We have compiled 10 simple and easy ways to help keep yourself and your family healthier and stronger. A healthy outlook is a good start, however making small improvements to your diet and lifestyle is what drives health deep. Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy life!
Follow the Mediteranean style of eating! This means buying in season foods for your family meals. Eating in season foods means that you shop locally, support farmers and consume foods which have not travelled long distances before they reach your plate! This means high nutrient density foods
Harvest natural Vitamin D: Most of our Vitamin D supply comes from exposure to the sun so a healthy lifestyle means getting outside, in nature and the fresh air. A small amount of direct sun exposure is beneficial for your health and can benefit not only the health of the bones but also mental health and wellbeing!
Water, water everywhere. Without quality water, we are dehydrated, our cells are void of energy. Ensure that you are consuming two litres of water daily. This is not yielded from tea, coffee, soft drinks or energy drinks. This is pure, filtered water. “The solution to pollution is dilution”. There is no better health tip than boosting your water intake!
Improve your digestive function. The digestion is the hub of the body, it is where all life-force (Qi, energy) is yielded. Without good digestion our body struggles with vitality and symptoms of sluggishness may seep in. Improving your digestion can be as simple as avoiding foods which cause problems (dairy, meat, alcohol, sugar, grains, gluten) and choosing better quality foods (organic, simple menu planning, fasting occasionally).
Me Time: This is an imperative for a happy and healthy you! Typically life is busy right? Putting aside some time for yourself each day means better focus, improved self love and confidence, revitalised energy and time to connect with your emotions. Sign up for a new yoga or fitness class, finally finish that book you’ve wanted to read, meditate under a tree or take a simple walk through your local park.
Observe your addictions. Look at what you have in your life that causes you frustration and what you do in those weak moments. Do you eat your emotions, drink away your worries or vent your stress in the form of addictions. Slowing down your day and removing these addictions is one of the best things you can do to improve your overall health. When you find yourself reaching for a chocolate because you are triggered, think “will eating this really make me feel better”. So what can you do instead, take 10 deep breaths, feel the urge, take a quick walk around the block and learn to sit in the discomfort. Soon you will shift this behaviour and become an even better version of yourself.
Everyday Exercise: There is enough information out there which speak of the benefits of daily exercise and this is definitely the key! Exercising everyday doesn’t mean slogging it at the gym, it can mean keeping active through chores (raking leaves, walking the dog, surfing with your kids). Rather than 3 days of hard core exercise, how about daily movement instead. Research shows that the kind of exercise you choose creates stress or creates health and fitness.
Find what makes you happy and do it everyday. No explanation needed!
Clean Air: Get out of the house! Nature is the ultimate healer and simply getting out of your house has stress relieving effects. The washing can wait, if the day is bright and shiny, getting out and about can be the best medicine for your vitality.
Give Back: Give back to your community and those in need with your time as a way to show gratefulness and generosity. Volunteer at your local shelter, collect food cans, donate gently used clothes and coats, even a small gesture makes a big impact on your community. The positive effect for you is that you feel good about yourself because you are making a difference to those in need.