This is the tenth article in a series from the book titled Get The MOST From Yourself, by Terry Kibiloski, copyright 1996.

The human system is similar to the personal computer system, with three major parts - the body (hardware), the mind (software), and the spirit, or soul, (user).

To maintain the human system it's important to understand:

• Body specialists (doctors) help maintain our human body.
• Mind specialists (psychologists) help maintain our human mind.
• Spirit, or soul, specialists (priests, ministers, rabbis, etc.) teach us how to effectively use our body and mind. The ideal teacher is the Creator of our body and mind.

If you can understand the similarity between the computer system and the human system, you are on your way to getting the MOST from yourself. Let's now look at some important principles.

• As the computer operator uses the hardware and software to have a computing experience, our spirit uses the body and mind to have a human experience
• Our overall health depends upon a harmonious relationship between our body, mind and spirit
• Our human system seeks harmony and ease, not dis-ease
• We are spirits having a human experience.

Last month, we summarized many of the key principles of this series and suggested you take a few minutes to write down those things you would like to change in your life. We asked you to separate them by body, mind, and spirit and to label these three areas

• My Priorities - Body
• My Priorities - Mind
• My Priorities - Spirit.

We then asked you to prioritize your desired changes. This month, we focus on making those changes to your body.

As we pointed out earlier in this series, the five essential elements our body needs for good health are quality air, pure water, natural food, exercise, and rest. Now, we'll give you a few tips for each area:

A good quantity of "fresh" air is essential to give the body the life giving oxygen it needs.

• Sleep with a window open (even an inch or so) to allow fresh air to replace the toxins and carbon dioxide you exhale during the night.
• Take a daily walk where there are trees and fresh air. Early morning is best.

A good quantity of water is required each day to flush out germs and impurities from your human system.

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to add water to your diet.
• Drink a glass of water when you awaken, fifteen minutes before each meal, and just before sleeping.
• Consider installing a simple water filter, or using bottled water, if your water supply is less than pure, or if you can taste chlorine in your water.
• Use the color of your urine to help you determine if you are drinking enough water. While living in England, an old gentlemen shared a helpful little rhyme with me, "If your pee is yellow, you're not drinking enough water fellow."

The body is like a fuel-burning engine. If you give it poor fuel (junk food), it will become sluggish and eventually break down. If you give it high-octane fuel (natural foods), it will give you many years of excellent performance.

• Eat as much "living" food as possible - this is food made by nature (fresh fruits and vegetables).
• Avoid packaged and fast foods as much as possible.
• Read the ingredients on packages, and avoid foods that are full of chemicals.
• Place yourself on a low fat, low salt, low cholesterol diet while your are healthy, to maintain your good health for many years to come. If you are already experiencing poor health, it is critical you begin eating healthy food immediately to give your body the fuel it needs in the healing process.

The value of exercise is summed up in the old saying, "use it or lose it."

• Do aerobic activity (walking, running, swimming, cycling, etc.) for at least 20 minutes, three times a week.
• Avoid elevators, take the stairs.
• Park a block away from your destination, and walk the remainder of the way.
• Go for a walk on your lunch hour.
• Play outside with your kids.
• Consider doing a different activity each day if doing the same type of exercise tends to be boring to you.

Proper rest is essential to give your body time to heal and reenergize itself. It is similar to a pit stop in a road race. While the body is at rest, the various cells go to work to repair and strengthen the body.

• Stretch all your muscles before laying down for a nap or for the night. Cats, and other animals, naturally stretch before they sleep.
• Use relaxed breathing to slow down your system. Try to inhale for the same number of counts you exhale. This can slow down your heart rate and lower your blood pressure.
• Establish a bedtime routine to help you go to sleep quickly.
• Use a relaxation routine to methodically relax every major muscle group in your body as you are falling asleep. First, relax the legs from the toes to the buttocks. Then, relax the arms from the fingertips to the shoulders. Continue with the head from the top of the head to the neck muscles. Finally, relax the upper and lower back, the chest and the abdomen.

I'm sure you can think of many more ideas in each area. The important thing is to take control of your body and give it what it needs to be healthy. Life is not a rehearsal. Make every moment count.

Much more next month.

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