BASIC RULES FOR GOOD HEALTH AND LONG LIFE
Combining an orderly, regulated way of life with observing the five rules outlined below will help make life more prolonged and more pleasant.
PROPER DIET
Eating as much of everything your like is a diet that must be corrected. No matter how wholesome the foods you eat, the balance must be maintained among them. First, ensuring enough of the three primary energy foods, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, facilitates an active life. In addition, the required amounts of minerals, water, and vitamins needed to break down these foods and convert them into energy must be included in the diet.
Even with balanced menus, the body must be able to digest and assimilate nutrients. This is possible by regularly eating in proper quantities and chewing your food well. Breakfast is a must, even if it is only a tiny amount of highly nutritious food. Furthermore, the connection can cause upsets in the alimentary system. Avoid this by eating slowly and in a pleasant, calm atmosphere. This is all the more important since worry and irritation also disrupt the functioning of the other internal organs.
PROPER SLEEP
People sleep about one-third of their lives if they take eight hours of nightly rest. Sufficient sleep is more essential to recovery from fatigue than any therapy or drug. No matter how static one remains, as long as the body is awake, the organs continue to function; and the muscles preserve a state of tension. In sleep, however, the organs and the cerebral nerves rest; and the muscle relaxes, enabling the body to recover from weariness and be refreshed upon awakening.
There are many sleep patterns. The ideal one is falling asleep shortly after retiring, dropping into a deep sleep soon thereafter and remaining in a deep sleep until sleep gradually becomes increasingly shallow and waking occurs. This process can be compared to an aircraft that takes off, immediately gains flight altitude, remains on size for most of the trip and gradually descends to land again at the destination point.
It is said that, though they are often forgotten, everyone has dreams every night. The level of sleep in which dreams occur is the rapid eye movement state, which is less desirable than deep sleep. Overindulgence in alcohol results in a sleeping condition that is only half asleep and half intoxicated. Since he does not enjoy restful, deep sleep, the person who has drunk too much often suffers from the state known as a hangover on the morning after. Undoubtedly, ‘early to bed and early to rise’ are linked with longevity. But the tempo of modern urban living makes it difficult to follow the sound advice inherent in these words. Nonetheless, it is good to get up early in the morning and enjoy clean air before the pollution of daytime traffic can sully it. For a vigorous way of life, combine deep breathing of fresh morning air with a balanced diet, sound sleep, and plenty of fresh air.
PROPER ELIMINATION
Normally the bowels should move once a day, often immediately after breakfast. If this regimen is regularly observed, the alimentary system will function correctly; and nutrients will be readily absorbed.
The amount and nature of foods eaten determine the kinds and quantities of faeces eliminated. Excess consumption of complexto-digest foods causes either constipation or diarrhoea. The psychological state, too, influences elimination.
PROPER EXERCISE
One of the most direct ways to prompt good health is proper energetic exercise combining leisure, work, sports, or other active recreation. Human beings find a reason to live in purposeful, goal-oriented activity, but in today’s mechanized society, opportunities to display vitality are becoming increasingly limited. Work is now subdivided and automated to the extent that human beings frequently do nothing but monotonous, repetitive operations. Means of transportation have become so convenient that people use their legs less than they should and prefer an elevator or escalator to even a moderate flight of steps. Under these conditions, it is scarcely surprising that people do not get enough exercise and that their muscular vigour declines. Jogging has recently become popular with those who want to supplement their training or lose weight. But, without going this far, it is possible to achieve good results merely by walking more and moving the body as much as possible in ordinary daily activities. Walking is excellent since it activates circulation in the legs and relieves the sluggishness that inactivity causes. In addition, it is essential to fully use the bending, stretching, reaching and lifting that are parts of the movements performed in many minor daily tasks.
LAUGHTER
Laughter is unique to the human being. A naturally laughing face is pleasing and beautiful. Physiologically, laughter is healthful and purifies the blood. In contrast, anger and fear cause the face to become livid and create pathological tensions in the internal organs. The up-down movement of the diaphragm caused by laughter stimulates the operation of the heart, improves circulation and activates the functioning of the stomach and intestines. In addition, it helps regulate the internal secretions of the endocrine system.
A burst of good laughter from the bottom of the belly once a day contributes to a better way of life. As the old sayings have it, ‘Laughter is the gate to happiness’ and ‘A laugh rejuvenates, frown ages.