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Holistic Lifestyle

Taking an holistic approach to anything basically means looking at the bigger picture, or the 'whole' picture i.e. whole-istic.

At Phoenix Health and Fitness, a holistic approach means addressing the following areas with a client:

1. Thoughts/Attitude

We encourage clients to think positive and be in a positive state of mind as often as possible. Think negatively and you're helping to cultivate poor health.

However, if you do your best to live life with a 'the glass is half full' attitude, you'll create an outlook that's generally positive, happy, attractive and also healthy.
Thoughts have been shown to be more effective in treating diseases than medication in many instances i.e. the Placebo Effect.

All achievements in life start with a thought, so if you desire improved health, appearance and lifestyle, the best way of achieving it is thinking about it, visualising it and focussing on it – relentlessly.

You may also find it useful to use daily positive affirmation statements based on your goals. This involves making an affirmation (verbally or in your mind) in the present tense that you've already achieved your goal

We always recommend clients address any mental/emotional blocks they may have to success and reaching their goals. These can interfere with your commitment to a training routine.

2. Breath

Good health starts with good breathing. You can't do much without oxygen, and if you aren't
breathing diaphragmatically (i.e. into your belly), you aren't filling the lungs (and body) to capacity with the oxygen it needs.

Breathe more deeply as a general rule and you'll energise yourself, keep yourself more relaxed during stressful times and enjoy better health in the long-term.
Breathing is fundamental to health. Today, many people have faulty breathing mechanics caused by food intolerances, trauma to the face or thorax and mental or emotional stress. Some experts believe that 75% of all disease involves a breathing dysfunction.

Practices like Yoga and Tai Chi are also excellent techniques for learning how to breathe well.

3. Hydration

Every cell in the human body requires water to perform its essential functions. Today, many people are dehydrated all the time.

Drink water and plenty of it. Avoid teas (excluding herbal tea), coffee, fruit juices and alcohol as they will actually help dehydrate you. Drink least half your bodyweight (in pounds) in ounces of water per day (bodyweight in KG x 0.033 = minimum quantity of water to drink in litres per day). If you are exercising on a regular basis then it's wise to add an extra litre to your daily intake. More water is required before, during and after exercise and during warm weather.

Drink good quality bottled water (e.g. Evian or Vittel are recommended due to their mineral content), and use GLASS bottles instead of plastic ones to avoid ingesting chemicals found in plastic.

Avoid drinking from taps and water fountains as much as possible. They are unfiltered and full of chemicals such as chlorine, floruide, other toxins used to kill bacteria, heavy metals and drug residues.
Buying a whole house water filter is an excellent idea. See the Resources section for info on where to buy one.

4. Nutrition

Avoid processed foods and drinks as much as possible. White processed dairy, grains, salt and sugars are poisons to the body.

If you want to enjoy the best of health then you need to make sure you eat the best food, and that means LOCALLY grown, organic food, which is better for you. It contains loads more nutrients than commercial produce and NONE of the additives, pesticides, herbicides, steroids, growth hormones or chemicals, so they don't get into your body and put your health at risk.

Eating right for your metabolic type is also fundamental. By answering a questionnaire you ascertain what type of metabolism you have and tailor your intake of protein, carbohydrate and fat to meet you unique, individual requirement. See www.metabolictyping.co.uk for details.

5. Rest/Recovery/Relaxation

Basically, there's both 'good' and 'bad' stress. We all need a little stress in our lives in order to keep us motivated, progressing and hopefully, moving forward.
However, overload yourself with too much and you'll be ill. Too much or too little exercise, too many late nights, too much alcohol and junk food, too much work and not enough rest will eventually add up and take their toll. Do this for long enough and you'll take years off your life.

To help your body detoxify and maintain optimum health, you need around 8 hours of quality sleep daily. Aim to be asleep by 10.30pm as often as possible. From 10pm-2am your body carries out a lot of physical repair. From 2am to 6am it's mental repair.

Build in some daily 'me' time where you can chill out, relax or meditate
i.e. 30-minutes of daytime walking in nature or at least natural light.
Restorative practices like Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong help to replace the energy you expend from work and exercise.

Even the best training programme in the world will do you no good if you don't rest enough to recover from it.

6. Exercise

Here we're concerned with our clients doing the right amount of exercise and the right kind of exercise for them.

Too little exercise and you won't benefit your health or body. Your body was designed to move, so move it. Use your muscle or lose it, and the same applies to your body's health. Even a daily walk is better than nothing at all, and even housework counts as movement.

Too much exercise (especially if it's too intense or difficult for you) and you risk injuring yourself. Worse still, you'll overtrain and make yourself ill, perhaps with a virus that could stop you training for months.

Can't face a gym or health club? Then consider training at home. With right kind of equipment and a little space, you could create a home gym for around L200. That's enough to cultivate general health and fitness. Or how about starting a sport purely for enjoyment rather than competition?