Ever wondered how we can simplify and describe health and well-being in a manner that people can understand, and follow without being overwhelmed, and which actually works? Can being healthy be a simple yet effective technique, or does that require elaborate lists, fancy health clubs, and expensive products? If you are looking for simple answers to your health questions, don’t look any further!

EAT-PLAY-SLEEP-REPEAT!

I was lucky enough to spend a weekend recently at home, with no preplanned work. Going through my to-do list and New Year's resolutions, I thought about the futility of most resolutions and the simplicity of healthy living. For me, it all comes down to these four steps: Eat, play, rest, repeat. Thus, I present to you a new look, a new theme, and a new focus on the simple things for lifelong health.

If EAT, PLAY, SLEEP, REPEAT is elaborated in a manner which is effective, sustainable, and easy to remember it can be detailed as follows:

Feet                                                                           Fork                                                                            Finger 

Stress                                                                        Love                                                                            Sleep

Feet

The key here is to have an active lifestyle. Staying active at any age doesn’t mean working out an hour every day at the gym. Being active means being active in those 16 hours that you are awake. If being fit and active is your motto, you don’t need a fancy gym membership; you can be fit and active by playing outdoor games and doing household chores as well. When you play hard and have fun, you are more likely to make physical activity an everyday habit.

Both children and adults need plenty of active ‘playtime’. At least 30 to 60 minutes a day of walking, dancing, biking, swimming, skiing, snowshoeing, or just playing your favorite ball game. Studies say we need a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise per week (30 minutes per day for 5 days per week). Walking is one of the easiest yet most effective forms of using your feet for exercise.

Fork

Enjoy a mindful eating style built on the foundation of balanced, regular meals and snacks. Any nutrient-rich plate starts with healthy servings of colorful fruits and/or vegetables, adds the goodness of whole grains, and includes the power of protein. Eating well also requires really refreshing beverages; drink refreshing water.

Finger

One of the primal forces of life is "Prana," meaning breath. If you want to be healthy, leave or stop smoking and tobacco in any form.

Smoking weakens your lung capacity. The lungs of nonsmokers have a higher capacity as compared to those of smokers. This provides the body cells of nonsmokers with more nourishment and also helps in oxidation and deep breaths. Individuals with better lung capacity have more force in their bodies as compared to smokers.

Sleep

Surveys show that most of us do not get enough sleep. This can contribute to both physical and emotional stress. Getting enough sleep (7 to 8 hours for adults, even more for kids) improves overall health and improves mental performance at work and school. For a positive outlook and a balanced lifestyle, make a good night’s sleep, as well as daytime downtime (meditation, yoga, etc.), a top priority every day.

Sleep and rest are the times when body organs detoxify, repair, and regenerate themselves for you to handle and enjoy life the next day. If I have to order my priorities, I will put sleep among the top 2 to 3 priorities.

Stress

Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands in the face of fear, anxiety, and adverse situations.

Your body is designed to be either in the “rest and digest” mode or the “fight and flight” mode. In ideal conditions, the body always strikes a fine balance between these two modes of the nervous system. However, when our body continues to be more in fight and flight mode (more cortisol), that’s when we develop chronic stress. This indirectly impacts our sleep, activity, digestion, and even food choices! Controlling stress is critical for well-being. Know the factors that are causing stress and find ways to handle them.

Adrenal fatigue stands out to be the one major reason for so-called diseases in the majority of clients I interact with. Besides adrenal fatigue, impaired gut health (which somehow is again related to adrenal fatigue) also stands out to be another significant reason.

Read our article Go with your Gut: Probiotics and Prebiotics to know more.

Love

Relationships play a major role in health and wellness. You may eat all the kale in the world, but if your relationships (family, friends, office, and partner) are not balanced, you will never be healthy. In fact, love and relationships are the so-called primary foods that feed secondary foods (food on your plate).

Living a life full of compassion, love, respect, and eagerness to give will bring you more health and happiness. People coming back home to a loving family and partner are more likely to lead a healthy routine than to eat high-sugar-loaded snacks to fill the gap.

So, if you are looking for a healthy, balanced lifestyle that is sustainable and will take you a long way, then:

EAT natural whole foods with a balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

PLAY and have an active lifestyle in which you keep your body moving with activities that are sustainable and easy to do like walking, running, swimming, and dancing.

REST and sleep a minimum of 6 to 7 hours every day to help the body relax, reboot, reset, regenerate, and repair itself.

REPEAT this every day for the rest of your life such that healthy living becomes a way of life.

Share and comment below on how you plan to lead a healthy life or are leading a healthy life, share and inspire people. Nothing is bigger than sharing knowledge and experience!