How to Be Healthy
At the beginning of the year, health goals are popular for many people.
For example, you say you want to eat healthier.
You say you want to work out more, and maybe drop some unhealthy habits.
These are good things, but they need to last longer than a few days or weeks.
A few months after I was married (wayyy) back in 1981, I had some digestive issues that I was struggling with and really wanted to find some solutions for, before I was to become pregnant. And my husband and I were also very anxious to start a family.
It was also the beginning of a new year at that time, and a really good time to start something new that you are excited to get some great results using.
What we found at that time was a local group of people very interested in natural health solutions. This was exactly what we were looking for because I didn’t want to take a medication that I might need to take the rest of my life, or that had side effects that might trigger another health issue.
Because I had such a positive experience with natural solutions, I have continued to live a more natural, chemical free and active life and feel very blessed to not take any meds at age 57.
Health Challenges
If you have been struggling with any type of small health problems, or maybe you have some big ones, it can be very helpful to know that there are solutions to improve how you feel now – and to help you get healthier for the long term.
Sometimes even small health issues can start to take control of your life, if you don’t take control of them first.
We love learning things like how your body is a ‘walking pharmacy’ and how your body can heal itself – or how simple lifestyle tweaks like getting more active can make a huge positive impact in your life.
Here is how we decided to get healthier:
- we found ways to improve our energy and mobility
- we worked at a better mindset and understanding of the power of our brains
- we take anti-aging nutrition supplements that help keep us feeling healthy and strong
What is Better Health?
Targeting better health means different things to different people. Prevention such as health screenings or well checkups are examples, but not really what I think of as a proactive way to affect my own health. This post is more about healthy things that you can personally do every day to help you get and stay healthy.
If you are on meds or have any other health limitations, you will want to check with your health care provider before you make any health challenges that can affect your body. That being said, we talk about very natural, healthy solutions that will be a positive influence in your life.
In our busy, busy days, taking time to slow down a little and dedicate small amounts of time to do something positive for ourselves – even as little as 15 or 30 minutes – can prove so beneficial that maybe you will carve out more time as you go.
3 Ways To Get Healthier
Here is what we are personally doing to stay healthy the natural way.
These are easy things that you can do as well to get healthier.
1. Keep Your Body Moving
I know I feel better when I am active. I know there is a ton of research that proves the health benefits of exercise. And yet I have never loved to exercise.
What I have found to be helpful is to focus on a few things at a time – to both avoid being bored with one type of exercise and to be motivated to do something every day.
- Walking outside, for any length of time. This is at the top of the list because I like to get outside and walking is one of the easiest things you can do to be active. The problem is that today as I am writing this the temperature is 13 degrees and feels like -6.
- For an indoor activity that I am really liking right now, I have a mini trampoline. It provides cardio but what I like even more is what’s called the Health Bounce.
- I am not a ‘gym person’ so I prefer exercising at home and finding things like yoga, stretching, and strength training programs that I follow along via video. You can find all kinds of free programs on Youtube so no excuses not to stay active!
As long as you are physically able to exercise, you will receive healthy benefits when you do regular physical activity.
And as long as you don’t over-do activity, or injure yourself, you will FEEL BETTER when you exercise.
2. Discover the Power of Your Brain
In the last couple of years we started reading books and published research about the mind and training your brain. We watch Ted Talks and videos about the power of your thoughts.
It is so empowering to realize that you have complete control over your thoughts. For example, if you have a negative thought, you can stop yourself right away and think about that thought and the power you are choosing to put on it. Is that negative thought serving you? If not, is there a way that you can change it? One way that can help with the stress or anxiety of a negative thought is to use a tool called the 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins, where you count backwards 5-4-3-2-1 and change your thought to something positive. It may sound simple but it works!
- We love love love studying all the new research on training your brain. Understanding how your brain works, and the power you have to train your brain any way you want, can dramatically change your life.
- Today there is more constant stress and anxiety, in all areas of our lives, than ever before in our history. Our ancestors had more of the fight or flight type of stress, and that is how our bodies were built to tolerate. The kind of stress we have today takes a huge impact on our health, and finding ways to manage it can improve your health.
- If you want to improve an area of your life, you can use a practice called Mental Rehearsal, where you use mental images for a specific purpose. Athletes have used it but there is current research that is expanding its use. Keeping your brain strong and healthy is a huge boost to your overall health.
3. Evaluate Your Nutrition
Maybe the easiest thing you can do, every day, to improve your health and improve your life, is to improve your nutrition.
You know the saying, “You are what you eat.” And yet one of the hardest things to do is to ‘eat for your health‘.
- What you feed your body, the actual nutrients that get into your cells, determines both how you feel (in terms of energy or mood or even joint health) and your overall health
- Because I know that I do not get all the vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients my body needs daily, from my food, I have taken very targeted, food-based supplements for the past 37 years. I take only nutrition supplements that are clinically proven to make my healthier – you have to ask for the proof!
- Whether you get the nutrition you need from your food alone, or food + supplements, learn about how the nutrients affect your health. It really is interesting when you think about how it directly affects you, such as when you eat an inflammatory diet you’re going to have some unwanted health issues.
Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
Choose Health
It’s your body, your mind, and your choice how to take care of it. If you’d rather lay on the couch, munch on junk food and watch TV, that is your choice. If you choose to be more active and eat healthier snacks, you might get a different outcome.
Today with genetic risk factors, environmental challenges like chemicals and toxins that threaten our good health, poor food and lifestyle choices that are readily available to make, stress, sleep problems, lack of enough physical activity, and lots of other risks to our good health, it’s clear to me that we need all the help that we can get. And it begins with the choices that you personally make in your own life.
If you would like to learn more about an anti-aging program to help you live younger longer, we invite you to take a few minutes and get your healthprint.
