I love learning life skills and lessons that are very practical and I once attended a training where our mentors and corporate pharmacist discuss an interesting topic about our health. This topic made me realize how amazing our body performs and how wise our creator is for designing our bodies like this. This time, I'll share about the basic science behind our health, the right practices for a healthy body, and the benefits of a healthy body that was discussed to us during the training.
A LITTLE SCIENCE ABOUT OUR HEALTH
Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals and Antioxidants
Remember when you see an apple turning brown and wrinkled? That process where its cells are slowly undergoing aging is called Oxidative Stress. It is a process where cells are damaged by losing electrons, causing premature aging and diseases. We keep on hearing about the bad free radicals in TV commercials nowadays. Here's a simple explanation on how they affect our cells. Basically, our cells have several parts and one of them is the elections. Free radicals cause abnormalities to healthy cells by attacking and stealing electrons from them. This becomes a cycle in order to quench those cells that lack electrons. When cells get damaged, it obviously causes diseases. Free radicals are caused by unhealthy lifestyle, stress, radiation, unhealthy food (overfed but undernourished), environmental changes (pollution, climate change). In short, free radicals are present in our daily lives. This explains why people age prematurely, which shortens the life span compared to the people in the ancient times.
Antioxidants sprung from learning about this oxidative stress and free radicals. Antioxidants give electrons to free radicals in order to quench them. This reduces the cycle of oxidation. This is why they are included in the supplements we have in the market today. This is the scientific reason why those who take antioxidants in adequate amounts have a younger look. They slow down the aging process by neutralizing oxidative stress and free radicals.
Epigenetics
Epigenetics is the study about tracing the traits we pass on to the next generation. Lifestyle exercise, and diet can affect our genes. Any change in the genes leaves an imprint that is transferred to the children and the next generation of descendants. Diet affects most of our genetic imprint because our DNA’s (located at the nucleus, the center of our cell) ability to repair itself depends on the signals sent by the nutrients we intake. This is why our cells have innate intelligence, giving our body the natural ability to heal itself when our DNA produces its own antioxidants if we only nourish it because they will obviously function correctly if we do so. Unfortunately, this natural ability is not harnessed nowadays due to poor lifestyle and lack of nutrition and we pass this on to the next generations. We should pay attention to cellular nutrition by providing the right and sufficient amount of nutrients our cell needs to function at optimal levels. Here are some good practices our mentors recommend for a healthy cell and body. The goal is to get the right and balanced nutrients that reaches the cellular level for overall well-being.
OPTIMAL HEALTH RECOMMENDATION
OPTIMAL HEALTH = Healthy Lifestyle + Proper Diet + Appropriate Exercise + Proper Supplementation
- Healthy Lifestyle
Adequate sleep, minimal stress, and positive mindset are the basic needs for this. Sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. Cell repair happens when we sleep. It promotes good metabolism and it helps the body excrete toxins. It also brings out the glow in our skin. Having a positive mindset and outlook in life minimizes stress and it helps reduce the cycle of oxidative stress in our body.
- Proper Diet
Proper and balanced meals provide the nutrients needed by our body and it helps our cells function well. As mentioned in epigenetics, this helps improve DNA too, leaving a good imprint to the next generation of descendants to come. Never skip meals and eat healthy foods that can help nourish our cells. Diet means eating the right foods, not eating less. It is also important to avoid unhealthy foods that make us overfed but undernourished.
- Appropriate Exercise
Exercising has several benefits. It burns fats. It helps the organs detoxify by helping the body rejuvenate when we sweat. Do workouts at least 2-3 times a week, one hour each day or at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes a day. Do it moderately and consistently. Make sure you don't overdo it so you don’t hurt yourself. Consult first before undergoing an exercise program so you get the best regimen for your body. In my case, I do a balanced workout to strengthen my whole body due to my scoliosis. I add pilates and homebased karate (from the book) to it since the doctor allowed me.
- Proper Supplementation
Supplements bridge the nutritional gap by supplying the nutrients we are lacking in our foods due to some factors such as farming methods, depleted soil nutrients, and a fast paced lifestyle. Here are some things we are told to consider when looking for a supplement:
Must be legally registered
World class quality
Natural ingredients
Should strengthen immune and antioxidant defense system
Should support cellular nutrition
Complete, balanced and potent
High absorption rate
Long term benefits
Paraben-free skin products for those who want to add a beauty regimen
BENEFITS OF OPTIMAL HEALTH
Our health is very precious. We enjoy a lot of benefits when our bodies are in best condition. Here are some of the benefits of achieving optimal health.
Enhanced immunity, more energy
Right/ideal weight
Prevention of diseases
A potential improvement in our genetic imprint
Overall increase in well-being
Good performance in everything you do
Increased productivity
Saves money
Happy life
PRACTICAL THINGS THAT I REALIZED AFTER THE TRAINING
If you love God, take good care of His gift, your health.
If you love your family, take care of your health so you won't burden your loved ones.
If you love yourself, take care of your health so you won't be in pain.
If you love the things you do, take care of your health so you can maximize the activities that are worth your time.
If you want to enjoy life, take care of your health, your greatest wealth.