Like most of you, my needs, wants and “to do list” at Christmas has gone through several changes but I still get excited about the season. The Christmas carols may play a role but certainly they are not the ultimate since our airwaves seem to be suffering from a “constipation” of carols, yet the atmosphere reminds you that Christmas is only a few days away. Ghana, the capital of Christmas and inflation has gone through many trying times, but we are still ready to welcome the world and make everyone merry.

Has it ever occurred to you that Christmas can make you healthier if you live in the moment and refuse to be frightened by what January may offer. I am not by any means suggesting that you empty your coffers for the sake of Christmas.

Let us take a look at the health wonders that Christmas may bestow on us:

1. Happiness and laughter
   1. Surrounding ourselves with people we love and those who make us happy and fill our mouths with laughter is not only good for the heart, but the feel-good hormones find their way to every part of the body.
2. A time to socialize
   1. The hugs and time with family and friends has an amazing effect on our wellness. Imagine if we could do this more often.
   2. Even the phone calls to wish people well goes a long way to make our health holistic
3. Dancing aka physical activity
   1. The party crowd and the church crew who make sure they break into sweat as music flows will be doing themselves a great favour. The longer you stay on the dance floor the less likely you are to be found trying every conceivable item on the menu.
4. Tapping into Spiritual Wellness
   1. You can’t go wrong when you spend time to read or listen to His Word, pray, give thanks, praise and worship. You just satisfied the spiritual wellness pillar
5. Periods to unplug?
   1. The more you socialize, hug, talk to people and even dance, the less likely you are to be hooked to your electronic devices. What a welcome break for your tired eyes, brain and neck. Its all about Digital Wellness.
6. Balm for Mental Wellness
   1. When you spend time visiting people or places, talking to people, laughing, hugging, spending time away from electronic devices then you feel good, and your behaviour is more positive and you tend to think clearly.
7. Giving is at the centre of it all
   1. Giving is at the centre of Christmas. God gave us His only son as a show of love. This is a time to give your time, kindness, smile, love, gifts etc to as many people as you can but especially to those who may never be able to do same for you. This gesture is a powerful tool that brings you happiness beyond measure and it is difficult to describe the feeling and the benefits to your body.

We can do so much for our health and wellness during this magical time of the year. We do not have to just stuff our mouths with food and drinks packed with sugar or sign a pact with alcohol such that we can hardly walk unaided.

With your renewed energy made at Christmas we can face the new year knowing very well that our health is our responsibility.

We need to maintain our new found energy and momentum!!

What should we avoid so that we will not drain our energy?

1. Focusing on the past
2. Not getting adequate sleep
3. Not drinking enough water but loading yourself with alcohol, caffeine and energy drinks
4. Spending all your time working and leaving no time to rest and socialize
5. Not being physically active
6. Spending all your time behind screens, TV, phone, computer. Making social media king
7. Eating junk food most of the time
8. Being resentful, negative or surrounding yourself with people who see no good in anything
9. Creating clutter and a mess wherever you are
10. Trying hard to impress others

I hope these tips will help you stay in the best state of your life and remember to continue doing these for the rest of your life. Does that sound too difficult?

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)

(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’

Thought for the week – “WHERE YOU LIVE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE IF YOU LIVE.”- WHO