by Ho Tin

Created on: July 03, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Most people, if not all, want to stay healthy. In order to achieve good health, many people spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars buying tonics in an attempt to stay in good shape. Do these tonics really work wonders?

There is this Korean saying: Water taken in by Cow produces milk, while water taken in by Snake produces poison. Indeed true to this saying; one man's medicine is another man's poison.

What does one mean by staying healthy? There are basically two main categories of health; namely physical health and mental health. Best methods to stay healthy are basically to balance health on both the physical and mental scale.

Let's begin with the physical aspect. To stay healthy physically is simply to treat the stomach and organs well. You may ask what it means by treating the stomach and organs well. It will be briefly explained shortly. Let's begin with the former:

Treating the stomach well means eating the right food with the right portion; from the food pyramid, the lowest hierarchy (bread / cereal / rice / pasta) should be taken in abundance while the highest hierarchy (fats / oil / sweets) should be consumed sparingly.

One often neglects the regular intake of fruits and vegetables. Recommended in-take of fruits and vegetables per day should be 2 servings each. It is advisable to go for SMALL MEALS, MORE MEALS, with greater emphasis during breakfast.

There is this Chinese saying; Feast like a King during Breakfast; eat like a Commoner during Lunch and ingest like a Pauper during Dinner. Food rich in carbohydrate should be cut down after 5pm to prevent the accumulation of glucose, fructose and sucrose.

Treating the organs well simply means having the right amount of exercise weekly and enjoying ample rest everyday. Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each session, thrice weekly, can assists in maintaining a healthy weight; building muscle strength, healthy bone density and joint mobility; promoting physiological well-being; and boosting the immune system.

Moreover, regular exercise has been shown to help prevent life-threatening conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Not only that, it also helps to promote good night sleep for the body to regenerate.

On the mental side, staying healthy is simply having an optimistic outlook in all aspect of life. Meditation can help to clear one's thoughts. It is also advisable to always empty one's trouble or negative thoughts that may eventually leads to depression.

One should constantly remind oneself to stay cheerful and regularly unwind by traveling; spending time with friends and family; reading etc.

To summarize, maintaining both physical and mental health would be the best method to stay healthy. Always remember: Eat Right, Sleep Tight and Do It Right.

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