As holistic therapists it is imperative that we not only look after our clients' well-being, but we must also look after our own health. Many of us give aftercare advice on a daily basis, telling our clients to take plenty of water after their treatment, avoid caffeine and alcohol, take time to relax, watch their posture, meditate and eat healthily, etc.  This is of course all well and good, but how often do we actually follow on our advice?   How can we expect to take care of others when we don't even properly take care of ourselves?  Many of us lead busy lives and grab something quick and easy like a packaged meal or order a takeaway from our local chippy or Indian restaurant.  We eat like this on a regular basis and then wonder why we wake up feeling lethargic and listless.

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the expression ‘you are what you eat'. Well that couldn't be any closer to the truth.  The irony is that if we owned a £75,000 car, we wouldn't ever dream about filling it with inferior petrol, yet day after day we fill ourselves up with highly processed foods  with very little, if any, nutritional value.  Why do we abuse our bodies by fuelling it with inferior fuel, thereby depriving it of the essential nutrients necessary to keep it functioning optimally and free from illness?  Simple answer, because our body , which is the most precious gift we have, is something that we have been given for free;  as a result we often take it for granted and don't value it or our health.  Although are body as amazing as it is with its remarkable ability to heal itself, can put up with a lot of abuse; however,   just like an engine of a car, if you don't maintain it, it will begin to break down and eventually it will have more and more problems until one day it won't be able function properly and this is the point where we become ill.

A poor diet is responsible for so many health complaints and it affects the way we feel, function and even how we look.  So if we want to look and feel better, it is time for us to take responsibility and eat sensibly. It is important that we realise that healthy eating isn't just about changing what we eat for a few days, weeks or even months and then going back to our bad eating habits.  It's about making a lifetime dietary lifestyle commitment.  

Although reading articles and books from leading nutrition experts can be great motivational tools as they tend to  offer many helpful tips and advice, it is imperative that you first check with your GP and you may also wish to enlist the help of a qualified nutritionist before attempting to make any dietary changes yourself.