BODY AND SOUL - KEEPING IT TOGETHER!

H E A L T H

It is aforesaid that the 1st thing a man makes once he wakes in the morning is to look out of the window to see how the weather has changed overnight, and the 1st thing a women makes on waking is to look in the mirror to see what the night has done to her face. Enough aforesaid ... but if your look in the mirror is followed by 'Oh, my God ... I could do with a face-lift, etc. etc.' (don't worry, we've all been there) before you start layering on more make-up and deciding to embark yet once again on another diet/exercise regime (which wish probably have been forgotten anyway by the weekend), let's finish wishing, and start by trying to do the better of what we have got.

We may not be able to recapture the healthy glow of youth, but we may be able to inject a little sparkle by giving as more thought to the inside of our bodies as we do to the outside. Simply think of what would-be happen to a home if it were not built on firm foundations. Besides how would-be our cars run if we filled them up with the wrong fuel? Similarly, how can we expect our bodies to function swimmingly if we simply worry simply about the paintwork and not concentrate on the engine? So analyse what you are putt into your body. Is it chiefly 'comfort/grab-a-snack - I'm in a hurry' food, eg buns, crisps, chocolates etc., or is it alimentary food with all the vitamins and minerals the body requires to operate efficiently?

Galore moons ago, a colleague of mine, who had a connection with a pharmaceutical company, aforesaid the idea had been muted inside the institution that as the aged often start the day with a cup of tea and organic process biscuit, then a nice way of ensuring that they obtain all the necessary vitamins and minerals was to add them to the organic process biscuit It seemed a great idea, but once you think of how we absently dip into a packet of biscuits, then we would-be probably o.d. on vitamins. Though we need vitamins we can besides have too more of a nice thing. It is worth memory that whereas the body wish expel too more of say Nutriment C, the body wish store Vitamins A & D and an overload of these vitamins can have a damaging effect. So leave it to the experts to get the balance right. It is better to start the day (together with your alimentary breakfast) with a nice multi-vitamin and mineral tablet. The tablet instrumentality wish show the RDA (which stands for the 'recommended daily allowance'), and it wish besides show how the tablet equates with this.

A nice multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is the Netherlands & Barrett's Formula for the 50 PLUS called ABC PLUS SENIOR (on half-price offer at the present time).

Another supplement I would-be recommend for those of us whose memory is not what it used to be is 'Ginkgo Biloba'. (Also on half-price offer at the moment). This has been in use for years on the continent as an aid to up the circulation. It is aforesaid that it not only improves the supply of blood to the head and later improves the memory (so hopefully we'll remember wherever we put the bottle of tablets) but it besides improves the blood supply to the extremities, which is great if you suffer from cold hands and feet. Ginkgo, by the way, comes from the Gingko tree, which is one of the oldest trees acknowledged to man. You can therefore appreciate how vital it is that we do not allow plants to become extinct.

Remember the old wives' tale that 'fish is nice for the brain'? (When I hear this saying, my mind always goes back to a lecturer jokingly expression that his parent was determined that he would-be do well and always ready-made him eat fish before an examination, and, of course, to her delight he did do well). Well, now it has been established that Omega 3 (pure fish oils) not only benefits the brain but the whole body. It is high in essential fatty acids, which help to maintain a healthy heart and circulation.

Another really nice supplement is Selenium. This was naturally present in the earth and in our vegetables years ago, but sadly has become depleted over the years with intensive farming and chemicals. So we can put back this missing ingredient. I surely felt a difference on taking this as a supplement.

Now, if you are prone to many infections, coughs, colds, etc., then your immune system inevitably a boost. In addition to the usual Nutriment C, a couple of nice supplements for this are Zn and Echinacea. It's a nice idea to take Asterid dicot genus well before the 'flu time' is upon us in order to get it into the system.

We have always acknowledged the importance of devising sure that we have enough ca in order to maintain bone strength, but it is only in the past few years that Glucosamine has move to the fore as an aid to the joints. Glucosamine is believed to stimulate gristle growth and prevent it wearing down and hopefully reducing the consequent pain. I have a friend who swears this has helped her painful joints. Chondroitin is often accessorial to the Glucosamine as this helps to attract fluid into the cartilage. Healthy Direct (www.healthydirect.co.uk) has a special offer on this powerful combination of Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Nutriment C. They besides operate a free postage and packing with prompt delivery service, which is great if you have difficulty in acquiring to the shops.

Notice that throughout I have been exploitation the word 'supplement' as no tablets are going to replace a healthy diet. I remember being told by a doctor once I was in my twenties that the way towards a healthy life was to eat a small figure of a wide variety of foods and that way the body would-be obtain the necessary vitamins and nourishment. Whilst I agree with the 'variety' advice, I am not sure with the present day treatment and overlong storage of foodstuffs (particularly fruit and vegetables) whether there are galore vitamins left by the time they reach the table. It came as a shock to hear at one lecture that once they tested an orange for its Nutriment C content, the results came back as a amazing 'nil'. Still to end on a happy note, the fibre content was there, and we must eat plenty of FRESH fruit and vegetables not only for the vitamins but besides for the fibre and enzymes necessary for the organic process process to function properly. But more on that - together with a breakdown of all the essential vitamins and my favourite subject - FOOD - (I'll try not to think simply about or mention chocolate cake) IT'S ... 'HOLD-BACK-THE-YEARS' FOOD ...... next time

Looking forward to chatting to you once again and besides looking forward to hearing from you ...

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