I remember when I was studying Tang Soo Do karate, our master used to ask us for examples of the yin and yang in life. Here are some of the things that always came up:

• Work vs. play
• Love vs. hate
• Happy vs. sad
• Relaxation vs. hard work
• Trust vs. deceit
• Passion vs. apathy

I’m sure you can think of many more examples. But let me explain what I think balance has to do with your healthy and with healthy living. For example, let’s look at diet. As you know, there are always new diet fads coming out on the market… Zone, Low Carb, Grapefruit… the list goes on and on. Most of them have some helpful aspects, but in general people have trouble staying on a diet, and so any possible benefits get lost over the long term.

But if you really want to adopt a healthy eating routine, then your best bet is to strive for balance in what you eat. Starvation or deprivation diets don’t work for most of us. Sooner or later, you’ll give in to temptation and binge on the things that you’re “not supposed” to eat. How much better would it be if you could still have the things you love most, even if — like me — that’s ice cream? Well, the good news, is you CAN… in moderation. Choose healthy foods most of the time, and it will not be harmful to choose less healthy ones every once in a while, as long as you only have small amounts. So, go ahead… have that scoop of ice cream or that chocolate chip cookie or piece of pie! You’ve earned it.

Same goes for exercise. The old adage, “No pain, no gain,” was proved wrong years ago. Much better is to increase how active you are… take the steps instead of the elevator, park at the back of the lot instead of up by the door, walk your dog around the block instead of letting him out the back door on his own, that sort of thing. It’s fairly easy to make these types of changes and they DO pay off.

In addition, start working out, but do it in moderation. Work out hard enough to bring on a light sweat, but not so hard you can’t talk through the activity. If that means only a brisk walk for 2 block, fine. If it means you can run a 5-mile loop, that’s good too. Whatever works for you. Experts recommend we get 30 minutes of exercise most days. But that 30 minutes doesn’t have to be all at once. Take a 10-minute walk around your building after lunch on work days, then dance with your kids in the evening for 10 minutes. Fit another 10 minutes of yoga in some time during the day, and you’ve got your 30 minutes!

Balance… you also need to manage your stress. All stress is not bad, and it’s important to realize you’re never going to eliminate stress from your life completely. Nor should you want to. A certain amount of stress can be motivating and energizing. The trick is to keep it from becoming overwhelming. So, adopt stress reduction habits like meditation, listening to music, relaxing baths, exercise… whatever works for you.

OK, I think I’ve gone on enough about balance for today. Hopefully, you get the idea of what I’m talking about. Feel free to comment here if you have your own ideas/experiences about balance, won’t you?

To your health,
Kathi

The quest of almost every individual today is not just to have a long life, but to have a healthy and happy one as well. People plunge headlong into an ocean of trying this and testing that, of having as much as possible, and of working extra time to get all three in life -  longevity, happiness, and health.

More and more people today get tired and burned out while trying to figure out the kind of life they want to live. They end up wanting more, rather than being satisfied with what they have. They wake up to the reality that life is getting shorter, more fragile, and more taxing.

Schedules just keep getting more hectic. Even if you get to avail yourself of paid overtimes, the workload just keeps piling up. Exhaustion gets the better of you. Even with all that overtime pay, you still cannot afford to find real rest and vacation to do what you want in your so-called “free time.”

Fact is, most vacations are tightly planned and pressure laden. They say that you have to keep up with some schedule to make the most of your vacation time. When you really think about it, most vacations are really extensions of the pressures you thought you left at the office. Just the same, they often mean you have to beat some deadlines. People tend to feel more tired after such “vacations.”

As technology offers amenities and new possibilities that are more modern, people build dreams and ambitions faster than what their pulse rate or heartbeat could endure. The result is a mechanical life enslaved by pressures from deadlines, company goals, and other people’s expectations that have no bearing on what you really want to achieve for you and your family.

Instead, you and your family are dragged reluctantly into the rush of things and are merely fitted into somebody else’s schedules and “cut-off” dates.

Later, the hustles and bustles all end up in a shortened life span; and there at the end of your rope, you realize you have done nothing you really wanted to do in your life. Modernity also keeps pushing us to quick-fix foods that not only cut the time for food preparation, but shorten our health and lives as well.

Not all these killer pressures have to continue if you do not want them to. It is really your choice. Would you drag yourself into such things that will lead you to a short, unhealthy, and miserable life; or would you stand up and decide what you want to do with your own life to achieve longevity, health, and happiness?

Reading this blog and keeping the principles here in mind are not enough to achieve the desired result. Neither will trying a little be sufficient, like deciding to apply the principles for three to six months, or even for a year. Instead, you have to commit to a life of doing these steps and principles. Faith is the key. Real faith is not just mental belief — it is living each moment of your life based on principles.

There are some easy yet essential steps involved in attaining a longer, healthier, and happier life. These steps are not intended to be more authoritative than hospital treatments. When you are sick, it is always best to consult with your physician. This site is merely for added information on how to live a better, healthier lifestyle.

But, in addition, adopting a healthier lifestyle can help you feel better on many other levels too… spiritually, emotionally, mentally, etc.

So, in the posts of this blog, I’ll be exploring tons of ways in which you can make small changes that add up to BIG benefits for your physical, spiritual, and emotional/mental health. I’ll give you lots of tips for healthy living that you and your loved ones can start using right away to live a healthier life.

Oh yeah… who am I and what makes me such an expert? Well, my name is Kathi MacNaughton; I’m a registered nurse and consumer health writer. You can see my work on About.com and HealthCentral.com’s Allergy Network & AsthmaCentral. But, even more important, I’m a lifelong believer in healthy living.

So, are you ready? Great… Let’s Get Healthy Now!

To your health,
Kathi