Building a strong healthy foundation starts with the habits you create daily. Change your habits, change your life. To address the root cause of disease, poor lifestyle and habits, it starts in your daily routine. Today, on the #DrPND blog, we will be sharing 5 ways to start living a healthier lifestyle. You can change your life, with one decision and all it takes, is ONE DAY to decide to finally do it. As we unpack these 5 simple things, understand that it takes time to develop this new routine and be patient with the process.
- HYDRATION: The simplest way to start living a healthier life is to start drinking more water! I know, I know, you hear this so often but, it is true. Hydration helps with skin health, energy, bowel movements and overall hydration of your organs & entire body, helping them to function more optimally. 2% hydration (which you would never really feel!) equates to 20% or more decreased function and energy! Aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces, generally speaking. This can change based on temperature, pressure, humidity and overall climate & activity level.
- EXERCISE: One of the next things you can do to start a Healthier Life Today, is start to move more! Exercise is key to energy, vitality, function, mood and so much more. Find an exercise you enjoy and go after it. One of the most beneficial things you can do for function, bone health and longevity is strength training. There is a lot of fallacy around this. Picking up heavy weights won’t hurt you (done properly of course) but will only make you stronger. Consider brisk walks for cardiovascular function and start to make MOVEMENT a goal each day.
- SLEEP: When you exercise, you always sleep better! Sleep is absolutely essential to healthy hormones, aging energy and more. By default, the more you move, the better you sleep. Rest is essential to a healthy lifestyle. A few suggestions: do not look at screens just before bed, the blue light omitted from devices is known to disturb sleep and inhibit hormonal production. The best way to start improving your health, is to prioritize your evening sleep. You’ll be amazed at how great this helps you to feel.
- ELIMINATE STRESS: Stress really is a silent killer. The more you’re able to minimize stress from your life, the better. Start to look at your daily ‘stress cup’ and make sure you aren’t overwhelming yourself with too much stress and too little fun. Taking time to rest, sleep, move more, eat healthy and to do hobbies and activities you enjoy, helps so much.
- NUTRITION: What you eat matters! Food really is medicine. If you are bombarding yourself daily with chemicals, sugars, food dyes and inferior nutrient void foods, you will increase your chances of disease and a poor overall lifestyle. Food can provide the necessary vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients to live a healthy and energetic life. Start incorporating more veggies, colorful foods and high quality animal based proteins. Carbs are NOT bad! In fact, they are very much needed for optimality. Consider nice complex carbohydrates that complement your proteins well. Remember, food is fuel and food MATTERS!
This is more about direction and consistency, and not perfection. When you mess up (and you likely will) pick yourself up and keep moving forward. You can most def do this!
If you need a team to help you reclaim your health, consider working with #DrPND! With over 25 years in the field, incredible knowledge of health, the human body, nutrition and naturopathy, he has all of the tools, knowledge and encouragement to help you succeed. Contact us today to learn more!
