The tendency to be healthy is not an inherited trait. Good health is up to us!
Like so many things, good health comes with how you choose to live your life. Here are our recommendations for healthy living:
Spend time in the sun daily. Sunshine increases your levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D boosts your resistance to autoimmune and infectious diseases, as well as cancer. Sunshine boosts nitric oxide and melatonin. Our ancestors were in the sun all day. All life forms require sunshine to thrive. You do too.
Direct barefoot contact with the surface of the Earth brings enormous health benefits. It’s been proven to boost self-healing mechanisms, reduce inflammation and pain, and improve your sleep. It restores and stabilizes physiology and organs and can help you feel calm. Take off the shoes and walk around barefoot. Enjoy the walk along the beach or even in your backyard to feel better.
Study after study tells us that television, smartphones, tablets and other electronics are bad for our health. Studies show that they make us less productive. They make us less happy. And they make us die faster. Make it a goal to unplug at least one night a week and a full day on the weekend. No email. No texting. No Facebook. You can do it!
We’ve known for some time that exercise improves health. It’s proven to help people live longer. Exercise has positive effects on your heart, mind and metabolism.
I recommend that you be active in some form at least 45 minutes each day. Walking, running, hiking and body weight exercises are all parts of your daily activity regimen. Then, three times a week, mix in high intensity training for cardiovascular fitness.
You can add up to three years to your life by having satisfying sex 2-3 times per week. Studies also show regular sex may lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, boost your immunity and help your heart.
And here’s one more benefit – sex can burn a lot of calories, almost as much as 30 minutes of running!
When it comes to health, nothing is more important than diet.
I want you to eat the diet of our ancestors. It will make you healthier, leaner, stronger and fitter. This diet, the Paleo diet, is the diet I follow as do all my patients. Learn more about the Paleo diet.
Eating foods treated by chemical pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, poisons and growth hormones are one of the major causes of disease in the world today. That’s why you must eat organic foods.
Organic.com defines organic foods as “produce and other ingredients grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.” Always, always eat organic foods. Eat only wild seafood. Eat only grass fed, free range, organic meat and poultry.
Research shows that you’re at a greater risk of health problems without a strong network of friends and/or family. Good social relationships increase our odds for a longer life as much as quitting smoking does, and are nearly twice as beneficial as physical activity.
Loneliness has been shown to increase inflammation. Cultivate healthy relationships with friends and family for a healthier life.
There’s lots of conflicting studies regarding alcohol and your health. Here’s what I recommend:
Vegetables are nutritional powerhouses packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They slash your risk of heart disease and cancer, and they are inflammation-fighting wonders. At least 50% of your daily diet should be organic vegetables.
Meditation is a process of quieting your mind. Every major society and every major religion in history recognizes the health benefits of quieting your mind. I do too. Here’s a link to an excellent study showing all the numerous ways meditation helps your health and lowers your risks of cancer and heart disease.
Want to learn how to start meditating? Read this guide.
Due to the depletion of soil and degradation in air and water quality, it’s impossible to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs for optimal health solely through food. That’s why you need to take a nutritional supplement.
A nutritional supplement, sometimes called a “dietary supplement,” can provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, amino acids, and other substances your body needs for optimal health.
Everyone should take a multivitamin and a probiotic. You may also need other supplements. See your local holistic doctor for blood testing. The results will reveal the types of supplements you may need.
Give back to others by volunteering your time and talents to organizations or people that touch your soul. The authors of a study published in 2013 at the University of Exeter Medical School conclude that volunteering helps you live longer, be less depressed and have enhanced feelings of well-being. Make a difference for your health by making a difference for others.
A chiropractor provides a natural form of health care. This doctor uses spinal adjustments to correct spinal subluxations while restoring proper function to the nervous system. Since your nervous system is tied to all parts of your body, its proper function is vital to your overall health.
Chiropractic care has been proven to lower blood pressure, improve nerve function, decrease inflammation, improve heart rate variability, and improve lung function.
Make chiropractic care a regular habit for great health. Need a chiro? Ask a friend. Chances are, they see one.
Proper body hydration is critical to good health. Water makes up about 2/3 of your body. It’s important for facilitating normal digestion, for eliminating toxins, and lubricating your joints.
Drink good quality water (none of that stuff like they had in Flint, Michigan) in sufficient amounts. A general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. As an example, a 200 lb man should drink about 100 ounces a day. You can tell that you are drinking enough water when your urine turns a light yellow.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, some of the worst health problems associated with a lack of sleep include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, heart attack, and stroke.
That’s a nasty list.
Your body needs sleep to rejuvenate and heal. Most people need 8 hours of sleep each day. Make sure to get a proper amount of sleep. Lack of sleep is one of the most hidden causes of health issues in our country today.
It’s been said that today’s choices are tomorrow’s realities. Develop the right habits and you’ll be happier and healthier. I guarantee it.
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