Your body

Taking care of your physical wellbeing is integral to feeling good and living a happy and healthy life. Eating nutritious foods is one great way to care for your body. Enjoying plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrain breads and cereals, some soy or low fat dairy as well as a variety of nuts and seeds will certainly help with keeping your body in tip-top condition. When choosing foods for your body, be mindful that the choices you make can also affect the environment. Focus on plant foods for protein, choose organic where possible and pick items that have minimal or recyclable packaging.

Physical activity, of course, is also very important when talking about the body and we have some information on exercise for relaxation and stress management in our Activate section. Caring for your body can also include exfoliating your skin, having a massage or hydrotherapy.

And remember, when it comes to your body, prevention is better than cure. It’s about mutual respect, take care of your body and in turn it will take care of you. Author, Trevor Romain sums up this concept by asking: If you don’t take care of your body – where are you going to live?

Your mind

In recent years there has been more attention given to the health of the mind. Your mind includes your thoughts and what you tell yourself with ‘self talk’. The health of your mind is much more than the absence of mental illness. Caring for your mind also includes being optimistic! The findings presented at this year’s Happiness Conference indicate that people who are optimistic are more likely to be happy. And optimism isn’t necessarily about being unrealistic – it’s about planning for the worst, but hoping for the best.

Research published in the Journal of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback shows that by being aware of your breathing and slowing down your rate to between seven and nine breaths per minute you can help rejuvenate your mind and help with stress and depression.

Your heart

Your heart is the centre of emotion. It is also the part of you that expresses love and compassion for others. You have the potential to make a real and lasting difference to your community by supporting and caring for others. You can support your community by buying food locally from growers in your area or you can grow your own and share with neighbours and friends.

Researchers from the US, who presented at the Happiness Conference, found that engaging in community service or volunteering can improve self-esteem, improve sense of contentment and generally make us feel good. 

Physically, your heart is the life of your body and caring for your heart includes enjoying a healthy diet and limiting saturated fat found in foods like cakes, pastries, processed snack foods, butter and meat and engaging in moderate to high intensity activity.

Your spirit

Optimal health includes a spiritual awareness. Being spiritual can include having a religious faith, or it may be the relationship you have with yourself, your community or your world. When trying to apply this in terms of food, it can be as simple as recognising that the food you eat nourishes you and choosing foods that are going to help your body flourish is the best way of respecting the gift of life you have been given. It may also include taking a moment before each meal to be grateful for it.

Ensuring that your spirit is in good health is also about having a clear purpose in life and being passionate about it. It’s about doing what you love. We’ve got more information on nourishing your spirit in our Fascinating Health Facts Section.

When you care for your body physically, your mind is active, you contribute to your community and have a spiritual connection and a purpose in life – you place yourself in a wonderful position to experience genuine ‘wholistic’ health and happiness.

We’ve given you some information that can help you care for your whole self, but there may be times when you need some help from a health care provider. If you choose an alternative health care path e.g. naturopathy or acupuncture, here are some quick things you should check before you book your visit:

• What is the level of the practitioners training? (Ideally, they should have a University degree or a qualification from a reputable college)
• How many years have they been practising?
• Can they provide you with scientific information to show the therapy is effective?
• Are there any adverse effects of the therapy?
• What is their fee? (the price for alternative therapies can vary significantly – it’s best to know up front what it’s going to cost)

It’s good to get all the information before you make an appointment so you can make an informed decision about whether you’re comfortable with undertaking the therapy.