By Irene Conlan -

I apologize for not posting on Saturday. I learned first hand how poorly  I function when I don’t feel well. I had a cold or  the flu – it doesn’t matter which – fever and the whole nine yards. It was the first  time I can remember in years of going back to bed and staying there  until almost noon. When I did get up, I sat and looked at the computer. No words would come and no writing got done.

I managed to do the daily crossword puzzle but it took me twice the time.

I am reminded again how important health is. We take it for granted until something happens to impede our full functioning. A cold or flu can flatten you even if you are at a peak of health but it’s less likely to keep you down.

Good health involves using some common sense and being watchful in three major areas:

• Nutrition

• Sleep

• Exercise

Good nutrition is often lost in the need for fast and easy meals  but if you want your body to stand up to attacks you have to eat balanced meals that maintain an  optimum weight and care for your immune system. If you stay away from junk food and fast food and eat fresh vegetables, fruit and adequate protein, you are way ahead.  That doesn’t mean you will never get sick, but its a great start. And when  you do get sick you will recover much faster. We all know  what good nutrition is – we chose to find short cuts that save time but not save health.  To check the adequacy of your daily diet go to http://nutrition.about.com/library/dietquiz/bldietquiz.htm

Most of us also already know about getting enough sleep and yet we burn the candle at both ends and then are surprised when we succumb to the first germs that come around.  When you continuously don’t get the amount of sleep you need, you pay for it in daytime drowsiness, trouble concentrating, irritability, increased risk of falls and accidents, and lower productivity. Sleep is also essential to the immune system. Without adequate sleep, the immune system becomes weak, and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease. Sleep is also a time of rest and repair to neurons, the freeways of the nervous system that carry out both voluntary commands, like moving your arm, and involuntary commands, like breathing and digestive processes.For more info on sleep go to http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleeping.htm

Exercise is the hard one for many of us who spend our days at the computer but is is critically important to our health. Exercise is necessary for increased energy and metabolism, improved muscle tone, stress reduction, improved self esteem and better  overall health. Hopefully, while you’re exercising you are also getting some fresh air and sunshine which are also necessary for good health. For more about exercise go to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676/NSECTIONGROUP=2

If you had a very expensive car – say a Lamborghini – you would put the highest quality fuel in it, would be absolutely avid about all maintenance and would drive it with great care.

However, if something happened to your Lamborghini, you can replace it. You can always buy another car, but you can’t get another body. The older I get the more aware I am of my body and its limitations and I often use that old saying, “If I had known I would get this old, I would have taken better care of myself.” We take care of our bodies like we would care for an old clunker when we should be treating it like a Lamborghini.

So give this body of yours the proper fuel, the best maintenance , and take it out on the road frequently. And to top it off, nurture it with positive thinking. You will reap the benefits for years to come.