You say that diets do not work so how am I to shed some excess pounds?

The idea of a diet is something you do for a while and then go back to what you were doing before. Whilst you may reduce pounds while on the diet, if you go back to eating what you were eating before, you will end up back at where you started. The solution is to change your eating patterns. This is not just for a week or two so must be sustainable. It will mean eating more “whole” foods and less packaged and processed food. There is much info the website. Use the search function.

You say the best way not to get sick is to be healthy. What does that mean?

Many health messages give you advice on avoiding specific diseases. This advice can be contradictory leaving people confused. Focusing on being healthy means you focus on doing all the things the body needs to be in good health-the eight pillars. By doing this and being healthy you do not need to try to avoid specific diseases as when your body is healthy it is far lees likely you will get sick.

What is the ideal diet?

This will be different for different people. In broadest terms you need to eat mainly whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and protein (either animal or vegetable). Your main beverage needs to be water. Eat foods that till recently were moving around or growing somewhere. Minimize food, which comes out of packages. This is not a religion. You are allowed treats and “indiscretions” from time to time.

What is the buzz on vitamin D?

Our phobia about the sun has seen rates of vitamin D deficiency as high as 50%! Low Vitamin D levels contribute to diseases like Diabetes, Alzheimer’s breast and bowel cancer. The best source of vitamin D comes free from the sun. It is not about getting burned which does raise the risks of skin cancer but getting around ten to fifteen minutes sunshine on the face and arms on most days. (This is a rough guide. Exact amounts will vary with time of year and latitude.)

Why is it that some people are fit and still have a heart attack while running on the beach?

Exercise is an important part of health. Certainly being fit lowers your chances of having a heart attack. However there are eight pillars of DIY Health and all are equally important. We do not know about the fit guys stress levels or his sleep patterns. Even people who are not overweight may be eating foods, which do not provide good nutrition. We must get the right balance. There are no absolute force fields in life.

How do I make time to exercise?

We all have 24 hours in the day. The question is how do we allocate the time. To do some exercise you will need to allocate time that is currently spent doing something else.

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep is the body’s recharge time. When asleep everything is still working except the conscious mind. The heart pumps, the lungs breathe and so on. Over the course of the twentieth century the average adult has lost around one and a half hours sleep! Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and a host of other problems are contributed to by lack of sleep. Most adults need eight hours each night. If you can’t manage this do a catch up on the weekend.