Healthy living is the way to achieve and maintain a high quality life.  Health is a unity of body and mind and spirit. Healthy living is about participating in activities and behaviors that encourage good physical health and positive mental health.

• Physical health is usually the first thing we think of when healthy living is the topic. A healthy body allows us to enjoy life. If we do not feel strong and vibrant, we cannot live as healthy human beings. Some ingredients needed for healthy living include nutritious  food, exercise, fresh air, clean water, protection from disease, mental stimulation, access to good medical care and so much more.

Good food and proper exercise are certainly the first requirements.  Eating foods that contain the nutrients our bodies need and keeping our bodies in superior physical condition through adequate and regular exercise are the most basic requirements for enjoying healthy living.  In an ideal world, everyone, from the moment they were born would be blessed with these opportunities.

While many people in the world are not so blessed, even those of us who are, misuse our bodies by eating junk food or eating to excess, we smoke and indulge in coach potato habits.  Most of us know better, but seem unwilling to change.

Obesity, lack of physical fitness, air pollution,  poor water quality, polluted streams, rivers and oceans, poisonous sprays – the list is endless that leads to disease of body and mind. Medical science has proven that all of this contributes to a long list of diseases that are chronic. That means they don’t go away – at least not permanently and each recurring incident takes another chunk of time out of a healthy life.

• Healthy living also involves the mind. Exercising our minds by reading, learning, and staying curious about our world has much the same effect as exercising our bodies. It is essential that we use our minds every minute of the day stretching them to learn more and remember more each day as this will keep the mind active and useful for a lifetime.

• Last but not least, feeding our spirit  is as important as feeding our bodies. An unfulfilled spirit affects the mind and in turn the mind affects how we care for our body. Therefore, to engage in truly healthy living all the elements must work in harmony – body – mind – spirit.  When one part is left out the whole suffers. Like dominoes or a house of cards each part builds on the others and each is essential to total healthy living.