If we don’t eat good, nourishing food, we get sick. We become weak. We have poor energy. But if we feed ourselves healthy, nutritious, satisfying food, we become happier, healthier, more energetic.

This is not rocket surgery.

And yet, so many of us (myself included) forget about feeding the parts of ourselves that drive us. The parts that define us. The parts that set us apart, make us ‘us’, make us happy or make us content.

We forget to feed our soul.

Feed your soul by giving yourself time. Feed your soul by putting that need high on the priority list. Feed your soul by finding it’s best food and relishing in it.

Here Are 3 Simple Steps to Discovering What Feeds Your Soul:

1. How Do You Know You’re Soul is Nourished?

There is a feeling of contentment. Of fullness. Of pride for having done something for you. Something that will sustain you for days. It will carry you through difficult times, tantrums, sleep deprivation, sickness. And it will make the good times feel even better.

2. Question: When Was the Last Time Your Soul Felt Well Fed?

Take a pen and paper and jot down the last five times your soul felt like this. (And do not refer to things that serve others first. These are about you and only you.)

Where were you?

What were you doing?

What were you thinking about?

3. Take Time and Do Each of These 5 Things

Talk to your loved ones, tell them you need time. Tell them you’re out of the house for an hour on Saturday morning, or that you’re taking a pilates class every Thursday night. And tell them that their support is important.

And as you try each of these nourishing activities, you will discover what it is that is your ultimate soul food. You will find that thing, that activity that makes your heart full and your spirit happy.

It may be:

writing for 30 minutes every day

jogging 3 times a week

gardening, digging, weeding, planting

painting

building model planes

renovating old furniture

singing

mountain bike riding

going to church

playing guitar

Whatever it is, make a promise to yourself that you will care for your soul as much as you care for your body. You and your family will reap the rewards, Promise.

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Slow Your Home | Well-Being

The City of Johannesburg is to introduce a by-law that will force residents to have trees and other "green" features factored into the building plans they submit for its approval. The city hopes to use the new by-laws to bridge the green divide between the look and feel of the northern suburbs and the townships in the south. City Parks spokesman Jenny Moodley said a draft tree management policy was being developed by the council to encourage tree planting. "It should not be negotiable for every new house in the city to have a tree. The idea is to have each house with an indigenous tree, fruit tree and a food garden that can comfortably feed a family of four. "This is the draft policy that we initiated as part of the growth and development strategy that the mayor announced last year."

Fruit trees that can survive on the highveld, such as peach, and indigenous trees such as cassia, would be planted. Thousands of trees have been planted across the city's seven regions in keeping with its greening project. During last month's Arbor Week 3733 trees were planted and there are plans for 16000 more in Eldorado Park and in Kliptown, Soweto. Moodley said the city would give 10000 indigenous trees, including 6000 fruit trees, to households, and another 1500 trees would be planted as part of the city's capital projects.

One of the problems that City Parks has to contend with is that the stakes supporting the saplings are often stolen, especially in Alexandra and Midrand. In areas such as Soweto trees have been felled to make room for homes, she said. Moodley said City Parks also had to counter beliefs such as that trees attracted evil spirits and harboured criminals. But other communities had different views about trees on their property.

"In Orange Farm, in the far south of Johannesburg, somebody hanged himself," Moodley recalled. "The community then petitioned the city to cut down all the trees in the area. "But we did not. Instead we had a long consultation process and a big education drive in that ward." Suburban residents complain that trees in their neighbourhood block their swimming pool pumps and the leaves litter their yards.

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Penwell Dlamini | Times Live | Living

My parents are health nuts. They are two loving, caring parents, but they are constantly in the process of reminding me how to maintain a healthy diet, mindset, and lifestyle. Over the years they have mailed me numerous health related pamphlets, articles, and quick-lists. Even though much of the information seems redundant, I usually read through it all anyway.

So here is my attempt to simplify the information that every general health article ever written states by delivering the info in 5 clear bullet points:

Eat Nutritious Food – Most of us know what is and is not nutritious for our bodies. We also know that what tastes good is not always what we should be stuffing our faces with. The old adage “you are what you eat” could not be any closer to the truth. If you ignore this step, the rest of the steps on this list will be a waste of your time.

Exercise Regularly – Most health professionals seem to think that about 30 minutes of exercise everyday is enough to fulfill this requirement. The #1 suggested form of exercise is a 30 minute brisk walk outdoors.

Do Not Smoke – This should be obvious, yet 1 out of every 5 people still smokes cigarettes on a regular basis. Don’t smoke, and avoid being around smokers while they smoke.

Nurture Your Relationships – Personal relationships are essential to general contentment and satisfaction in life. Regular interaction with close friends and family is regarded by many mental health professionals as the #1 source of happiness in a human being’s life.

Manage Stress – Stress comes in many forms, so make sure you are aware of any personal stress factors that are sitting in the back of your mind. 

 Don’t put off a task that is stressing you out. Instead, address the problem head on and resolve it ASAP.

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Marc Chernoff | Mark and Angel | Well-being 

Warm up with the mobility and dynamic flexibility moves. Then perform the 1-minute drill. Rest 15 to 30 seconds, then do the strength circuit. Rest 1 minute. Repeat the drill and strength circuit sequence three to five times. After the first round, try to work at an effort of 7 or 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10) each time you perform the 1-minute drill.

MOBILITY AND DYNAMIC FLEXIBILITY

Perform the following exercises as fast as possible with good form. Rest 30 seconds between exercises and 1 minute between rounds. Perform 2 rounds.

3-Step Lateral Run and Pause (5 reps)

From a strong tall posture, perform a high knee run sideways taking three total lateral steps, running on the balls of your feet, driving the elbows back and maintaining good upright posture. Do not cross your feet as you run. On the third step pause and maintain balance for at least 1 to 2 seconds before running in the opposite direction. That's one rep.

Lateral Speed Lunge (8 reps)

From an athletic position, take a lateral step to the right. Quickly and with good squat form, touch your right hand (outside your right leg) to the floor and immediately drive your body up and shuffle one step over to the left touching the floor with your left hand. Your body should be completely extended (tall) when you move from side to side. (For a variation of this side lunge, check out this video to perfect the form.)

Spiderman Climb (10 reps per leg)

Start in the top of the pushup position. Keep your abs braced, pick one foot up off the floor, and slowly bring your knee up outside of your shoulder and touch your foot to the ground. Slowly return your leg to the start position and repeat with the opposite leg.

1-MINUTE DRILL

Perform the following exercises for 15 seconds each. (And if these aren't intense enough for you, try this Fastest Cardio Workout Ever.)

Jumping Jacks

Start with your feet hip-width apart and hands at your sides. Simultaneously raise your arms above your head and jump so you can spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Then jump again to lower your arms and bring your feet together. Repeat.

High Knees

Run in place, with knees driving toward your chest.

Side-to-Side Hops

Starting with feet together, push off with your right foot to hop laterally to the left about 3 feet. Land on your left foot and follow with your right. Hop back, this time pushing off with your left foot. Repeat.

Mountain Climbers

Start in a pushup position. Keeping your head in line with your body, bring your right knee to your chest, then back to starting position. Alternate rapidly with the left leg.

STRENGTH CIRCUIT

Complete as many repetitions as you can of each exercise in 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds, then move to the next exercise. (And to take your workouts to the next level in minimal time, be sure to check out The Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts.)

Jumps

Dip down at the hips and knees, and then explode up.

Pushups with Row

Get into pushup position with your arms straight and your hands resting on light dumbbells. Squeeze your abs and glutes as you perform a pushup. At the top, pull one dumbbell off the floor and toward you until your elbow is above your back. Slowly return the weight to the floor and repeat with the other arm.

Two-Way Lunges

From a standing position, take a large step forward with one leg, then immediately lunge backward. Switch legs after 10 seconds.

Single-Leg RDL

Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Raise one foot and extend it behind you, just off the floor. Contract your glutes, brace your abs, and keep your spine naturally arched. Focusing on balance, lower yourself until your torso is parallel to the floor. Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back. Push back up to the starting position. Switch legs after 10 seconds.

Glute Bridges

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips so your lower back is off the floor. Hold for 20 seconds.

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Matt Chestnut | Healthy habits | Living