It is after Songkran and the summer heat has yet to completely dissipate. Bangkok, which gets abandoned once a year at this time, is starting to fill up again as cars from resorts and buses from villages all head back into town.

We, on the other hand, are heading out, looking for a short break beyond Bangkok. The long weekend holiday had been filled with merry-making, food, and too much partying – and what we really need is a relaxing de-tox to kick off the Thai New Year. We found the perfect escape in nearby Chachoengsao, an area of low basin rich in rice fields, fish farms and fruit orchards just an hour’s drive from eastern Bangkok.

The Rainbow Arokaya Holistic Longevity Centre is a health paradise that offers an alternative experience for spa clients who want to relax and learn to live a healthier life. With our recent holiday excesses, we couldn’t think of a better place to re-boot.

Powerful River, Powerful Land, Positive Feeling

Rainbow Arokaya sits on the banks of the Bang Pakong River and is set on 14-rai of lush land. The first time our small group of city-dwellers laid foot on the property, we immediately felt calmer and less tense. We could see blooming plants, fluttering butterflies, and hear birds chirping. It is a completely different world from the bustling city we left just a few hours ago. Our host, Thanawat Sittitampichai, the Managing Director of Rainbow Arokaya, showed us around the verdant resort, and told us that the property used to be a meditation centre by one of the provinces most revered monks. He also explained that the name “Arokaya” refers to a state of happiness without diseases.

Rainbow Arokaya The resort is sprawling, filled with blooming plants and greenery. The air is filled with fluttering butterflies and chirping birds, and the gentle lapping sounds of the river. We were excited to see more of the sprawling health farm, and couldn’t wait to explore the gardens, the aquatherapy pool, and the floating spa pavilion.

Khun Thanawat led us through the winding stone path dotted with rustic wood benches and stone Thai carvings, to the reception pavilion so we could be checked in. There we were welcomed by the Resident Manager, who explained that Rainbow Arokaya has 33 rooms including 7 Thai style villas secluded among the gardens and spread out through the resort. With the sheer scale of the property, this means that guests can enjoy relative privacy even at full capacity.

As the programme for the next few days was explained to us, we realised that every aspect of our stay at the resort is designed to promote healing. From the bed we sleep on, to the meals we enjoy, to the treatments we receive, everything leads to a deeper dimension of detoxification.

Re-energising, Rehabilitation, Re-balance

From the lobby, we were guided to the diagnosis centre next door, which is warm and inviting like any spa reception. Unlike a common spa however, we weren’t offered a menu of treatments to choose from. Instead, we had a consultation with a trained therapist who asked us about out health history. After discussing the various health issues we have, a full range of holistic therapies were devised for our stay.

Before we could begin with the treatments, we first needed to get settled into our rooms, and get ready for a couple days of detoxification and pampering. The resort’s golf cart brought us through winding path to the door of our contemporary Thai style room. Stepping in, natural light flooded in from the panoramic glass window that occupies the whole wall that overlooks the river. The hardwood floor and the customised furniture gave the room a warm glow. A flat screen TV was on a console at the foot of the large bed framed by a canopy of sheer fabric. We could not wait to sleep on the special far-infrared (FIR) & minus ion detoxifying mattress, blanket and pillows. There was time to relax and unwind before we headed back to the pavilion to begin our programme.

Rainbow ArokayaAt the spa area, we were given comfortable robes and garments appropriate for the treatment. Of the 50 or so member of staff for the entire resort, half are highly-trained therapists, and ours explained that the far-Infrared is part of the spectrum of light and the heat helps relieve pain, boost the immune and cardiovascular systems, burn calories, and detoxify the body. It can improve nervous disorders, digestive problems, weight loss, diabetes, and help to normalise blood pressure. With the treatments we were receiving, toxins are brought to the skin surface in perspiration, and washed away, leaving our body cooler, lighter, and refreshed.

Some of us began with hydrotherapy with mineral baths, some went for the popular Far-infrared Dome Sauna, and others had a chance to try the unique Volcanic Detoxifying Chi Sand Spa. The sand bath is a truly unique way to de-toxify. At the beginning of the treatment, you will be asked to take two glasses of mineral water to make sure your body is well-hydrated. Next is a cleansing shower, before a team of therapists measure your weight and body fat. Then you will be led to an oversized sand bath, where you are enveloped by beads of heated minerals that help your body flush out toxins. The therapists massage you with the beads, and keep you cool with cold towels. Throughout the treatment, someone keeps watch over you for any sign of discomfort. In our experience, one treatment resulted in 1 to 2% decrease in measured body fat!

Rainbow ArokayaWe all felt revitalised from our afternoon of treatments, and it was meal time. The floating dining room is surrounded by glass-panelled windows affording a panoramic view of the waterway. Occasionally motorised boats pass by; otherwise the scene is serene and almost meditative.

The programme here includes three-course meals of organic produce and fresh fish caught from the river. As can be expected, no alcohol is served or available at the resort.

Mealtime is perhaps the only time to socialise with guests and the atmosphere is very convivial. A lot of the patrons of Rainbow Arokaya are returning guests. That is not surprising since a number of them have experienced physical relief and improved lifestyles from the holistic approach taught at the resort.

We met a Swiss guest who has travelled from Europe to Thailand to seek relief for his chronic condition through Rainbow Arokaya’s health programme. He is one of the many guests who have benefited from the healing philosophy espoused by the resorts owner, Khun Vichada.

Holistic Health

Rainbow ArokayaKhun Vichada in fact practices what she preaches. She looks 20 years younger than her age, she is high spirited and her passion for a healthier lifestyle is infectious. Looking at her now, it is difficult to believe that in her previous career as a jeweller, she was high-strung and suffered chronic pains for 17 years that led to a bout of paralysis. While she pursued traditional medical treatment for her condition, she also began to earnestly explore alternative healing principles. Khun Vichada studied and practiced meditation, learnt about the healing benefits of nano-technology, and finally found relief. She firmly believes that the healing she experienced is due to a change in lifestyle and Khun Vichada wanted to share her newfound philosophy with others who needed healing. She launched a joint venture with a Japanese firm to manufacture in Thailand the special mattress pad, blankets and pillows using mineral stone fibre that promotes deep detoxification. Khun Vichada felt this was not enough and they went on to found the Rainbow Arokaya holistic health centre. The rest, as she say is history.

The next day, we woke up to the beautiful river view, totally refreshed by uninterrupted sleep. The healing energy bedding lived up to its reputation, and with a therapist giving us tips on sleeping posture, we had the best sleep we have ever had.

Breakfast was served by the river again, and afterwards we spent an hour or so relaxing, some went to the pool, others tried the stone meditation path, and others still found their own private bench or seat or gazebo amongst the garden.

After another day of treatment, it was time to leave the resort. With our holiday excess gone from our system, we headed back to Bangkok, refreshed and rejuvenated, and with a new perspective on living healthy. Rainbow Arokaya is truly a new way to escape city life when it’s time for a change.

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.
Buddha

To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Buddha

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.
Mohandas Gandhi

Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.
Thomas Jefferson

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.
Mark Twain

It is the New Year and like most people you have decided to make having a healthier year one of your New Year’s Resolutions, but you don’t know where to start. In fact if you are like I was several years ago, you’ve stopped and started a new plan many times but nothing seems to stick or results were just too long in coming to motivate you to stick with your plan. Adopting a healthier lifestyle does not have to be difficult or disappointing. It doesn’t have to take years to see results. Unfortunately I took the long way to health, a process that took roughly 7 years. I began first by starting on a program of high quality dietary supplements. Despite my high-fat diet those supplements did make a difference in terms of improved energy and fewer illnesses. It took a while for me to realize supplements are not enough, so I began to increase the servings of fruits and vegetables in my diet by snacking on fruit throughout the day, adding a couple of servings of beans per day and adding a green salad or two per day. Finally I went to the gym, because no matter how well you are eating, when you are flabby, you are flabby. Adopting a healthier lifestyle can be a simple process that is easy to implement and in which you can see results in a matter of weeks it doesn’t and shouldn’t have to take seven years!

First there are a few principles to understand before embarking on a lifestyle change for better health.
Understand that any exercise regimen must include weight training. The hormone responsible for the uptake of fuel in the body is insulin. Insulin facilitates the storage of sugars in the body for immediate use as glucose and long term use as glycogen and fat. Insulin receptors in the body exist on two types of cells, fat cells and muscle cells. The larger the muscle mass the more insulin is driven into muscle rather than fat. The body preferentially uses sugars stored in the body before it uses fat stored in fat cells. Therefore a key to weight loss is to make sure that the body stores energy preferentially as glucose or glycogen rather than fat. The way to ensure that is to make weight training a part of your healthy lifestyle.
Consistent daily exercise is more important and effective than binge exercise.
Pure aerobic training is of limited use without weight training. Have you ever been on a treadmill for an hour and realized that you’ve burned only 400 calories in that hour? Given the eating habits of the Average American, aerobic training alone will never lead to weight loss.
Eat in order not to be hungry. When the sensation of hunger is gone, you are done eating. Continuing to eat beyond that point simply means that you are going to store the excess calories as fat.
When weight training, emphasize the large muscle groups over the smaller ones. You increase your muscle mass faster and tip the balance in favor of the storage of energy as glycogen in muscle rather than fat in adipose tissue.

Three Simple Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle:

Exercise consistently (by consistently I mean daily no fewer than 5 days per week) alternating aerobic training and weight training. Create a schedule and stick to it: On Monday, Wednesday, Friday for example do weight training. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday do aerobic training. The minimal aerobic training is 20 minutes. When it comes to aerobic training, use a different machine with each session. Your muscles are lazy. ALL muscles are lazy. Do the same exercises with them and you won’t get the muscular definition and weight loss you want. Track your exercises and group your muscles together. Work abs and lower extremities one day and upper body and abs another day. Vary your weights lifted and numbers of repetitions.
Become acquainted with proper food portions. Eat a carb, veggie and lean source of protein with each meal. A good rule of thumb governing portions is that your portions of carbs and proteins should be no larger than the palm of your hand. You can eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want. Plan a mid morning, mid afternoon and evening snack that consists of a complex carb and protein source like yogurt and a piece of fruit or peanut butter on whole grain bread.
Get plenty of rest, but not too much. A study published by the University of California, San Diego School of medicine noted that the optimal amount of sleep associated with improved health is 6-7 hours per night. Less than 4 hours and more than 8 hours negatively impacted health.

Using the above principles and simple steps will lead you to an improved feeling of well being and sense of accomplishment with visible results that are usually seen within 12 weeks. Adopting a healthier lifestyle can and should be simple, not hard. As in all things, if you have medical illness you should consult your physician before embarking on any regimen.

Ask yourself these two questions, as you get older do you honestly think that you are likely to get sicker, have different health problems and more of them? Or will you choose a healthier lifestyle?

Since we now live in the information age, if we really want to be healthier, then it is possible to improve with age, rather than giving in to the downhill spiral of deterioration and ill health. Past research has proven it to be so. />

You may have heard the saying, “An ounce of prevention is cheaper than the pound of cure.” You might be interested to know that should you continue to do things that are not healthy, you will be known as being “bad”. Things such as, eating poorly, smoking, refusing to be more active, this is commonly known as “Lifestyle Suicide.”

There is a much better way. Here are some of the more significant areas that involve lifestyle and our ability to make choices. Keep in mind that by choosing wisely you are focusing on a healthier lifestyle choice and will improve your health to its greatest potential ever.

Cigarettes: nicotine is a very highly addictive substance. Research shows that the average smoker makes seven attempts to quit. Ex-smokers say that it was all worth the effort although the cravings do still last for years. Quitting smoking is the most effective choice a person can make in improving their health. So if you have decided that you want to quit, then do it now!

Food is all about what you eat and how. There is a serious problem with obesity in our country. Portion size must be taken into consideration, but you must also take care to eat the right foods and exercise in order to receive the full benefit of a healthier lifestyle.

Deciding to lose the extra 15 or 25 pounds is noble, but dieting alone will just not work. The key to achieving your goal is activity. Avoiding or even eliminating completely, any refined carbohydrates such as white sugar and flour, along with regular yet moderately exerting activities will eliminate the necessity of measuring or weighing of food, and will almost guarantee that you lose one to two pounds a week.

Avoid foods with trans fats, like margarine, white sugar, flour and prepared foods. Instead eat more raw and unprocessed foods. Don’t miss out on breakfast and never eat late at night.

Eat foods rich in anti-oxidants like darker colored fruits and vegetables, purple grape juice, green tea, red wine and dark chocolate. Try to drink four or more glasses of water daily.

If you decide to start exercising remember to Keep It Simple. Start off by walking for 15 minutes three times a week; this should cause you to get a bit of glow. Gradually increase your walk, causing a bit more of a glow. Although there is no upper or set limit on how long you choose to walk for, the health benefits do get greater after 60 minutes of activity.

If you do decide to start taking better care of yourself and live a healthier lifestyle, it is recommended that you get some advice from professionals who will take care of you in a holistic way, as opposed to just treating the symptoms. Prevention of health problems before they even become symptomatic is the best approach.

Watch the video related to Healthier Lifestyle

Seventh-day Adventist Healthy Lifestyle featured on Rated K (ABS-CBN) last May 17, 2009

Help answer the question about Healthier Lifestyle

About Author

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of my-personal-growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development.

Obesity has many negative health consequences. Some are better known and documented than others. Recent studies have shown that yet another potential consequence of obesity is difficulty when it comes to conceiving a baby. Fertility troubles are a growing problem in this country and around the world. One reason that is being hailed as a very viable culprit is obesity. While most people look immediately to the female in the relationship for this particular problem the facts indicate that male obesity can also lead to a low sperm count, which can also hamper fertility efforts and progress. Our bodies were designed for specific purposes.

It is utterly amazing how well each part of the human body works to support the others. There are very few machines that can compete with the genius of the design of the human body. After thousands of years to study the human body there are still many mysteries hidden within. The truth comes down to this however, we put things into our bodies, and abuse our bodies in ways that our bodies were simply not designed to take and yet we still manage to adapt and survive many of these things. It’s amazing when you think about that the human body endures the many things it does without permanent and irrevocable damage. The good news for those attempting to conceive is that the human body also has the remarkable ability to heal itself.

This means that those who find their efforts to conceive have been hampered by obesity have also seen positive changes by losing as little as five to ten percent of your ability to conceive. If both partners are overweight then it might be a good idea to work together to shed those unwanted pounds and adopt a healthier, more active lifestyle. Being active when trying to conceive and throughout the pregnancy is a good idea for the female in the relationship at any rate as this can help in the process of labor and delivery.

If you are trying to conceive without success and have been doing so for more than a year it is probably in your best interest to seek the services of a fertility specialist in order to rule out other possible considerations. Though it is rarely a bad idea to adopt a healthier lifestyle you should also consult your doctor before beginning a strict diet or weight loss regimen in order to make sure there aren’t other factors that may be causing your weight issues. This is particularly true if you have gained a good deal of weight in a rather short amount of time. In addition to conception difficulty obesity can also lead to a greater risk of miscarriage once conception has occurred. Obesity also leads to a greater risk of conditions such as gestational diabetes during the pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, and in some cases still birth and birth defects. It is no small hindrance to a healthy pregnancy and should be carefully considered before attempting to conceive.

Another consideration when it comes to obesity and fertility is that being overweight can also hamper the affects of fertility treatments. This means that the process is typically lengthier and will cost significantly more over time than if obesity were not a factor. When coupled with the risks to the baby this is something that should not be taken lightly when making plans for fertility treatments. If your BMI is greater than 30 there are many fertility clinics that simply will not offer their services. Some limit it to greater than 35 and others 40. If you feel that fertility treatments are the only course of action available to you and your BMI is greater than 30, the first suggestion you are likely to hear is the suggestion that you make serious weight loss efforts and lifestyle changes before proceeding. You may find that once you begin to shed the pounds, fertility intervention is no longer necessary.