LIVING NATURALLY with Olwen Anderson

WHEN you're not feeling quite your usual vibrant healthy self, it can be tempting to reach for that magic supplement.

But if you address the basics you might find what you really need is a simple lifestyle or diet adjustment.

These areas are what your clinical naturopath will assess if you appear in their clinic to announce you're tired, stressed, feeling burnt out or not sleeping well.

Let's take a look at each topic so you can assess how your own healthcare shapes up.

Most important of all is sleep.

Without a good solid sleep, your body won't create enough growth hormone for maintenance and repair of cells.

You'll crave sugary foods the next day, and it will be harder to make exercise happen.

For a restorative sleep, allow at least eight hours, have a regular sleep routine, avoid caffeine, alcohol and electronic screens like a smart phone for at least two hours before bed: the blue light they emit will trick your brain into thinking it's daytime.

Next, look at what you're putting in your mouth.

Particularly how much comes out of a packet or was handed to you through the fast-food drive through.

There's often no need to follow a special diet, just good old ordinary fruit and veg, meats, fish, fruit and nuts with some high quality grains.

Eating real (unprocessed) food means you'll usually have to plan ahead, and spend some time in food preparation - but you may decide that feeling better is worth the effort.

The third area to review is exercise.

Now this is a tricky one, because everyone enjoys or needs different forms of exercise.

And let's face it, most of us don't move as much as we could, or should.

But you need to exercise in some form, every day.

It boosts your mood, relieves stress, gets you looking toned and trim and, let's face it, is a daily exercise in self-discipline.

After all that sleep, good food and exercise you need rest to recover: time out without the demands of beeping electronic devices.

Time to do what helps you feel calmer, whether that's time in nature, walking on the beach, artistic pursuits, craft, music, just reading a book, gardening, holidays, socialising or solitude.

Rest time actually boosts your resilience to stress.

Of course, if you're still feeling blah despite attending to the basics of health, it's a good idea to see your health professional.

After all, isn't your good health worth the effort?

Olwen Anderson is a naturopath and counsellor and a columnist with the Tweed Daily News. www.olwenanderson.com.au