"Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings." This quote by Publilius Syrus, a writer of Latin maxims, begins the article on boosting your immunity in the December 2008 issue of Real Simple magazine. Now, you may be wondering why I am currently reading something that is so clearly out of date. Unfortunately, I don't get around to reading my magazines as quickly as I would like. In addition, I keep older issues of Real Simple magazine as many of their articles are relevant no matter what the year, which is the case here.
The article offers 10 "proven" strategies to help you stay healthier over the winter season. These include minding the fat, staying in motion, eating plenty of protein, showing off your musical talents, fitting into your skinny jeans (ie. losing weight), petting something fluffy (like an animal), getting three colours in every meal, resolving to really relax, eating good bacteria and making late nights an exception. Mind you, none of these are really a surprise - we all know what we should do. But, what do we actually do?
I connected immediately to the suggestion of getting to bed earlier through my happiness project goals and also because of school. At our school, we've been trying to get the kids to be on time. One of the strategies my class discussed was that of going to bed earlier and getting things ready the night before. Well. what's good for the goose, is good for the gander and if it helps all of us stay healthier, so much the better.
Another connection I made was to showing off your musical talents. I play the violin in a community orchestra as well as teaching music at school. Recently, I've been asked to play with another orchestra for an upcoming opera gala. The joy I felt at not only being asked but also the opportunity to perform one of my favourite tenor arias from the Pearl Fishers by Bizet boosted my happiness levels immediately. Any time I pick up my violin to play, it always gives me peace and enjoyment. I even find my students calmer and happier after music class. They always leave the room singing the pieces we just played. Behavioural issues are few in strings class even with students who normally have difficulty. Now, to discover that studies have shown a correlation between music and good health, is no surprise and an added benefit to an inspiring and heartfelt experience.
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