For good health you need well-being

Beach, near St Brelade, Jersey, Summer 2010, Lesley Beeton

A little before Christmas, Radio 4 presenter Jenni Murray asked if her weight was to blame for her breast cancer. I didn't blog about this then as the year ended with so many cancer stories and I felt that this could be re-visited in the new year. So here it is. Yes, being overweight can lead to cancer, but it's not the only risk factor. And is it really helpful to be mean to yourself about having cancer?

I prefer to promote well-being for good health. Sounds simple enough but quite hard to achieve. There are no get-slim-get-happy quick programmes. Well-being comes from within. Well-being is giving yourself a 'strawberry', a little treat to remind you of what a beautiful person you are. If you are proud of yourself and confident in your inner beauty, you will want to be healthy on the outside too.

Losing weight is difficult, and can be lonely too. Finding a sociable way to exercise will help you to maintain the activity. We all know these things, we just have to find the one thing that we can remain committed to. Start with small steps and build up your exercise. Add in me-time and happy-time; well-being will be within your grasp.

I started swimming twelve years ago. I joined a small club with a great pool. We are known as the early swimmers. We really care about each other. We range in age from thirty to nearly eighty! Swimming is a great way to burn calories, build muscle and tone. I have a yoga and meditation routine for breathing and stretching. A great way to well-being.

For a more energetic activity, try walking two Boxer dogs! No time for feeling sorry for yourself when you've got a dog to take care of, and walking in a beautiful place can clear your head and help you focus. And we can learn a lesson from the dogs too. They always stretch before their walks, an elegant cat pose!


There are no guarantees for good health, but well-being brings so many benefits.

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