John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

The principles of healthy living are relatively simple. Sometimes we do not achieve our health goals because we overcomplicate things and tend to think that the mountain is too big to climb.

When making health goals, the first step is to make goals achievable. All of us have arrived in 2012 with our individual health history. We need to be brave and recognise there are some things we cannot change, but to focus on things we can influence.

You may be fortunate and have started the year in great health. If that is you, then your goal should be to protect your health and to make sure your key body defence systems are working well. For you, this will probably mean having a good diet, getting plenty of appropriate exercise and a simple maintenance supplement programme.

I would place special emphasis on your immune system and antioxidant defences as these are the main ways our body defends against external and internal threats.

Most will have some health issues; some will be serious and others just annoying. I write this with a sore and stiff back after a holiday lower back injury and my goal is to get everything working again through my back 'doctor”, specific exercise and anti-inflammatory supplements. Your problem, like mine, may be temporary or you may be battling a long term chronic problem whether that is arthritis, cardiovascular problems, respiratory problems, diabetes or other problems such as fatigue or weight gain. If you have health problems, it is important you get good information about your problem from your doctor or other health professional.

Sometimes people do not achieve their health goals because they do not know where to start. When I create a health plan for people we will usually start with a discussion about your health history, including family history. From there we take into consideration any medical diagnosis and treatment. The first place to start is making sure your diet and exercise are appropriate for your age, weight and health. To this we then add a nutritional support programme using supplements which can target problem areas. For example, if you have osteoarthritis we should add nutrients that can slow the disease process, lower joint inflammation and improve joint tissue function.

Whatever your circumstances, most people can get real improvements if they work to a programme. Let's start 2012 with positive health goals so that you can improve your health and live life to the full. If you would like further information please phone me or visit www.johnarts.co.nz or www.abundant.co.nz
John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. To contact John phone 07 578 9051 or 0800 423 559. To read more go to www.sunlive.co.nz