Tend to your health

We all know that a healthy body means a healthy mind, and that writing requires thinking. Without question, I write most easily when I feel good.

Nutrition guru, Patrick Holford, takes this concept further with his brilliant book, Optimum Nutrition for the Mind. He explains that “how we think and feel is directly affected by what we take into our bodies” and that “eating the right food has been proven to boost IQ, improve mood and emotional stability, sharpen the memory, and keep the mind young.”

This endorses my top health tip, which is to drink fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice at least twice a day, which I learnt from Brendan McCarthy’s Jump Start program.

Big thanks to both men for their excellent, life-enhancing advice!

Mouth

Mouth = highway to health.

HIPPO MOUTH - Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana

My interpretation:
Quality of life depends on health, which depends on intake. Simple as this is, it deserves a daily reminder!

Quotes to consider:
“You are what you eat.” – Albert Signorella DDS. / Franklin P. Jones / possible others
“Health is worth more than learning.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Now, good digestion wait on appetite, and health on both!” – William Shakespeare

What are your thoughts on this image and/or topic?

Food, glorious food!

Big thanks to Paula Marais (friend, writing teacher, editor, author, publicist, etc!) of Logogog, for inviting me to the recent launch of Sharon Glass’s latest releases. We were treated to amazing inspiration and delectable snacks, as well as the opportunity to buy autographed copies of this celebrity chef’s cookbooks. Last week I tried out her seared tuna recipe in ‘Simple Stylish Meals’, which my husband rated as the best meal I’ve ever made him – huge thanks to Sharon!! I believe we may soon be seeing her regularly on TV, which I think will be fabulous!

Food

Food is fundamental to feeling fabulous.

HOEPOE + BREAKFAST - Welgevonden Game Reserve, South Africa

Happiness

Happiness, like health, works inside out.

POPPY - Tuscany, Italy

Balance

Not long ago, Oprah featured Michelle Albert’s book, “Financial Meltdown: Lessons from the Blue Zones”, on her show. The wisdom contained in it is unquestionable, especially from Okinawa, home to the world’s highest known concentration of centenarians.

Apparently the secret is all about balance. Their lifestyle is akin to a longevity prescription, incorporating the benefits of eating mindfully (& always stopping when you’re 80% full), exercising daily, sleeping sufficiently, fostering a sense of community, setting & fulfilling goals, cultivating spirituality, embracing change and finding a “purpose”. Instead of any word for “retirement”, the Okinawan dialect includes “ikigai”, which translates roughly as “that which makes one’s life worth living”. Thus, Okinawans live with a sense of purpose, whether it be nurturing their garden, working at a job or raising a happy, healthy family.

I’m grateful for these lessons, and for reconnecting with my “ikigai”, which is writing. For a long time I lost it, only to be haunted by an indefinable homesickness. It is deeply fulfilling to have found it again. As The Seekers sang: “To everything…There is a season…And a time for every purpose under heaven”.

Juice!

Big thanks to Brendan McCarthy for his Jump Start juice program, and to our friends who introduced us. It’s been the catalyst for transformation in terms of weight loss, fresh health, as well as our compost heap, herb garden and recycling station. Clean up your body…clean up your life.

“Smile in your liver”

This is suggested by Ketut (the Indonesian medicine man in Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat Pray Love”) as the basis for a meditation. What a wonderful thing to do, any time you think of it.