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How to be kind to yourself

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We sometimes think that taking care of our physical body only involves the physical, forgetting that we are more than just flesh and blood.  We are also mind and soul.  To be well in the truest sense of the word, creating whole being wellness, means that we have to take care of our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

To start you off on the road to true well being, I have an easy exercise but before I begin, remember this:

A new habit is only formed if you repeat it until it becomes second nature – every day for at least 4 months.

The 3 P’s - Practice Patience and Perseverance - is important, but what you really need is a little GNF. GNF stands for Good Natured Flexibility. Be gentle with yourself and simply carry on, step by step – guilt trips rob us of our health and happiness, causing unnecessary inner stress.

The first very easy step that you can take towards wellness is making time every day to be a human being rather than a human ‘doing’. Take time out to relax, even if it’s only for 2 minutes! Simply sit quietly in a chair, feet flat on the floor, hands relaxed in your lap. Then change your breathing rate, making it deep and slow. Sit like this for 2-10 minutes. When your mind wanders, simply bring your attention back to your deep and slow breathing – the antithesis to stress breathing which is fast and shallow. You will go into relaxation mode – as simply as that! I’ve made a Stress Solutions MP3 CD especially for you, to help you learn to Relax and unwind every day. A new year can be very stressful! Read more about how to relax after the holidays.

I am always here to help. Click here to give me an indication of the questions you need answered or to make an appointment for your annual health screening.

Start this year right – you can’t manage what you don’t know about. Remember that total body weight is not an indication of fat weight. That’s why we use the InBody to do a comprehensive body composition analysis. We also include a stress assessment as part of your health risk screening profile.

Some good news to allow a soft landing for January: the Weight Control Clinic online and in-house programs will remain at 2015 prices until 31 Jan 2016, as will personal consultations with myself.

More information follow Dr Arien van der Merwe's website.

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