What’s In YOUR Heart?
Hey everyone. How has your week been? As we all know, the summer is practically here already. People are planning vacations, weddings, reunions, anniversaries, and all kinds of fun events to feel great and look fabulous for. Then there are others who are just trying to get by, looking for work, or wanting to create a career that feels good to them. Whatever we are going through, the way we feel, function, and think will effect all of our efforts. Food becomes our thoughts, our blood, our skin, the way we relate to people, and the way we experience ourselves in the world. The quality of what we eat and how we spend our time will ALWAYS have a huge effect on the quality of the experiences and opportunities we get to have. How are you feeling about yourself now? Are you ready for life? Do you feel confident, and in a place of power? I hope so. Optimal health and wellness will always allow us to reach our goals in life much quicker, and with more ease, joy, and grace as we are in the process.
Tuesday I spoke for a group called the Tuesday Transitioners. I was asked to speak about how to stay fit and healthy in the face of the adversity. They are all in a career transition of some form. I delivered to them the 12 Steps I use in my own life, as well as teach my clients. These are the 12 Steps to a healthier you, no matter who you are! They will keep you healthy, looking good, feeling good, and performing at your best. Check them out! Also, please see a new video I filmed recently that will highlight the type of workouts I do myself and with my clients. Here’s To your Health, Wellness, and Vitality!
12 Steps to a Healthier YOU
1) Drink more water– you want to be sure you are drinking at lease 1/2 your body’s weight in ounces. Our body is made up of 75% water so it only makes sense that this essential fluid must be continually replenished. We can go a month without food, but we can only live 2-3 days without water. Water is crucial to our survival…we can literally prevent disease. A large population of Americans are dehydrated, which contributes significantly to a poor state of health. Regularly flushing out the kidneys and bladder with water ensures that dead cells and other waste products can be expelled before they reach toxic levels. Maintaining hydration can prevent premature aging, eliminate pain and headaches, lessen hypertension, and promote weight loss. Add a slice of lemon, a slash of fruit juice, or a slice of cucumber for taste if you don’t like the taste of plain water.
2) Practice Cooking– Learning the art of simple meal planning will help you get all the nutrients you need as well as release you from dependency on restaurant food, fast food, and other processed foods. You won’t be a good cook at first, so be willing to be bad, in order to learn. It’s worth it…we eat much differently when we are feeding ourselves vs the alternatives.
3) Increase Whole Grains– Many fashionable diets say to avoid carbs…I’ve done this…it doesn’t work! Whole grains have been a central element of the human diet since the dawn of civilization. Until very recently, people living in these communities had lean, strong bodies. People are gaining weight today bc they are consuming too much chemicalized junk food, and consume too much caffeine, sugar, nicotine and alcohol. It’s NOT the carbs! Oddly enough, many will avoid eating whole grains, yet they will eat junk food carbs, when one is beneficial to their health and the other is not. Some examples: quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, brown rice, millet
4) Increase Sweet Vegetables- Almost everyone craves sweets. Instead of depending on processed sugar, you can add more naturally sweet flavor to your daily diet. EX) When I was training for fitness competitions, I wouldn’t eat carrots but then would binge on cakes, cookies, etc Some sweet vegetable examples: corn, carrots, onions, beets, winter, butternut, buttercup, and delicata squash, sweet potatoes and yams. 5) Increase Leafy Green Vegetables- Learning to cook and eat greens, especially the leafy kind, is essential for creating lasting health. These are the scarcest food in the American diet. Greens help build our internal rainforest and strengthens our circulatory and respiratory systems. Some benefits gained are:
– blood purification
– cancer prevention
– improved circulation
– immune strengthening
– subtle, light, and flexible energy
– lifted spirit, elimination of depression
– promotion of healthy intestinal flora
– improved liver, gallbladder, and kidney function
– clearing of congestion, especially in lungs, and reduction of mucus
6) Experiment with Protein- Protein is the basic building block for the human structure, helping bodies form muscles, skin, and hair. Because of our BIO-INDIVIDUALITY, protein requirements vary dramatically from person to person.
– I recommend experimenting with reducing or increasing your protein intake and trying different sources, animal and vegetable, and noticing the impacts on your body.
7) Eat Less meat, dairy, sugar, and chemicalized junk foods; consume less coffee, alcohol, and tobacco-
– I would rather “CROWD OUT” than take away from any individuals diet, however most people who reduce or eliminate these things feel more energized immediately. If they are already sick, cutting down on these foods helps them recover their health and vitality.
-Buy ORGANIC when you can!!!
8) Develop Easy and Reliable Habits to Nurture Your body- A KEY component to overall health, is the relationship between you and your body. This relationship is all to often looked over by the medical community. I can attest to the fact that this is a form of primary food, and we need it. I’ve listed a few examples of these “esteemable acts” below:
-using a tongue cleaner- an inexpensive yet transformative tool. Dentists are recommending it more and more bc it helps fight cavities by removing bacteria from the mouth. It also prevents bad breath and helps with cravings by cleaning the tongue of leftover food residue that could lead to cravings for those foods eaten previously.
-hot towel scrubs- relaxation circulation, and detoxification The skin is the largest organ of elimination, and stimulating the pores will help them eliminate better
– hot water bottle- for comfort in bed, use it to balance your HARA, the lower belly (asian philosophy believes this to be the center and source of your life energy) A warm bottle on the belly brings more energy and more blood circulation to the digestive organs in this area, which are really the engine of your body. It aids in digesting food and in unblocking energy that may be stuck after a heavy meal
-Also, getting proper rest, relaxation and fun. THIS is soooo important!
9) Have healthy relationships that support you- Figuring out which kind of relationship works best for you is crucial. It’s rare that I meet someone who feels ENTIRELY supported by his or her family, friends, co-workers, boss, and significant other. Most important is that we ask for help and for what we need from those loved ones around us. Or we can make new relationships by getting into some new circles of people, that may be aligned with us in ways that will feel supportive to us.
10) Find Physical Activity You Enjoy and Do It Regularly- A lot of people go to great lengths to eat healthy, but then they don’t exercise regularly. Movement aids digestion, assimilation, circulation and respiration and is a crucial part of any healthy person’s regimen. Think about what ways in which you like to move, and make a menu of movement to keep it interesting
-yoga
-hiking
-dance
-running
– taking a walk outside, somewhere pretty with fresh air
-weights
-aerobics class
-kayaking
-rollerblading
– riding a bicycle
* I always change it up
11) Find Work you love or a way to love the work you have- some of you may not have a job right now, so tyring things like networking, mastermind groups, meet-up groups (meetup.com), book clubs, bartering, and volunteer work can help so much
-THESE THINGS KEEP THE VALVE OPEN, so you are open and available for the right thing at the right time!!!! Keep the flow going!
-You’d be surprised that by making certain changes, such as fueling your life in other ways, practicing public speaking for more confidence, actively seeking more fun, will help dissolve the issues around work you may currently be experiencing
12) Develop a spiritual practice- Spirituality is what gives deep meaning to life, creating the feeling of divine order and harmony that exists above and beyond human limitations.It can offer us a sense of purpose and belonging. For some this means embracing their religion at birth, following traditions of their ancestors and seeking depth through prayer with God. Others feel disconnected with the past and explore new avenues such as Eastern religions and meditation. OR For those who are atheist or agnostic, being spiritual may mean going for a walk in the late evening and feeling the vastness of the night sky, or walking by the ocean and enjoying the sense of infinite, endless space.It has been my experience, that when people feel connected with the big picture…they get healthier faster!
Pick one step to try each week. What’s your first step gonna be? Begin NOW.
