 30% to 50% and
the optimal consumption of red wine is one glass per day for women and two
glasses per day for men.
Recent research indicates there appears to be a direct
link between the incidence of drinking alcohol and breast cancer in women
however, if a woman consumes sufficient amounts of folic acid (Vitamin B9), the
risk of breast cancer reduces and even disappears.
~ Sleep to Learn ~
Despite all the research, we still do not know exactly why
we sleep and how much sleep we need. We do know the optimum amount of sleep
varies from one person to the next, and for each person it varies over time. We
know almost everyone experiences a period of sleepiness during each afternoon,
and that if a person has too little sleep or too much sleep, they become
dysfunctional. It seems the primary reason for sleep has a lot to do with
learning, and the optimal amount of sleep for most people is between six and
eight hours.
By simple trial you can determine the optimum amount of
sleep you need at any time of your life, and once determined, maintaining this
optimum, including having an afternoon nap, creates many benefits on the
journey to a long life of joy and vitality, including significantly improving
attention, dexterity, digestion, emotion, glucose metabolism, learning, memory,
reasoning, recall and thinking.
~ Detox for Love ~
The key reasons why people must detoxify their body, not
only through attending a regular detoxification retreat, but also preferably as
a daily lifestyle activity, is to quite simply enjoy a long life of joy and
vitality, to experience health is the prerequisite for wealth and happiness.
In today’s world, most people need to work actively on
detoxifying their body, because:
~ Regular multiple-exposures to environmental toxins, for
the air, building materials, cosmetic and personal care products and water,
amongst others, reduce the normal metabolic functioning and inherent
self-healing capability of the body.
~ So called "modern lifestyles", characterized
by poor nutrition, deficient exercise and chronic stress, pollute the body with
chemical and emotional toxins, which cannot be neutralized due to a lack of
necessary nutrients in the optimal proportions.
Whilst toxicity is expressed by a variety of symptoms, the
most common indicators of toxicity are: abnormal pregnancy outcomes, acne,
allergic reactions, anxiety, atherosclerosis, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome,
constipation, depression, dermatitis, eczema, fatigue, female infertility, headaches,
immune system impairment, indigestion, inflammation, insomnia, irritable bowel
syndrome, joint and muscle stiffness and pain, kidney dysfunction, learning
disorders, male infertility, memory loss, migraines, multiple chemical
sensitivity, obesity, over-weight, Parkinson’s disease, psoriasis, skin
puffiness, sleeplessness, susceptibility to cold, flu, infection, injury and
tiredness.
By regularly detoxifying your body, as a daily lifestyle
activity, as well as by attending regular intensive detoxification retreats, it
is possible to remove many of the toxins that cause dis-ease, disease and the
inability to enjoy life to its fullest.
Regular detoxification enables the restoration and
maintenance of every-day good health, characterized by joy, love, vitality and
longevity.
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS IDEAS
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~ Find Your Inner Spirit ~
Find a kindred-spirit or significant other; love him or
her, every day, for all days. Love family. Nurture good friendships. Forgive.
Smile. Socialize. Be curious. Use your imagination. Have zeal, for something.
Relax, let go. Find your inner
spirit…
~ Take the time to play, for it is the secret of perpetual
youth…
~ Take the time to read, for it is the fountain of wisdom…
~ Take the time to be friendly, for it is the road to
happiness…
~ Take the time to love and be loved, for it is the
nourishment of the soul…
~ Take the time to share, for it is too short a life to be
selfish…
~ Take the time to laugh, for it is the music of the
heart…
~ Take the time to dream, for it is hitching your wagon to
a star…
~ Sing, write, dance, photograph, whistle…
~ Do whatever brings calm to your mind, relaxation to your
body, and joy to your heart.
~ Live all of life with loving kindness, compassion,
sympathetic joy and equanimity, to nourish, preserve and restore your-self, as
well as animals, people, plants, and the one earth we call home.
~ About Premchit Prateap Na Thalang ~
Premchit Prateap
Na Thalang is an internationally certified
aromatherapist, organic cosmetics formulator, natural perfumer, acclaimed chef,
and inheritor of twelve generations of ancestral Siamese healing wisdom and
secrets. Her family has been
growing, trading, studying, using and dispensing indigenous plants of southern
Thailand and traditional Siamese knowledge for beauty, medicinal, nutritional
and perfumery benefits for more than twelve generations. For nearly 200 years, Premchit´s family
traded aromatic plants with the British East India Company, including Thao Thep
Kasatri, heroine of the Battle of Thalang (Phuket) in 1785, who also traded
with Sir Francis Light while he was based in Thalang, the home of Premchit´s
family.
~ In
Closing ~
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It’s easy to become overwhelmed by over analyzing what one needs to do,
especially if a person listens to the cacophony of too many voices on the
subject matter. This cacophony can lead
to self-sabotaging and abandoning targeted goals, which results in
disappointment. One key to achieving
these goals is to have a simple plan, and then taking things slowly,
deliberately, and with consistency and focus.
Giving yourself a chance and celebrate yourself and what you’ve been
able to accomplish and are about to accomplish
That’s it for this edition. Until the next one, remember to take care of
yourself and those you love.
By Terry Herman
TERRY HERMAN is a recognized expert in the
industry, and regularly covers issues that include business, management,
operations, customer care, treatments, products, and trends. In the 1990s, she
authored an extensive "Glossary of Spa Terminologies" and holds two
copyright registrations on her authored work. Consumer and trade
publications have also interviewed her as an expert. She also conducted an extensive nationally
broadcasted interview tour on aspects of creating an at-home spa, interior
design, music, stress and time management.
Her work has been published extensively in print and digital in both
consumer and trade publications. In addition to writing, reviewing and
being interviewed as an expert, she is also a management consultant and motivational
speaker. She also served on the
International Advisory Board for the former EXPERIENCE | PREMCHIT Journeys In
Retreat To Wellness; the Advisory Board was comprised of ten international
experts in various fields of wellness and spa.
She also served each of the Five Pillars Task Force groups for the Asia
Pacific Spa & Wellness Council (APSWC).
She has been a Group Manager for the popular LinkedIn group, The Spa Buzz,
and is currently an Administrator for two Facebook Groups, Wild Food Society
and Spa College. In addition to her blogs, her social media outreach
includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest. Be
sure to read her food, wine and culinary digital magazine, TERRY’S
SECOND HELPINGS. Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook Page, Terry’s Second Helpings. Please note that the “Comment Section” has
been disabled. For additional
information, email her at terrysspabeautywellness@gmail.com.
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(Photo credits as indicated, or as represented by the
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