They say that with a strong immune system, you can combat any disease. But, you can be in the best shape of your life and then suddenly one day, you wake up with pain. How could that make sense? If you always had regular visits to your doctor, then where did that cancer come from? Where did the sudden neuropathy or spasms come from? Where did the migraines come from? Or why can’t the doctors figure out what’s wrong?

These are just some of the most common questions people ask when they all of a sudden find themselves to be “sick.” How in the world can you fix something when you don’t know what’s broken? According to Ayurveda, the answer is simple. Ojas. Ojas, is not only the finest product of digestion, but it is also your immune system, vitality, and energy. You may have the worst of diseases, but as long as you continue to promote Ojas, you will recover from anything that you may have.

Some factors the diminish Ojas are excessive physical exertion, fasting or skipping meals, excessive hunger, rough or inadequate diet, emotions such as anxiety, grief, and worry, loss of sleep, trauma, excessive fatigue, stress, excessive sexual activity, and excessive loss of blood. The odds are, your illness could have begun with one of these factors. These factors are important to know for prevention, but it is even more important to know the factors that promote Ojas for maintaining good health. The factors that enhance Ojas are keeping the channels of circulation clean, a balanced wholesome diet, proper digestion, avoiding negativity, proper amount of sleep, regular exercise, and of course…happiness!!!

If you are sick and want to get better, go through the factors that diminish Ojas. If any of these are a part of your life, then its time to change it and bring it to the positive side. Begin to practice all that which enhances and promotes Ojas, because Ojas is your vitality and your strength. Without the proper functioning of Ojas, you will have excess fatigue, headaches, spasms, and so forth. Ojas is the vital energy that governs our physiology and therefore it is essential to keep Ojas in balance. With Ojas in balance, you will have the clarity of the mind with all the energy you need to accomplish any task.

We all know from experience that stress can affect our ability to work efficiently. No doubt, there are a handful of people who can naturally deal with a greater amount of stress than others. However, the bottom line is that majority of the population has no effective way of dealing with stress. Some of the symptoms of stress are anger, frustration, making mistakes, not thinking clearly, decrease in work efficiency, and greater risk of illness. Eating chocolate or junk food and arguing with a loved one about your problems at work will not be the solution to your problems.

One of the questions I often get asked is how to cope with stress. With the economy struggling due to inflation, high cost of living, rising gas prices, and a tough job market, stress is in the air. For the average adult, high loads of stress usually comes from family, work, and finances. For students, some ways they are affected by stress are from class, homework, finances, dating, and peer pressure. Regardless of your age, you have stress in your life.

For each person, his or her method to cope with stress is different because each individual is different from the other. However, for a large amount of the population, exercise seems to be most effective way of dealing with high amounts of stress. But what type of exercise? There are so many different forms of exercise out there. The one I feel is most efficient in coping with stress, is Yoga. A Hatha yoga class will cover all the needs to relax away the stress. The practice of Yoga will clear your mind and relax your body. Furthermore, yoga will allow for a more integrated functioning of the mind and body.

The unique aspect of Hatha Yoga is that a really good yoga class will cover cardio, strength, and flexibility. Along with the physical benefits, this particular type of yoga will also cover some meditation and other relaxation techniques. Yoga will allow you to become and stay physically fit while allowing your mind to relax and be stress free. Many of us carry our stress on our shoulders for example. Yoga will allow for us to take care of the tight shoulders and the headaches, while clearing the mind through Pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.

Many of us have jobs that are supposed to be from 9 to 5. However, this hard working society has become such that even if you sign up for a 9 to 5 job, you will most likely be working many, many more hours a day. For employers who pay a salary rather than hourly, they may not mind. However, we, as employees do because we all know that working long hours takes a toll on both our mind and body. Ultimately, too much work affects our health.

Working long hours does create stress upon the physiology. The best method to tackle the stress and get through a long day at work is to take care of yourself by creating a good routine for you to follow. Yes, I know, when you are at work, the hours of work become unpredictable and you always end up with more work than expected. I understand how it goes. Of course, one of the most stressful situations is when your family is waiting for you, but you can’t seem to leave work because there is a project deadline coming up. Despite all the uncertainties of any job, you must take care of yourself.

Start by going to bed at the same time every night. Ideally, it would be best if you can be in bed by 10. A good night’s sleep will make you most productive and alert throughout the day. Then, wake up at the same time every morning…preferably before 6 am. If you are going to bed before 10, then waking up before 6 should be no big deal. If you get a good solid night’s sleep, you can effectively tackle anything that is thrown at you for the simple reason that you are not tired.

The next important factor in your routine is your diet. It is from your diet that you get your nutrition and energy. Be sure to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do not skip any meals, because the food you intake will provide the energy you need to get through the day. Besides, we all know that hungry people are cranky people. If you eat regularly and wisely, you will have a clearer mind in terms of problem solving and getting the work done.

Then, be sure to remember to exercise. Exercising is a great way to cope with stress and it will solidify your routine. Being active and doing some cardio and strength training will relax your mind and body. For many people, exercising will clear up their mind and will allow for more effective problem solving. Besides, you know that the days you exercise you feel better and more alert throughout the day.

By sleeping, eating, and exercising, you will already have the majority of your routine in place. Take care of yourself because how you work, will affect how well your peers and co-workers perform. Those who sleep well, eat well, and exercise are healthier and therefore, they have a greater ability to cope with stress.

We, as society, are always looking for shortcuts to make life easier. We especially go after that which will make our chores or errands easier. After a long day’s at work, who wants to cook a warm meal on the stove? It seems so much easier to “cook” the meal in the microwave. It’s simple to cook in the microwave. You take the frozen food or pasta with the sauce, put it into a microwaveable safe container, if its not already in one, and then you put it into the microwave. Then, you set a timer and start the cooking process. While it’s cooking, you can check your mail, check your phone messages, and perhaps watch some TV. It is easy to cook in a microwave.

However, what most people do not realize is that microwaves are not good for your food or for your health. Eating frozen foods is a whole other topic, but eating food that has been cooked or warmed up in the microwave is very damaging for your health and well-being. When you use a microwave, the chemical composition of the food becomes altered. This makes the food harder to digest and it takes away almost all of the nutrients in the food. Besides, a microwave heats with radiation and we all know that radiation kills not only the bad cells, but also the good ones as well.

Furthermore, most of us eat for the taste and experience. When you cook in a microwave, food generally does not taste as good. It often tastes old, stale, and becomes too cold too quickly. Just try it at home. Cook two exactly the same meals…one in the microwave and the other on top of the stove. The one you make on the stove will taste significantly better. I highly recommend not using a microwave and use the stove instead. In the long run, it will benefit your health.