Test your English: Stay Healthy: What Else Can We Do?

Text: Joanne Edwards

Fotos: MasterSergeant - stock.adobe.com, Porträt: www.kaindl-hoenig.com

If there is one thing that scientists and doctors can agree on, it is that we are experiencing the most challenging winter for years. Covid numbers are rising, many people have caught influenza and thousands of us are suffering from mental health problems…. and this has been going on for almost two years now. Apart from having the vaccinations, keeping our distance, wearing masks and washing our hands until they are sore… we can only wait until next spring and hope that, by then, we are talking about an endemic and not a pandemic. It is hardly surprising that many of us are feeling very anxious and desperate, worrying about what the future will bring… feeling so helpless.

So, what else could we do to make life easier and feel that we have more control over our destiny? We could get more information about how to improve our health and think more positively in these difficult times. There is plenty of information out there. My iPad has just informed me that my viewing time has increased enormously and I am sure that is correct. However, I haven’t been watching the latest films on Netflix or the endless chat shows that are available all day, I am addicted to programmes about alternative medicine and health cures. How, by making small changes to my life, I can strengthen my immune system, just in case, and feel more positive about the future.

There are hundreds of specialists who are ready to give us free advice, but I really enjoy watching Luke Coutinho, a globally renowned Holistic Lifestyle Coach and award winning holistic nutritionist, who focuses on preventive medicine and nutrition. He has taught me how important the right amount of sleep (without electronic devices), exercise, meditation and yoga are for our well-being – but also fasting and the right nutrition. Taking vitamin D, magnesium and zinc is essential in winter, especially this year. Why aren’t specialists on TV discussing this too, along with information about the vaccine? Breathing correctly is the key to our happiness. Hardly any of us breathe deeply enough and breathing exercises alleviate stress, the cause of most illnesses. I have learned how to unjumble my thoughts and be more mindful about what is happening at the moment, rather than worry about the past or the future. I am convinced that we are what we think – and most physical problems come from negative thinking. That mind over matter is the secret of our well-being, both physically and mentally.

Yes, I have learned all of these things and realise how important they are. Now I just have to learn to be more consistent and find time in the day to practice what I preach. As the days grow shorter and we will be spending more time at home, it is the ideal time to do something else for ourselves and to practice some of the above-mentioned holistic methods. We should make sure that by Christmas time we are not exhausted from all the negativity surrounding us.

Stay safe and healthy …

scientists – Wissenschaftler
to agree on sth. – übereinkommen
to experience – erleben, erfahren
challenging – herausfordernd
to catch influenza – die Grippe bekommen
to suffer – leiden
mental health – psychische Gesundheit
vaccination – Impfung
sore – wund
by then – bis dann
hardly surprising – kaum überraschend
anxious – besorgt
desperate – verzweifelt
worrying – beunruhigt
helpless – hilflos
destiny – Schicksal
to improve – verbessern
plenty – reichlich
viewing time – Bildschirmzeit
increased – gesteigert
however – allerdings
available – verfügbar
addicted – abhängig, süchtig
health cures – Heilmittel
to strengthen – stärken
just in case – nur für den Fall
free advice – kostenloser Rat

award winning – preisgekrönt
preventive medicine – vorbeugende Medizin
nutrition – Ernährung
taught – gelehrt
to exercise – sich bewegen, Sport treiben
well-being – Wohlbefinden
to breathe – atmen
hardly any – fast kein
to alleviate – lindern, mildern
to unjumble – in Ordnung bringen
mindful – achtsam
convinced – überzeugt
mind over matter – eine Willenssache
consistent – konsequent
practice what you preach – lass den
Worten Taten folgen
to spend time – Zeit verbringen
above-mentioned – oben erwähnt
exhausted – erschöpft
surrounding – Umgebung