Live Well

Living well is taking positive steps to maximize your chances of living a long and healthy life.

Everybody can take steps to reduce chances of developing chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, stress, organ failure, and more.

By making just a few small but important lifestyle changes, your health and well being will be greatly improved.  Longevity is the key for all of us.

Living well encompasses several things.  The first involves taking time to appreciate the cultural richness around us and to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships.  Healthy cultural interactions are less about visiting a museum and more tuned to taking part in a neighbourhood group or joining a hobby club.  Social isolation is a major health risk for those who live in a culture that is increasingly individual.

A cornerstone of living well is diet.  Food is a fundamental part of our traditional and social celebrations.  Now, we have a virtually unlimited range of foods to choose from, and they are available without the requirement of knowing how to cook.  Choosing wisely from what is offered is a major factor in living well.

Underlying every concept of a living well diet is fresh foods.  The preservatives used in canning and freezing foods are things the human body just doesn’t need.  The added salt and sugar and other flavour enhancers used in prepared and preserved foods are a weight gain waiting to happen.  The nutritional content of preserved food is a fraction of its fresh counterpart.

Exercise, especially involving the large motor groups surrounding the trunk and lower body, raises metabolic levels and burns calories.  It also releases chemicals that promote well being and good sleep, not to mention appetite.  This exercise by-product must be monitored carefully.  Basically, when keeping your caloric intake at the same level, exercise will burn calories, increase metabolism, replace fat cells with muscle and promote well being. The basics of living well are to enjoy food, exercise and companionship in equal amounts.