Health is wealth so a really rich person is one who is really healthy. But how many of us are really healthy? Most of us have something or the other going on in our lives that make us sneeze and wheeze and give up cheese.

In our daily rush of getting up to have a shower, get ready for work, a day of hard work and then back home for more ‘home’ work leaves very little time to stand and stare or do some exercise that is so essential for a healthy life.

But we don’t have to put on our exercise gear to lead a healthy life. Incorporating simple things in your life can make you healthy every day.

So what do I do to remain healthy?

[bctt tweet=”Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise .” username=”via unishta”]

Having been brought up on this proverb I wake up at the crack of dawn and milk the cows. Really? Of course not . I do get up early but I don’t have a cow to milk. Instead I go for a walk instead. Not only is it wonderfully bracing to go out in the fresh air, oxygenate your cells ( as my Yoga teachers tell me ) but also kick start your metabolism with exercise. This sets me in the mood to seize the day.

That apart, I walk wherever and whenever I can during the day : doing errands, walking to the baniya, visiting bhaji gully.

And just before my bath, I do some yoga twists that keep my spine in shape and my tummy under control.

Housework makes you work a sweat

Going to the gym everyday can be a stretch as any Stay-at -home -mom will tell you . I get my daily dozen while doing my housework.  I get my Forward bends while making beds and upward stretches while dusting. A dozen squats or more are par for the course for me when I get down to eyeball level with the grandchildren.

Even though I have a machine to wash my clothes, I do my toe touches while I bend to pick the clothes and load the machine. Similarly , when I hang the clothes to dry I work my upper arm muscles while shaking out the larger clothes .

And since there are many occasions that require me to use a step stool, I make sure I get my step exercise that way!

Twists and bends happen naturally when I retrieve  toys that have run away or have hidden behind places hard to reach. Weightlifting? Holding a 9 kg toddler is enough isn’t it?  Playing with the kids gives me a chance to do core exercises when I crawl on the floor with them.

But staying healthy is not only about exercise. A good, little siesta in the middle of the day is essential for me to re-charge , especially when my day has already begun before day has dawned. Changing gears in the middle of the day helps in stress management too.

But as a person who has actively battled health issues, exercise alone is not enough. A balanced meal plan with fresh vegetables, fruit, protein and carbohydrates is part of my routine. Chocolates and cheese share shelf space in the refrigerator while oil has a place in my larder too. Yes, fats are part of my diet albeit in measured quantity.

A happy person is a healthy person.

My happinness quotient is maintained by a regular dose of laughter . Meeting my friends either physically or virtually keeps me in good humour . And a happy person is  healthy person.

Housewives have the added burden of maintaining a strict schedule for others! Lunch boxes have to be packed,  children have to be dropped and picked so me time is quite a luxury. But I make time for myself. In my very busy day, I take time to take a deep breath every now and then. I listen to music or grab a movie every now and then.

If I don’t look after myself who will?I‘d like to share a lovely poem I found

 

I hope to keep fit
Healthy and strong
I want to enjoy life
And live it long

I want to do exercise
At least once a week
Also be careful
Of what I do eat

At times it be easy
And others it be hard
But I won’t just stop
As it gets hard

I will cope through the hard times
Then the easy times will come
And with every struggle
I will over come

All through my life
I will treat my body with respect
Knowing in my life
I lived life to the best

By Jasmine Waltho

 

I am joining Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy initiative and sharing my ways of being healthy in association with BlogAdda.

 

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