My Health in 2009

I've always leaned toward healthy choices, even when I was in my early teens. I took up weights, running, stretching. But it wasn't until recently that I began to take my diet seriously, even though I've heard for years that eating healthy can improve anxiety and depression, two difficult disorders I've suffered through for over a decade.

In 2009 I have learned much about diet, and have added to my knowledge a bit more about exercise. It's been a watershed year for me. Through diet I'm learning that old age doesn't have to be a regret, but a new lease on life (an idea completely different than the one I grew up with). I'm not yet old, not even close, but I've made a conscious decision to care for my body today, so that I'll stay younger tomorrow.

What I have learned:

• Yoga

I have had back problems since I was sixteen. Nothing so dire as a hernia or scoliosis, but I have had my fair share of minor sciatica, muscle pain, and lower back spasms. Late In November of 2008 I had my worst bout of sciatica.

I got on the web and did research that led me to the Cobra Pose, a yoga exercise claimed to help back pain. And it did. After a few days of doing the Cobra Pose my pinched nerve was gone and my back felt great. But it wasn't until March of 2009 that I took the time to research yoga thoroughly.

What I found hooked me on yoga for good. Yoga benefits my back, joints, muscles, bones, balance, and strengthens my concentration. I practice yoga daily, for ten to thirty minutes or more, and now I rarely feel the twinges in my knees or feet that had been a constant companion.

• Vitamins and Herbs

My interest in natural cures and preventative medicine has steadily grown in 2009 with my interest in Chinese culture, which in turn has grown with my study of Taoism. I have come slowly to believe in the benefits of vitamins and herbs, and that the right ones can have a profound effect on the human body.

I have been taking 1,000 mg of Vitamin C daily and I have seen a slight increase in energy, but a great increase in my immune system. I simply don't get sick as long as others, even when we share the same illness.

I'm also a big fan of cinnamon. Cinnamon is a natural food preservative and can help reduce and even prevent arthritis. Not only that, but it's the best substitute for sugar, especially when most no-calorie sweeteners, or artificial sweeteners, have shown to cause more harm than good.

Tea is my favorite drink. Zero calories, mega doses of antioxidants, and a natural flavor I enjoy even without honey or Real lemon juice. Tea is quick and easy to brew and the health benefits are outstanding.

Most vitamins and herbs contain antioxidants that prevent cancer from forming in our bodies. These antioxidants can also help fight short-term illnesses. They can extend the quality of life, and are a great substitute for the salt and sugar we use like drugs.

• Calorie Restriction

Calorie Restriction is my best discovery of 2009. CR is at least an epiphany, and possibly a life saver. The health benefits of reducing the amount of calories the body thinks it needs, to a level that it can still cope with, are outstanding.

When taking in less than your body is used to, very important changes occur at the genetic level. These changes are vital to increase lifespan and quality of aging. Cells in the human body, when put on a CR diet, are forced to deal with the fewer calories (less energy) by becoming ultra efficient. Our bodies spend the same amount of energy as before, but with fewer calories to do so.

CR is like a new business manager that comes in to clean up the workplace. This gunslinger will take out the water cooler, board up the windows, and fire the laziest employees, but once everyone begins to show signs of productivity (when the business is once again making money), he'll treat them to more benefits than before, benefits that motivate each employee to work even harder.

Once our bodies begin to adapt, the benefits of CR are instantaneous. I don't have to wait for "just an extra year or two of life at the end." That's the best part about it: you feel better today by cutting back just five, ten, or twenty percent of the amount of food you used to eat.

I feel healthier, less tired, and more active. But the biggest enjoyment I have received is a new appreciation for food. Food that I had once eaten mindlessly, one bite after another. I now take the time to savor my meal, eating slowly and respecting food's place in my life. It's a wonderful feeling, one I now realize is as old as our species, but something many humans take for granted.

• Putting it all together

Daily yoga takes discipline, and CR takes self control. Self control and discipline I don't always have. Through trial and error and setbacks I have learned one of the most important "health" lessons of the year. That moderation is the key to any healthy lifestyle.

There is no magic bullet that can instantly elongate life, or make us perfectly healthy immediately. There is no such thing as "perfect" anything when talking about health. We are not only all different, but as individuals, our bodies perform differently each day depending on many factors.

Sometimes it's better to rely on how we feel than on any specific scientific method as our bodies and moods change day to day, because "overall consistency" gains the best results. You can't be perfect on a daily basis, but over a week, a month, or a year you can change your life.