I know that we are well into the new year as I write this! but, better late than never right?
I think for once the entire world is in agreement that 2020 was one heck of a year! From school closures to losses, lockdowns, lockouts you name it, we saw it. I honestly don’t think the world has every been so elated to usher in a new year. But, despite its bumps and bruises, 2020 taught us alot – it sure did me! I want to share with you 3 thinks I took away from the year and hopefully encourage you to keep on journeying towards wholeness.
1) LESS IS MORE
I always considered myself a pretty simple girl, but 2020 really challenged my ‘so called’ simplicity. It is when the world stopped that I realized that half the things I thought I needed, I didn’t actually need at all! I learnt that I could certainly get by with much less.
The same is true with our health. Sometimes, we work so hard to find the perfect diet, get into the hottest gym and buy the latest weight loss supplements, but in reality, less is more. A simple diet, of whole, natural, plant based food will get you much further in your health than all the diets/memberships you can fit under your belt.
Use this principle when shopping, cooking and eating out – the simpler and less processed the food is, the better it is for you.
2) Immunity is king
Back when I was studying nutrition, this one concept blew me away and I am still attempting to gather my breath. It says ‘Disease only affects a compromised immune system.’
Disease only affects a compromised immune system
This basically means that if you maintain a healthy immune system you are 90% of the way to eradicating disease. In my humble opinion, this explains why some Covid 19 patients are asymptomatic while others end up in ICU.
Your immune system is the watchman at your bodies gate. It determines what goes in and what is kicked out. When your immunity is in great shape, no toxins, bacteria or virus can significantly affect you. However when your immunity is battered, it is an open gate for any disease to stop by.
Some simple hacks to keep you immunity in check
- Hydrate, hydrate and re-hydrate ( with clean water). Apart from your body being about 70% water, water is also very important for cleaning and helping your body flush out toxins. How much you should drink varies for everyone, but aim to drink water to the point that your urine is nearly clear and has a very light smell!
- Get friendly with vitamin rich food i.e. fruits and vegetables. The greater amount and variety of these you consume, the better for you.
- Herbs and Spices are nutritional powerhouses! They maybe be little and used in small amounts, but most contain incredible amounts of antioxidants. Think: garlic, chilli, ginger, turmeric, oregano, basil and others. If your adventurous, go on an add a spoonful of moringa powder.
3) Stress is the enemy!
Stress is the silent enemy in everyone’s body and in every home. We actually don’t often realize the number it does on us. See, the issue with stress is that it places your body in a constant flight/fight mode (were you awake in bio class?). This basically means that when your stressed your body shuts down some of its necessary processes to help fight the unseen enemy. That’s why when you super stressed, your period disappears, your face breaks out, you get a lot of headaches and a bunch of other unpleasant symptoms.
All this is why stress is the basic cause of more than 60 percent of all human illness and disease.
Read more here
That said, we could all use a few tips and tricks to manage stress better, here are a few you can play around with and see how they can work for you.
- Belief in Gods power and sovereignty- nothing calms me down like the reminder that ‘God is in control’ . He is always working things together for the good even when they seem terrible.
- Silence – We live in such a noisy, distracted world, we rarely get a moment for silence. Sit still, be quiet and breathe deeply and you will always find life a little better after this.
- Friendships – Nothing like a good ol’ friend to pour your heart and laugh with!
- Exercise – Move your body in the way you enjoy most and just do it for the sake of it. You will always feel better after it.
And with that, I want to wish you a truly wonderful 2021.
and yes, and amen.
