Contributed by Nicholas Pediaditakis, MD, DLFAPA
We have car care, house care, job care. They are all schedules and we leave reminders to attend to certain tasks for the needs of the car, house, job and so forth. Yet, most of us do not have a program of personal care; a dedicated, scheduled program in place for attending to the maintenance and care of our own person.
As modern science has discovered, humans were made to be active, restless, on-the-go creatures. Such make-up was suitable back in the wilderness from which we came — for running in search of food, or away from animals, or chasing animals to kill and eat. Well, we still have that same make-up!
Back then, we were made to eat a lot of greens, tubers, and — occasionally — a cooked animal. Our body was made that way, for that diet. It still is; and yet, our circumstances and life at the present time does not require us to be on the run, or for us to be active.
Furthermore, as there is nowadays plenty of food available, we tend to eat it — and then eat some more. Because, along with other ancient characteristics, our body wants to eat more — even gorge — when food is available, since in that early time, food was very scarce.
No longer. We have food aplenty. So, our body make-up, personal needs for health and sense of well being, are grossly mismatched with current realities; we wind up sitting around for hours and then we get up and eat. A little later, we again get up and eat some more.
The fast food industry knows how to make food delicious with fine smells — and fatty. We get cobweb-y and overweight, with high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart attacks and diabetes 2. That is when the need of a program for personal care comes in — a program that has to be a set routine and be kept, day-in and day-out, so we can be healthy and happy of being alive.
Each one of us should set up an exercise program for a half an hour, day-in and day-out, no matter what.
The same goes for our eating habits. That is very simple: eat three times a day, eat sitting down, eat very slowly, eat only what you put in front of you, and always eat plenty of greens — boiled greens, raw greens — and fruits. Eating slowly is the most difficult part. Most of us gulp food like a wolf at the end of a long chase over a caught deer!
One more thing; try to have additional activities like a hobby on the side.
That’s all. It is so simple. Humans have plenty of intelligence. All of us; we should use it! You’ll save yourself from grief, and wilting spirit.
Happy New Year!
Copyright © 2015-16 by Nicholas Pediaditakis, MD
