It is a New Year and many people have begun to create their New Year's Resolutions or goals. Whatever you choose to create, I encourage you to consider making a "healthy" choice to live a "healthy" lifestyle. We do not have to be a prisoner to sickness, dis-eases, pain & suffering, weight-issues, depression and low to no energy. We can choose to live a healthy lifestyle....IF WE TRULY WANT IT!

As a Physical Therapist, Wellness/Holistic Nutrition Consultant, and Raw Foodist, I understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and that a lack of knowledge about health/nutrition will lead to lack of understanding how to properly take good care of yourself which creates a vicious cycle of perpetual unhealthy choices. The end result....an unhealthy life! Starting today....create a goal to live a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few simple tips for you to consider.....

Have courage ! Too often, many people lack courage to step away from the familiar into the unfamiliar as well as fear of what others might think when choosing to live a healthy lifestyle. Do not allow the nay-sayers to dis-courage you from doing something that is good for you! Remember, the only person you can change is YOURSELF! Refuse to give your power away by allowing others to DIS-COURAGE you! Decide right now that your life is worth living and that you will take a courageous stand to BE HEALTHY in mind, body and spirit!

Educate yourself ! After you make a choice to live a healthy lifestyle, simply take some time everyday (10, 15, 20 minutes a day) or as your schedule permits to learn about health & nutrition. You can transform your life when you renew your mindset. Empower your mind by thinking positive and healthy thoughts on a daily basis. Also, take a trip to the bookstore(New and/or Used) and purchase a few simple books/audio from the health/nutrition section. If you're trying to cut down on spending, visit your local library and check out books and/or audio on health. In addition, attend health seminars, workshops, join a support group and consult with a health/nutrition expert for guidance. As I stated earlier, when you lack knowledge...you will lack understanding!

Assess your life! My favorite saying, "How will you know where you're going on the journey....if you don't know where you are?" Think about this for a moment. Let's say that you decide to utilize a map tool (on the internet) to get directions. Before you can retrieve directions you have to do what first? Correct....type in a starting and an ending address. If you try to provide only one address...I guarantee you will not retrieve any directions. You need both a starting and an ending address. My point is simply this....take time to reflect (write it down on paper) and get a clear sense of the choices you've made(and continue to make) as it pertains to your health so that you can move beyond the vicious cycle of repeating unhealthy choices and get yourself on a new journey of creating a healthy lifestyle.

Love thyself ! Ahhh...this is vitally important. I believe that "LOVE" is a necessary ingredient for living healthy. You must LOVE yourself enough to treat YOU right(healthy) and not allow others to treat YOU wrong(unhealthy). Loving yourself means that you are willing to make choices that will serve you well inside-out. It dawn on me awhile back during one of my reflection retreats(as I call them) that one of the main reasons I sufffered persistent sinus problems was due to not being in alignment with the person I say that I am! Yes, I continued to make unhealthy choices(consuming mucous forming foods and liquids which leads to sinus problems). After such awakening, I realized that making healthy choices for my life( and that includes all areas of your life) reflects the love I have for myself. We're not truly loving ourselves when we continue to make unhealthy choices. When you love someone....you want the best for them. You want them to experience happiness , abundance, wholeness and good health. Do you agree? Right now, I encourage you to start loving yourself and refuse to embrace things and people that do not serve you in a healthy way!! Choose to love!!

Take time out! Living a healthy lifestyle is no quickie! Think about the number of years you've invested in living an unhealthy lifestyle(consuming foods and liquids with no "life" in them, little to no exercise, stress,etc.). Bottom line, to live healthy requires that you invest quality time to reflect, educate yourself, create goals/plan of action, and make it happen! By the way, don't forget about health screeings especially if you have not nurtured your body in a healthy way for quite some time. Unfortunately, we live in a society where people are moving quick and in a hurry and as a result, we neglect taking time out to care for ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It's no wonder so many of us are DIS-EASED! If you want to live a life infused with energy, vitality, and good health....you MUST take time out of your day to make it happen!

Have fun! Unfortunately, there are people who believe that living a healthy lifestyle means all work and no play. BORING!! That's not so! It's vitally important to have harmony in your life. Take care of important matters and have fun too! If you're all about work and no play, I strongly encourage you to reconsider the path you're on. Living healthy includes enjoyment as well. Think for a moment.... when you're having fun naturally you feel great! Can you imagine frowning while having a great time? No way! When you're engaged in fun activities, exercising, dancing, and laughing(just to name a few), you feel better. When you feel better...often times you think clearly which can lead to you making healthier choices. You can live healthy and have fun too!

I hope you will utilize the valuable information I'm sharing with you as a simple guide to assist you toward better health. No more excuses! There is plenty of resources and experts available to assist you. You must invest some time to educate and empower yourself! Faith with proper action leads to positive results. If you're ready to experience a life of vitality and quality health, go ahead and make a healthy choice to live a healthy lifestyle! Love thyself to health!!

© 2009 Shikina