Slow down and enjoy your food. Chewing is essential - you have teeth for a reason - to assist digestive process. Eating food quickly, or while stressed, disrupts digestion and absorption of nutrients. The 'how' and when' of eating is just as important as 'what' you eat.

Life-giving water

Nature's nectar. Your body is 70% water and it needs to be daily replenished with a fresh supply to ensure that body cells are hydrated and energized. Ideally, we need to consume two litres of water every day.

Get active!

You need just enough activity to keep all your moving parts in good working order, lean and strong. Too much exercise uses up resources needed for normal growth, repair and maintenance, and creates premature wear and tear on joints and ligaments.

So how much exercise are we talking about?

Enjoy a good brisk walk in fresh air everyday - or even every second day - swing your arms, hold your head high, fill your lungs and lengthen your strike. Or, consider purchasing a home fitness video. There are plenty to choose from, just make sure it incorporates a good stretching regime to avoid pulling or straining any muscles. The same applies to any team sports or gym work - warm-up first. The message is, yes, you need to use your body to prevent it from 'getting rusty'.

Relax!

Proper 'quality time' should not be confused with time spent watching endless television, or playing games on computer. Energetic computer games and emotionally-charged TV soaps activate release of 'fight-or-flight' stress chemicals - hardly a form of relaxation. Switch TV off and take time-out once or twice a day for between 15-30 minute to rest your thoughts, and your body, completely. Sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes, breathe deeply and slowly, perhaps listen to restful music, and drift into your mind's theatre of beautiful landscapes and memories. No interruptions, no demanding family or friends, just you and your attention focused on health, happiness and abundance…that's quality time!

Sleep

We all need 6-8 hours quality sleep every night. Get to bed before midnight and start day early and alert after a restful, refreshing sleep.

Love makes everything workable For complete harmony of mind, body and spirit, final ingredient needed is a huge helping of love. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you!

Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. This world renowned, medically approved program will give you results you'll love and all the support you need! Estimate your healthy body weight, tons of recipes, articles, free ezine and more at http://weight-loss-health.com.au

Healthy snack foods for your child to try:

oFresh fruit

oFruit canned in juice or light syrup oSmall amounts of dried fruits such as raisins, apple rings, or apricots

oFresh vegetables such as baby carrots, cucumber, zucchini, or tomatoes

oReduced fat cheese or a small amount of peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers

oLow-fat yogurt with fruit

Foods that are small, round, sticky, or hard to chew, such as raisins, whole grapes, hard vegetables, hard chunks of cheese, nuts, seeds, and popcorn can cause choking in children under age 4. You can still prepare some of these foods for young children, for example, by cutting grapes into small pieces and cooking and cutting up vegetables. Always watch your toddler during meals and snacks.

Encourage daily physical activity

Like adults, kids need daily physical activity. Here are some ways to help your child move every day:

·Set a good example. If your children see that you are physically active and have fun, they are more likely to be active and stay active throughout their lives.

·Encourage your child to join a sports team or class, such as soccer, dance, basketball, or gymnastics at school or at your local community or recreation center.

·Be sensitive to your child's needs. If your child feels uncomfortable participating in activities like sports, help him or her find physical activities that are fun and not embarrassing. ·Be active together as a family. Assign active chores such as making beds, washing car, or vacuuming. Plan active outings such as a trip to zoo or a walk through a local park.

·Because his or her body is not ready yet, do not encourage your pre-adolescent child to participate in adult-style physical activity such as long jogs, using an exercise bike or treadmill, or lifting heavy weights. FUN physical activities are best for kids.

·Kids need a total of about 60 minutes of physical activity a day, but this does not have to be all at one time. Short 10- or even 5-minute bouts of activity throughout day are just as good. If your children are not used to being active, encourage them to start with what they can do and build up to 60 minutes a day.