Do you long to jump out of bed in the morning, energized and ready to exercise? But the new day finds you tired, yet again?

Perhaps you want to feel calm, grounded, and in balance. But instead, you feel stressed out and like a failure.

You imagine how nice it would be to spend a weekend on the sofa, quietly reading the new novel by your favorite author. But do you feel you can’t, since there are just so many things you need to do?

Maybe your friend, who wants to buy a new outfit, has asked you to be her shopping advisor. Your boss expects you to have the project outline ready by Monday. Your mother-in-law complains because you and your husband did not invite her last weekend for lunch. Your to-do list goes on and on – and come Sunday evening you often find yourself exhausted. Does the thought of another stressful working week make you cringe?

So how can you improve your well-being? How can you enjoy boundless energy and radiant health?

Let me show you how.

Imagine you are a bird photographer …

To pack light, you decided to leave your heavy tripod at home. After a long wait at the riverbank, you finally spot the Kingfisher. You quickly press the shutter. Ah, the image is blurred. And the shy bird gone.

Next weekend, you take your monopod for added stability. You catch some nice images of the Kingfisher sitting on a branch. But you still don’t get the dramatic shots of the bird in mid-air you were after.

So, the third time, you pack a sturdy tripod. You carefully position all three legs to create a rock-solid base. Click … You catch the Kingfisher as it dives into the river, snatching its prey. Yesss! The perfect shot! Even though it meant more work, relying on the stability of the tripod’s three legs has more than paid off. To become and stay truly healthy and full of energy, you also need a rock-solid three-legged base. If one leg is wobbly or missing, you will not succeed. But if all three are firmly in place, they support and further strengthen each other to form a stable foundation.

The three “legs” for lasting radiant health are: 

Let’s take a look at why each of them is so important and how you can include them in your life step by step.

Step 1: A Nourishing Diet

The way we eat has an enormous impact on how we feel (and look), so a truly nourishing diet is crucial in building a healthy lifestyle. What happens if you fill the wrong kind of gasoline into your car? Or even worse, if you run it on poor quality gasoline? Right. At best, your car does not perform the way it was designed. At worst, it damages the engine.

The same happens if you run your body on poor quality nutrition or on a diet it is not designed for. It becomes sluggish until it cannot function properly at all. A wholesome diet provides premium “gasoline” and helps your body perform at its best.

A well-balanced, nutritious diet is:

A predominantly raw vegan diet is an excellent diet choice, meeting all requirements listed above. But you don’t need to switch your diet completely. To nourish your body more, start with implementing some easy changes right away.

EASY ACTION STEP:

Incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables instantly improves your well-being. Try not to stress yourself out about planning elaborate meals. For now, include a fresh green salad with your lunch and/or dinner (and reduce the size of your cooked main meal). Or add a colorful fresh fruit salad to your breakfast table.

Step 2: Regular Physical Activity

A nutritious diet is without a doubt essential for maintaining a healthy body. But improving nutrition alone is not enough to create a rock-solid base for vibrant, lasting health. Let’s think about our initial story. A monopod offers greater stability than taking photos freehand, but it is not as solid a platform as a three-legged tripod. You are still missing the other two legs.

The same is true when you have a wholesome diet in place, but the rest of your lifestyle does not support your health. Incorporating regular exercise is the second step in your health-building project. Our bodies were made to move, not for the sedentary lifestyle many of us lead in this modern age.

Here are some of the reasons why regular exercise is so important:

EASY ACTION STEP:

Start small. Go for a 10-min walk in the morning or evening – and try to stick with it for a couple of weeks. This way you will create a routine. You can then increase the duration of your walk. Moderately exercising for 30 minutes around 5 times a week will improve your health and mental well-being.



Step 3: Sufficient Rest and Stress Reduction

A wholesome diet and regular physical activity are indispensable for your well-being. But you also need to have the third leg of our tripod in place to build a solid foundation for lasting radiant health. That third step is to firmly anchor sufficient rest and stress reduction into your life.

Let’s go back to our car analogy. Using premium quality gasoline is great, but if you continuously run your car at a high speed, the engine is under enormous stress. Over time you will damage your engine. In the same way, “having too much on your plate” and no time to recharge takes its toll on your health.

Activity needs to be counterbalanced with “inactivity” or rest/relaxation time. Our hectic modern lifestyle and the demands of the fast-paced world we live in, put a huge burden on our bodies.

Here are some of the effects of too much stress. It

A nourishing diet and regular exercise help your body manage the negative impacts of stress. But there are limits to how much stress your body can deal with. That is why de-stressing your life will help prevent overburdening your bodily systems. Reducing stress helps your body and mind remain healthy and in balance. 

“Yes, but how can I slow down the pace?” you might ask. “I simply have so many things that need to be done.” Don’t despair! De-stressing is not about how much leisure time you have, but rather about changing your attitude.

Let me give you some ideas on how to incorporate relaxation and stress reduction into your daily life.

Learn to say “No”

Your family and friends are important, but so is your health. So, setting some boundaries is essential. At first, it might be difficult because the people around you are so used to you doing whatever is asked of you. But after a while, everyone will be fine with knowing that just like them, you also need some time and space to yourself.

So suggest to your friend who always counts on you to be her shopping advisor, to ask someone else this time, this way she can benefit from a different opinion. Politely but firmly tell your boss it is simply impossible to have the project outline ready by Monday. He probably does not even know how much work it means, so you need to explain to him what a realistic time frame would be.

And explain to your mother-in-law in a friendly way that you have a very stressful job and need some Sundays to yourself to rest and recover (whithout her coming over for lunch). You can suggest she joins a local community group that organizes interesting cultural activities. Even if she is initially upset about your proposal, she might follow your advice and end up enjoying herself and making new friends. This way, the Sunday lunches you do spend together will be much more relaxed because it is not a weekly obligation anymore.

Treat yourself to more “me-time.”

Everyone needs some time to oneself to recharge and wind down. Schedule these time-slots like any other activity in your calendar. If you have a family, then explain to your husband and children those daily 30 minutes are a time which you do need for yourself. It is your sacred “me-time”.

At first, your family might still expect you to be available for them anytime. But if you are consistent it will not take long until they accept the new “house rule”. You can use your “me-time” to meditate, do some yoga, take a relaxing bath or just flip through some magazine pages. The important thing is that those 30 mins entirely belong to you.

We all know how important good quality sleep is, and how we feel when we don’t get it. How much sleep a person needs, depends on the individual and also on their age. Some people are fine with 6 hours, some need 8 or even 9 hours of rest.

And then there are those rare persons for whom only 4 hours of sleep is enough. Like Napoleon or Margret Thatcher (lucky them!) Regardless of what number it is for you, the important thing is that you feel well rested and fully energized in the morning.

But aside from for how many you close your eyes at night, the quality of your sleep is also crucial. Sticking to a similar sleep schedule each night and practicing a relaxing night-time ritual away from bright lights and stressful activities can greatly help. As will a good mattress and pillow.

EASY ACTION STEP:

Is your life is so packed with things that you have to do that you don’t know how you could possibly create some time for relaxation? Start with a mini “me-time” of just 10 min a day. Doing yoga, tai-chi or stretching first thing in the morning, even for a short time, is a wonderful way to de-stress the body and set the tone for the day.

It does not have to be an hour-long practice. A daily mini session of just a few minutes will get you into the habit. And once you feel the benefits, you will not want to miss your relaxation time anymore and probably do longer sessions of yoga, tai-chi or stretching.

Everything starts with the first step

Please don’t feel overwhelmed, or think you have to change your diet completely, engage in long sessions of physical activity and incorporate a daily relaxation practice! Gradually and without adding further stress, try to include the three “legs of the tripod” in your daily life. Remember: every small step counts.

Start at a level, which you can handle with ease. Re-read the three “Easy Action Steps” and set your intention on doing something for your health every day – no matter how small. This way you will not only establish new wholesome routines, but also create a new relationship with your body. A relationship built on care and support. And as a welcome side benefit, your energy levels will soar and you’ll find yourself feeling calm and balanced.

Sounds good? Then let’s start today!

P.S.: What’s YOUR first step going to be? Please share it in the comment section.