Healthy Living: RELAXATION IS PART OF MANTAINING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

Life has never been fair as the saying goes, but then we do not have to be unfair to ourselves if we can avoid. Taking care of a family, being a writer, a business woman, a volunteer teacher and member of different boards can be very taxing. Last weekend I almost passed out due to exhaustion. I had not taken a rest for many days; here I was running around in search of an extra coin not realizing that my mind and body were burning out. So I called a friend to ask if we could go somewhere when I can go and rest for at least six hours, he quickly suggested that for me to feel relaxed I need to attend a relaxation spa. I had the time of my life in this spa; I left it a newer person than when I went in a few hours earlier. In fact by the time I was to the spa every bit of my muscle was aching, for a while I had thought that either age is catching up with me or I was expecting a third child, because my body felt so foreign. Contrary to what people think, spa is not expensive considering what it does to a person’s system, I dare say the charges are worth the effort. In the spa there is a process called hydrotherapy, this is the direction of mixed jets of water and air on to a bathers body. This, like massage, causes general relaxation and, like exercise or acupuncture, the release of endorphins, and therefore well-being; with consequent benefits to health and, by specific direction at particular body areas, alters conditions in those. It is a proven healer that can lessen the effects of stress, relieve short-term injury or chronic pain, and help you sleep better at night. The natural resistance of jet-driven water can be used for muscle toning and also speed up your metabolism, which demonstrates the extensive and often unknown benefits of spa use. Life has become very hard and you might think you are the only one in the rat race, but wait until you board RwandAir to Nairobi or Dubai. Or when you enter the Jaguar bus destined to Kampala is when you will actually know that nobody has the time to lazy around anymore. I have traveled with people who are in stable employment but over the weekend someone goes to Kampala to bring in goodies for sale. This has become a routine for most people trying to make ends meet by working extra hours, but then in a bid to look for that extra cash we forget that our bodies are not machines by overworking ourselves. The harsh economic time are here with , but then there is nothing much we can do about it, so working ourselves extra hours with having the time to relax for even a day can prove to be fatal in some cases. There are so many advantages that come with relaxing once in a while. When one relaxes every once in a while they are able to go extra mileage in whatever they do, whether it is that office job or that business that you have somewhere. Money is sweet, very sweet indeed but for you to live your life to the fullest and enjoy that money that you are working so hard to make; you need to be healthy for you to think. All I can say is that a little luxury once in a while is needed. If you feel burnt out go to that sauna or the spa and get a time of your life and leave there a healthier and newer person. Kayitesius@yahoo.com

Lifestyle

Healthy Living: RELAXATION IS PART OF MANTAINING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE