Oxygen, water and sunlight are the most basic life-giving elements on Earth. Without them we have no existence here, but our current lifestyles being so hectic, we seem to take it all for granted and not much thought goes into the fact that we need these elements daily to survive properly.
Oxygen
Getting enough is vital, but alas, we have become shallow breathers and many more of us than you realize don’t get enough oxygen. How, you say? You need to move your body. There are a certain percentage of people that will go to the gym regularly or do cardio workouts and then you have people who dance etc. For those of you already doing that, my hats off to you. But we all need oxygen for all the cells in our bodies to be healthy. The best way to do that is to move our bodies around and breath deeply. Most exercise classes will get you there. It does not matter if you do weights, yoga, running or walking. Get yourself moving and breathing.
You can also do breathing exercises while sitting or lying down. Get yourself comfortable and slowly breath in through your nose and then slowly release from your mouth. Do this several times. Take a break for a few minutes and do it again several more times. I did this while I was on an airplane and was amazed at how much better I felt. I’ve done this ever since. It works great!
Water
Our bodies are 70% water and we extract water from what we eat and drink. No doubt you’ve heard that you should drink eight glasses of water per day. This is true although some people may need even more than that. Water is what hydrates you. Drinks like coffee, sodas and alcohol will dehydrate you. Not to say that you should never drink them, but if you do, then drink extra water to make up for it.
How do you know if you are dehydrated? Here are some tips:
1) If you push your finger down on your skin and it does not pop back up immediately but feels a bit mushy and comes back slower, then you are dehydrated.
2) If your urine is dark yellow and has an odor, then you are dehydrated. Urine should be fairly clear and odor free. Note: there are foods such as asparagus or b-vitamins that will give your urine a dark color but that is natural and nothing to worry about.
3) If you are fatigued, your skin is flushed or your lips or mouth is dry then you may be dehydrated.
Having trouble drinking enough water? Read this guide to upping your intake.
Sunlight
Sunlight is another element that we need to survive. We get lots of warnings that we need to protect ourselves from the sun and to use sunscreen and stay indoors as much as possible. There is some merit to that, but we get vitamin D directly from the sun and you only need about 15 to 20 minutes to get that. Plus if you are like me, a few days of non-stop rain can be very depressing. As soon as the sun comes up, my spirits rise dramatically. Enjoying the sunshine can give you that boost, lift your spirits and make you feel better. Relaxing in the sun, a great way to de-stress.
In short, drink water, breath deeply and get some sun (in moderation)! You’ll feel better!
Sonia’s Top Tip
Fitat60 have built a 12-Week program to help you establish healthy habits around these basic life-giving elements. Whoever said “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” never understood how the mind works? It takes the human mind 8-12 weeks to form a habit, no matter what your age.