Do you feel tired, and run down?
Do you feel like you struggle through each day?
Are you foggy in the head, unable to remember simple things?
Are you constantly looking for a healthier you, for better energy, for greater clarity of thought?
Then putting 3 simple tips into regular use into your life will be the basis of this. Your health will improve and your ability to cope with daily tasks and have steady energy. Everyone is looking for the next big gimmick or the next fabulous diet. But what if, it was simply 3 basic steps to do regularly in your life. Create a routine around these 3 steps and make it part of your everyday life.
Tip #1 is the most important foundation for all health, and yes you have heard it before, but have you found it too hard? The number one tip is what YOU put in your mouth. Yes, your food. Do you just eat mindlessly to stave off the hunger pangs? Do you find you have no time to cook and simply grab the quickest ‘fast food’ meal you can on the way home? Or do you actually think about what the food is doing for you inside your body?
Food is not only about giving us quick energy burst or satisfying a hunger. Food communicates with your cells. The 3 macro-nutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fats in food support energy production in our cells. Micro-nutrients such as Vitamins and Minerals are also important for health and are needed in our diet.
If it was that simple we could just take a multivitamin and mineral formula and get everything needed. It is true that we can take a supplement to get our major nutrients but health is more than that. I started this post posing the question ‘Why do you eat?’ The reason we eat is to convey messages to the cells to drive certain cellular reactions for optimal functioning. The food we eat contains many nutrients beyond vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins or fats, and these nutrients interact with our genes to trigger chemical reactions. These plant nutrients are known as phytonutrients, there are many thousands that have been discovered and these nutrients can prevent chronic disease, reduce ageing processes, and help prevent cancers. An example of this is the Sulforaphane phytochemical in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli. This phytochemical has a reputation for being able to help aid liver detoxification pathways, help reduce cancer replication, and reducing inflammation in the body.
Considering the nutrients in food, are you now thinking more about what you put in your mouth and the effect the food has on your body. You do not need a science degree to keep up with nutrients in foods. Instead look to have a diet based on 80% plant food with as much variety of colour as can. Include the greens, blues, blacks, red, orange, purple, white and yellow fruits and vegetables and eat to the season that you are in. For instance, when it is winter eat more of the root vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini and turnips. In summer eat more stone fruits to give the variety. By eating a diet based on the plant foods with as much colour and variety as you can, you will ensure that you are getting these nutrients necessary for your body.
Keep it simple – Fresh fruits and vegetables as the majority of your plate and then add beans, legumes, eggs, or meat to that. Do you find that you don’t have time to prepare the foods and just want quick and easy?
Tip #2: drink good quality filtered water. Staying hydrated is essential for health and wellbeing. We can live without food for several weeks but can only live for a few days without water. Drinking water is not only life sustaining – being hydrated helps us to think clearly and helps the liver and kidneys flush out the toxins so that our energy levels are better. If you are feeling tired and don’t have clarity of thought, drink 2L of fresh filtered water daily. Within a few days you will find your able to think clearer and have more energy. Try it, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Tip #3 is something that many of us take for granted. It is deep slow breathing. As adults we tend to forget the basics of breathing. Our jobs can lead us to sitting hunched over a computer compressing our chest region. Breathing is so important to deliver oxygen to our cells and help remove toxins via the lungs. Taking deep long slow breaths helps to reduce stress levels, improves mental performance and helps ability to focus. Deep breathing is as simple as 6 long slow breathes over 60 seconds. Do it now – take a deep breath in as you count to 5 and exhale as you count to 5. Repeat this another 5 times. Feel how your body relaxes and your mind slows as you do this. Now schedule regular time to do this throughout the day.
Putting these 3 tips into your life regularly may not seem like much but take the challenge and do it for the next 21 days. Record how you feel on day 1 by rating your energy and stress levels, then record these on day 10 and 21 to compare how your feel. Enjoy your good health.
