hacks for good health

Let me preface this with the fact that I am NOT a health coach..yet!  This is just a quick list of tips I’ve learned, mostly the hard way.  Now that we have the disclaimer out of the way here’s what you should do for good health 🙂 

-Eliminate the toxins…..in your relationships, your body and in your living space. 

Relationships can be tricky, if Negative Nancy is someone you want to keep around, have a conversation with them.  It’s amazing what an honest, mutually respectful conversation can do!  Make sure to take ownership for your part because, well, you’re not perfect.  Seek counsel if needed, scratch that….we all need counseling!

Detoxes, intermittent-fasts, colonics, juicing, etc can all be amazing ways to release toxins.  Sure, we have organs that are designed to rid our bodies of toxins but the American diet is just so horrifying that our natural detox systems cannot keep up.  Personally I incorporate the killer combo of nutrient-support and intermittent-fast days into my regular routine, sometimes up to 48 hours a couple times per month!  I always feel amazing after!  While we are on this topic, I should just go ahead and state what you already know-nutrition is so, so, so  important and trumps it all when it comes to good health.   PS: I still eat a lot of pizza…..

Getting rid of toxins in your home is actually pretty easy, stop purchasing chemical cleaning agents…..that’s it.  They aren’t all that effective and they are detrimental to your health.  Be sure to choose safer cosmetics and personal care products, as well.  

-Rest.  As in SLEEP!  Our bodies are either in stress and fatigue mode or rest and recovery mode.  If we never allow our bodies to restore and repair via rest, our immune systems take a toll, our adrenals start to fail us, and we live in a state of overwhelming exhaustion.  Sleep is so important for overall health.  Try to find some time to decompress! Meditate, get a massage, diffuse pure essential oils, listen to relaxing music (binural beats), reading, or slowing the breath down to a state that fosters repair!  I try to slow my breath to 2 full, slow inhales/exhales per minute a few times throughout the day.  I also utilize ancient herbs and plants known as adaptogens to help the body to resist physical, biological and emotional stress.   Our bodies are designed to heal themselves but they need to be given the opportunity!

-Have fun!!!  How sad is it that humans need to be reminded to have fun?!  What a freaking disaster we’ve become.  Have you completely forgotten how to play, smile and engage in life?  Make a list of some things you’d like to try, a hobby you’ve forgotten about, a club/organization that you’d like to participate in-THEN GET OUT THERE AND DO IT.  Got kids?  Play with them!  Have a car?  Roll the windows down and jam some Nirvana!  Have a phone?  Call a friend and schedule a night out, then make sure to laugh AND ugly cry.

-Be Mindful, some call it being present.  Call it what you want but don’t let your day run you.  You are in charge of your life and you get to design how you want to live it.  You are not a victim and you do have a choice.  Life can be hell, it’s true.  But do you want to know what is worse than hell….continually living in it and not participating in the action it requires to create change.  The change can be small, but a simple mindfulness activity, affirmation, or mantra can help you to create constructive habits to build upon.  I don’t believe that God put us on this temporary Earth journey to just go through the motions, so I am living, thriving and continually learning!

-Move Yo Bod.  I mean, you knew it was coming.  I am the queen of the #pushupchallenge, I skip meetings to climb mountains, and I’ve made working out part of my lifestyle since the college “freshman 25” motivated me.  It’s not everything, but it is important.  Endorphins are super cool and make everything instantly better.

The topics above address one overall health theme, which is stop stressing the F-out! Stress comes from everywhere; the environment, our food and water supply, our relationships, our jobs-you name it, there’s a stressor.  The cumulative stress theory points out how constantly living under stress can manifest as injury, disease or even death.  Eeeeek.

Which one of these stress-reducing activities can you commit to today?   

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