Junk food, unplanned diet schedule, excessive stress and fast paced life might lead to more money in the short run, but the long term future is guaranteed to help only the doctors and nurses. Health issues are sure to haunt us and our next generations. It is the time to ponder over these issues. I am not a health expert, nor have I studied modern medical or nutrition sciences. However, some learning comes from our daily practices. We have been following some of the practices for ages and there are some good aspects in them. A careful observation can help us in culling out the minute details, which are directly or indirectly related to our own well being. We have been habituated to our life-style and ignore the rationale behind the same. It is the time to re-discover what and why of our life-practices. Mankind had developed amazing principles of living, long before the present industrial era. These principles are embedded in the nature and enable a person to enjoy the nature without harming its existence and its future potential. This is what we are trying to re-discover in the form of sustainable development. As modern technologies are becoming widespread, traditional practices are becoming extinct. Some of the traditional practices are being documented by different scholars and preserved for future. In this small discussion, we shall focus on tips for Health in the ancient Indian philosophy given by Jain Saints.

For the hale and healthy
It's life
It's mission
It's a celebration
The Journey of life
Full of bliss,
Amidst beautiful world
Purpose of existence
Pursuit of Knowledge
Yoga, meditation and enlightenment
Celebration of happiness
Starts with health
Balanced diet and healthy body
But pity for those who ignored their health
Damaged their body and killed their own existence
Despair and frustration,
Regrets and medication
No hope...

Jain philosophy lays its roots in the practices as enunciated by 24 Thirthankars. Some of these practices have been able to survive for thousands of years. The focus of all these practices is non-violence and peaceful co-existence with the nature. Some of these practices are extremely helpful to a person in his physical fitness and well being. These practices also infuse you with fresh thinking, holistic approach and an attitude of consonance with the universe.

Obesity and lifestyle disorders are haunting almost every third person today. Modern medicines cannot give complete cure from these issues. There is a need to re-visit our traditional practices to re-orient ourselves and adopt practices which can help us in leading a better life. Life management is an issue, which cannot be ignored for long. I have practiced the Jain philosophy and found that there are solutions for the present day problems. These solutions should be addressed by adopting a better lifestyle.

I shall briefly mention here only 5 practices, which I have tested and found extremely useful. You may also try out some of these and if you find them useful, do share your experiences: -

a. Eat less; Ask for less: Most of us invariably eat more. We try to fill our stomach. In fact our stomach is designed to store far more food than what we need. We need to eat less and adopt a self-imposed standard. We should eat when we are really hungry and should eat only enough to help us sustain. This will solve all our health related problems. We have to be extremely careful about what to eat and what to drink. We should not just make our body a place for experiments and pour in everything that comes before us. Say a firm no to tobacco and junk food. Many of us typically order for a large number of items in Restaurants or in Parties. This ultimately results in eating more or throwing away of eatables. We should avoid this and restrain ourselves while ordering.

b. Drink warm water after boiling: Jain monks still drink water after boiling it. This water is slightly warm and keeps us physically active and agile. Drinking refrigerated water creates stomach related problems.
c. Don't eat and drink after sunset: Another Jain practice is to eat as per the cycle of Sun. A person should eat when there is Sun light. This is closely related to the working of our body. Whatever we eat and drink during day time is properly digested and helps us in our fitness.

d. Adopt Walking: Jain monks still don't use any vehicle. They walk from one place to another. On an average, they walk 15 kms per day. This keeps them agile, fit and active. Walking is the best exercise. Adopting walking helps us in maintaining our fitness and it helps in reducing the vehicular pollution also. The modern educational institutions have adopted this and have incorporated pedestrian's road to encourage people to walk within the institution.

e. Eat vegetarian food: Vegetarian food is quicker to absorb, easier to digest and keeps you close to the nature. Jain saints avoid eating roots (which are associated with the life of a plant). Adopting such practices helps you in maintaining reasonable health and fitness.

I urge you to dig out the treasures from our traditional knowledge and practices and share that with people for wider publicity and well being.