At 11 am every day, we hear the latest updates from NSW government. We hear a message of fear and concern for public health and the health of the communities.
In an effort to improve the situation of public health the people in power have resorted to strong measures:
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Curfews
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Masks
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Movement limitation
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Activity limitation
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Work limitation.
We have been told and promised that all these measures are put in place to protect us from covid and to benefit our own health. With the push for vaccination increasing, the story of improving our health, wellbeing and immunity is becoming more and more apparent. I believe people should use wisdom when making the decision that would benefit and/or affect their health and absolutely should make the best decision for them in their situation.
At the time of writing, I have yet to hear any health official speak to the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle, a whole food diet, weight loss on the body’s natural immune system nor have I heard any official speak to the importance of mental and emotional health of the community.
What I have seen are individuals who are clearly overweight and lacking in necessary activity to maintain health, trusting in a mask, social isolation and a jab to protect them…all the while their shopping trolley is full of packaged foods full of refined sugar, low-quality fats that are highly processed.
In reality, mental health (3,000+/per – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) and cardiovascular disease (average of 118/day – roughly 43,000/year- heartfoundation.org.au) claim more lives a year in Australia than COVID has so far (1003 since February 2020).
In fact, it might interest you to know that the healthiest populations in the world with the longest-lived people (known as blue zones) are people who emulate the healthiest standard of human living. Okinawa in Japan and Sardinia in Italy have the largest populations of centenarians (100-year-olds). What are the keys to their health? Healthy organic food straight from the land, live in a slight calorie deficit/maintenance, frequent exercise and activity every day, strong community and social interactions, strong family values, value elders of society and reduce unnecessary stress. These elements have been shown to contribute to abnormally great health, wellbeing and longevity.
Yes, COVID can be scary and yes, if you believe the vaccine is your best option you should exercise that right. But make no mistake- no pharmaceutical intervention can replace the natural healing effects of healthy eating, exercise and healthy social interaction. Humans have survived worse and will survive again, in the meantime, we should be focusing on making our bodies as strong and robust as possible!
How to do this?
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Eat more whole foods – this includes fruits and vegetables as well as organically sourced meats and other animal products
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Get active- find something you love doing and work to become excellent at it- this could be running, dancing, weight lifting, tennis, swimming- it can be anything!
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Trade sitting for standing- trade your walking for running
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Eat less overall and reduce excess weight
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Drink loads of water – 2+ litres a day
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Reduce alcohol consumption and quit smoking
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Sleep 8 hours a night
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Get involved and stay active in a social setting – mental health affects more than the mind
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Take moments to de-stress and enjoy life for what it is. Fear and anxiety will not benefit you for one bit
I hope this puts things into perspective for someone today.
