JUST imagine that you own a machine, quietly standing in the corner of your house. It needs some water and fuel to keep it going, but on the whole, it's an efficient machine.

And what does it do for you? Depending on the model you have got, it prints some money for you! Everyday! The amounts can vary tremendously from machine to machine, averaging let's say, £50 per day.

If such a machine is available for you, how much time, effort and money will you be willing to spend on its maintenance?

Also, will you put some inferior quality fuel in its tank that will decrease its life? Will you prevent it from being poisoned with various chemicals, if you can?

Well, you do have such a machine in your house, except that it does not stand quietly. It feeds on fatty and fast food, takes in cigarette smoke and consumes alcohol and various other chemicals.

Yes, go and look in the mirror. It's YOU!

Ever thought of yourself that way?

Our body and mind together is a wonderful machine. Each one is a unique model and there are hardly any spares available for most of the parts.

Agreed there are artificial joints, lenses and transplanted organs. But still, it's not the same as being in good health.

The state of good health is like happiness. Most of the time we become aware of it when it is gone!

We seem to take it for granted. Being healthy does not just mean going to a gym to work out, nor does it automatically mean abstinence from various enjoyments of life.

As a general rule, the key lies in avoiding excesses of any kind. For example, we all know that a little alcohol is good for our heart, but how much is a little? As long as it is less than the next bloke? One of these days we will look into that a little more.

Following my first article that appeared last month, some of you who wrote to me suggested fitness, smoking, accidents and depression as some of topics they would like to see covered.

All of these have been noted and I will endeavour to discuss them in future columns.