"The greatest wealth is health." - Virgil
Many times it's not until one is experiencing disease or struggling with mental health that one appreciates good health. It feels good to have energy throughout the day and to sleep well at night, which are things that result from healthy habits. Thankfully, northern New Jersey has a plethora of things available for staying healthy, such as amazing hiking trails (see "Susannah's Favorite" below) as well as access to food from local farms and medical care from excellent hospitals. With all of these things available to us, there's 3 things worth focusing on every day as they are the most impactful things on our health.
1. What We Eat. What we consume we become, literally. Your body is constantly breaking down old cells to make new cells, and the materials your body uses to make new cells comes from what you eat. The Boonton Farmers Market has a wide variety of excellent, affordable produce every Saturday morning and early afternoon until November. It's so affordable that it's worth buying extra produce now and making a soup which you can freeze to eat in winter. Additionally, drinking plenty of water is important. To calculate how much water you should drink, take your body weight and divide it in half. That number is the number of ounces you should drink, so someone who weighs 150 lbs should drink 75 ounces of water daily. It's best not to drink too much water, as doing so can strain your Kidney Qi.
2. Exercise. Our bodies are designed to move, yet our society is designed for sitting. If you sit a lot because of your job, get up every 30 minutes and either take a quick lap around your office or home or do some squats and stretches. Rather than binge watch a show, take a walk around your neighborhood. Not only does movement keep us strong but it helps resolve joint stiffness and muscle aches. If pain is interfering with you ability to exercise, acupuncture can resolve that pain so you can get moving sooner than later.
3. Healthy Mental Processing. Mental health should be worked on daily regardless of whether or not one is struggling mentally. There are times when speaking with a mental health professional on a regular basis is necessary, but then there are other times when daily meditation and breathing can be enough for maintaining balanced mental health. Acupuncture is also an excellent tool for improving mental health.