What Are You Doing to Your Body?

First Thing’s First “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” Mahatma Gandhi All human beings living on Earth have five things in common (and if you are not one, you should pick up another book!). We arrive on this planet by birth, leave it by death and in between we eat, drink and breathe in order to survive. Life on Earth is a journey, a trip we all take. Our body is the vehicle for this trip and our soul is the driver. When we are first born our body is like a brand new $300,000 Ferrari. As we age our Ferrari gets older and needs more maintenance and regular tune-ups. Every once in a while we have to see a mechanic, in the form of a medical doctor. If you bought a $300,000 Ferrari that required the highest quality fuel as well as constant maintenance and tune ups in order to perform at its peak, would you neglect this precious baby of yours? Would you feed it only regular fuel, change its oil once every 30,000 miles at best and give it no other fluids? How well do you think it would perform after a year? Two years? Five? Your body is a much more sophisticated, delicate and precious vehicle than any luxury car. And, unlike your vehicle, which you can replace every 3-5 years, your body is with you for life. The only time you get to replace it is when you pass on. Why travel for most of life’s journey in a broken down vehicle? This book highlights 13 simple changes you can make to ensure the rest of your life is a healthier one. It’s never too late to begin. As the ancient Chinese text, the Tao Te Ching says, “Even the biggest problem in the world could have easily been solved when it was still small”. What that means, in relation to your health, is that preventing disease from manifesting in your body in the first place, is the best and easiest way to enjoy a healthy life. And the earlier we start, the better off we are. However, living in a healthy manner does not mean just having a Caesar Salad every once in a while. Rather it’s an entire life style you commit to consciously. The food you eat, the liquids you drink and the air you breathe all play a role in how well your body performs. And while we all slip up occasionally, it’s important to get back on track quickly. One more tip before you begin reading. Each chapter contains practical information and tips you can implement in your daily life. However, as with any new habit, it takes time to implement new ideas and get used to them. Therefore, I highly recommend reading only one chapter a week, or even one a month. This will allow you the time you need to assimilate and put into practice the suggested ideas and exercises. Finally, before you delve into the pages of this book, I’d like to offer a quick disclaimer. The information presented here is based on my own knowledge and experiences and includes concepts that work for me. I in no way claim that these are the best, or only, ways of doing things. As you read through the book, use your own judgment to decide if the recommendations are right for you. And experiment with the principles described to see what works in your own life. Here then are 13 practical and effective principles that can really help you to reach old age with a body (or vehicle), that is full of energy, agility and verve.