5 Ways to Upgrade your Health today!
Are you one of the millions of people who have decided your top New Year’s resolution is getting into shape? Maybe you are using the phrase “better health” instead?
Regardless of how you say it, you may be among the vast majority of people who have the best intentions but don’t know where to start. This article is meant for you!
I promise that with these 5 simple steps, you will automatically see a difference in your overall health. From sleeping better, improved digestion, and more motivation to move, these 5 steps could be the first steps you take towards an amazing new year and new YOU.
Step 1: Breathe Deep
This may seem too simple to do much, but it’s amazing how many studies show that most adults (and sadly, now even kids), aren’t breathing in a way that supports their overall health.
This specific type of breathing is abdominal breathing, where the diaphragm expands and contracts with each inhale and exhale. And the slower the better. First, you count your normal breath (maybe it’s inhale for 4, exhale for 4). Then hold for a moment before actively relaxing and expanding it as you inhale and drawing in your belly as you exhale. See if you can lengthen your inhale by 1 each time, and exhale by 2 counts each time.
If you can slow your breath down to the point that your exhale is 3-4 counts longer than your inhale, you’ve made it into the transformation zone. 10 breaths in a row like this, and you’ve reduced your stress that day enough for your body to start feeling it. Do it for 20-30 minutes a day, and you’ll be well on your way to a peaceful, easy feeling.
To stay even more on top of your breath, consider a meditation practice such as EFT Tapping or guided meditations (if you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll get access to one for free!)
Step 2: Drink Clean Water
You may think you trust the municipal water system, as thousands of people do, but what you don’t know CAN actually hurt you. From rusty pipes to leaching plastic plumbing parts, to slacking county standards or agricultural runoff, there is a whole lot more in the tap water being pumped into your faucet than any Britta filter could ever hope to remove. The best way to go: Reverse Osmosis with added Trace Minerals or Berkey Gravity fed systems.
And NO—bottled water from the supermarket or gas station won’t cut it. Yes, there are a few brands that are more ethical than others, who do make an effort to not only purify and remineralize, but also add a more alkaline nature to the water. But the problem is this: municipal water is more regulated than bottled water! And if substances such as hexavalent chromium, fluoride, chlorine, arsenic, bromate, and even heroin have been found in municipal water, just imagine what could be in the bottle you’re holding…
There are several affordable ways to source clean water, including specialty water stores that have reverse osmosis equipment and sell water by the gallon or 5 gallon jug. If you have a nearby source of unpolluted wells, you could bottle it yourself too! Use www.findaspring.com.
Other options for your home include the Berkey filtration system (with fluoride filters) and the AquaTru system (recommended by the real Erin Brockovich, who Julia Roberts made famous). There are even whole-house RO (reverse osmosis) systems that would filter the water from every tap, including showers! Just be sure to add trace minerals (such as ConcenTrace Trace Minerals) when you use it for drinking and cooking.
Step 3: Organic Everything
And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. You’d be surprised at how many chemicals are hiding out in not only your lettuce and tomatoes, but also in your clothing, soap and deodorant.
If you can find a local farm or co-op that’s even better, otherwise make a point to head to the organic section at your grocery store. Be vigilant about reading labels on body products, and opt for fragrance-free for an extra credit clean you’ll both (not) smell and feel.
It all starts with the way things are grown and produced—by choosing organic food and products every time you purchase, you are voting with your dollar to help shift the global industry towards cleaner methods.
Special extra credit: if you can, try to eat nothing that comes out of a box or bag for 1 week! And if you buy meat, make sure it lived on pastures for it’s entire life and ate what nature intended (no corn or soy). See how amazing it feels to eat food in its original form!!
Step 4: Get Moving
Again, simple, too good to be true because everyone talks about it? Well, my friend, have I got a challenge for you!
The popular phrase “use it or lose it” definitely applies here, and I’m not just talking about your muscles. I’m talking about your metabolism and even more crucial—your bones!
Yep, you can help regenerate so many cells in your body by simply moving in a targeted way. Don’t have time to go for a brisk walk? Do at least 2 sets of 25 jumping jacks and 25 squats. Add in some push ups and you’ve got yourself a solid amount of explosive and weight bearing movement to improve your mobility.
Want to level up? There’s a huge trend towards functional movement, because it’s, well, functional! It incorporates multiple muscle groups in ways that our bodies evolved, and it even helps to improve brain function because it’s uniting the two hemispheres. Functional movement also takes advantage of weights like kettlebells and resistance bands to increase the benefits and strengthen beyond your muscles to your bones. You can find a plethora of resources through Instagram, Pinterest, and just plain old internet search engines ;)
Step 5: Turn off the Lights
We all know sleep is good for us, and staring at screens hurts our eyes, but we typically don’t realize just how much light affects our ability to sleep and our internal alarm clock.
From television screens to computer screens to smartphones, our blue light exposure is something that has never occurred in the history of our development as a species, and it is proving catastrophic. When the human body is overloaded with blue light this way, it’s extremely difficult for the systems that regulate hormones and sleep to know when it’s actually daytime and when it’s nighttime.
One of the best things you can do for your body is adjust the amount of blue light being projected from all the screens and LEDs around you. Turn them to nighttime mode 24-7, get some blue light blocking glasses, and even screen covers that have a red tone.
The final thing you can do (beyond change all the lightbulbs in your house to the amber-red frequency) is turn off most of the lights an hour before you go to bed. Set an alarm, and when it goes off, for the next hour do things to wind down that don’t involve bright light. Turn off the TV, take a bath or shower, read a book, meditate, do some stretches, you get the idea. Then go to bed with the phone set to airplane mode and dream!
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Alright, folks, there you have it.
5 things you can start today, and watch your life begin to change.
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