I have ups and downs like anyone else but generally I stay well and have enough energy to do all I want to do during the day. Sometimes I’m so ready for bed by 11ish and others I can stay up quite late and still get up between 6 and 7am. A sleep in after 7am is definitely a luxury in our house due to the five kids and 8am school starts etc. This luxury is usually afforded to birthdays, Father’s Day and other crazy days like that.

Many of my clients ask what I do to to keep myself healthy…….so here it is…….

When I’m most in balance I like to get up earlier than the kids to do some stretches and then go for a short run – I don’t run far (I’ll blame lack of time here!) but even a 20 minute run makes such a big difference to my day. This is always culminated by a quick dip in the pristine blue sea. The sea here in Crete is high in salt levels and even a 30 second dip is great at keeping my nose clear.

My sinuses are one of my ‘nurture points’ so breathing clearly is important to me. You may ask what a ‘nurture point’ is. Well it is an area, organ or body system that we need to pay a bit more attention to. When I first learnt Iridology back in 1995 we called these areas ‘weaknesses’. Doesn’t that word ‘weakness’ invoke negativity and needing to bow your head because heaven forbid you have a weakness in your sinuses? As my amazing Integrated Iridology lecturer, mentor and wonderful friend Toni Miller taught me – ‘words can be medicine’. Using positive words is ever so important. I would much rather have a ‘nurture point’ than a ‘weakness’. Every single one of us on this planet has some nurture points. Getting to know them and how to care for them is the key.

Here is a picture of my eyes and I’m not going to make this blog into an Iridology lesson but I want to point out how I found out my ‘nurture points’ which is pivotal in the way I keep myself healthy. What I have done is simply add some arrows highlighting my ‘nurture point’ areas rather than go into what the specific signs mean.

Back to the start of my day. If I don’t start my day with some exercise at least 3 times each week I get sluggish and my metabolism decreases. Usually before I go out the door I have a glass of water with lemon juice in it. Lemon juice is a brilliant liver cleanser first thing in the morning and it also helps bile production. Water is super important a to me as a ‘Kidney Lymphatic’ iris constitution – basically that means that I have greenish eyes and that the kidneys are my ‘primary nurture point’. If I don’t have enough water throughout my day or if I don’t wear a hat in the sun I can easily get a headache. I don’t see these things as weaknesses at all – simply they are clues I have gathered about how to keep myself well – as long as I do that most of the time I don’t get headaches. It’s pretty simple really.

I have a tendency to a fermented gut so starting my day with carbohydrates is the worst way for me. To have sustained energy till lunch time I need protein. My two preferred breakfasts are either an omelette or Natural Greek yoghurt with nuts. I don’t need anything else till about midday when I start my day like this and it keeps me regular as well. Just before breakfast I usually have a multi vitamin – my preferred one is ‘Male Essentials’ by Metagenics. It’s a high quality multivitamin and mineral supplement which has the highest quality and best mix of nutrients among many that I have compared and tried. Even though I try to have mostly healthy food, I still don’t believe that I can get everything I need for my busy life from food – I have written a blog about why I feel we all need a multivitamin on a regular basis. You can read it here
I go through stages of not having it for a week or days if I’m away but generally I notice a difference when I don’t take it.

After walking kids to school (not having a car and living in a small town where you can walk everywhere is just so wonderful) I usually see Bowen clients or work on Skype. I love my work though it isn’t very physical work and the ‘Lymphatic’ part of my iris constitution means that I do have a tendency towards becoming stagnant if I don’t move and do exercise – therefore I have to do it in the morning as much as possible and then walk everywhere I need to go. Even making an effort not to use the lift and stick to the stairs helps immensely. Every little bit counts.

One of the things I just love about Greece is that we have our main meal at lunch time after 2pm when the kids get home from school. As it’s quite a late lunch and very important to eat at least one meal as a family, I usually have a couple of pieces of fruit around midday. At the moment cherries, apricots and plums are in season and they are just delicious. For lunch we eat a variety of things though mostly it’s gluten free and we try to have some raw food with each meal to help our guts have enough enzymes for optimal digestion. Speaking of enzymes – we have a cup of kefir in the middle of the table and all have a swig of it. Kefir is one of the best known ways to make sure you have enough probiotics and it’s a brilliant way at keeping the gut healthy. You can find my kefir recipe here

Apple cider vinegar is also a way that I help my gut system keep healthy and my digestion optimum. Try a Tablespoon full with water before your main meal.

The afternoons are pretty busy, it is when I do Bowen therapy home visits, the kids have Greek tutoring, need to finish their homework, go to swimming classes, soccer training, athletics etc. Therefore there’s generally not time to think of snacking but if I need something I usually grab a piece of fruit or if I’m tired a square of good quality dark chocolate (life is too short for milk chocolate in my opinion)!

When all the sports and other activities are over the kids are usually hungry again so we have the leftovers of lunch and top up with a new salad or yoghurt or something like that. If it’s a special day like a birthday we will have a cake or treats after dinner. I am definitely not a Puritan and live in the real world. Even though I love keeping healthy and want my kids to do the same we try to have a balance. You might remember my 80/15/5 rule! You can read more about it here

Most of the time we stick to our healthy eating plan – the 80% part. If we visit friends or go out we might have cake or other delicacies they’ve prepared. Each Friday night we support our local friend that has a Restraunt on the corner and have a pizza night while we watch a DVD – it’s become a tradition now – the 15% part. Sometimes a soul filling afternoon is a walk to our favourite ice-cream shop – Dodoni – for a delicious ice-cream and then a play in the park – the 5% part. It’s what you do most of the time that counts.

We usually put our kids to bed pretty early by Greek standards – we like them to all be asleep by 8.30pm otherwise how do I ever get time to relax or read, or catch up on my website work? It’s also important for my wife Sandy and I get to time to chat or catch up properly, to get ready for the next day etc. Having the lunch boxes ready and bags packed makes for a much smoother morning which is very important for mental health – both ours and the kids. A rushed start can ruin your whole day if you let it. So preparation is important to how I stay healthy too.

One of the last things both Sandy and I love to do at the end of the night is sit on the couch with a hot cup of herbal tea and a square (or two or three – I have to be honest!) of dark chocolate.

The important thing is to be informed with the best ways to keep yourself healthy. Your eyes and other body parts like your tongue etc can all give you this wonderful information. I highly recommend an analysis of your iris and sclera from a trained Integrated Iridologist who can help you realise your ‘nurture points’ and how to stay healthy physically, emotionally and mentally. You can do all this from your iris. Amazing!

If you would like to organise a Skype appointment to have an iris & health assessment please go to www.mynaturopathchristos.com/services/ and you’ll find a link to organising a consultation.

Have an awesome and healthy day

Christos Miliankos