It’s hard to change lifestyle and dietary habits so we can be more energized and live longer. When we’re motivated, change can be easy and good habits can develop, especially if we’ve reached a point where our bad habits have become painful enough that we seek relief. Even if we’re motivated, we still need to overcome certain habits that can be difficult to alter. Here are some strategies that you can use to kickstart those healthy habits, all the while maintaining an eco-friendly body and environment:
Meditate and Take Time off
Meditation is designed to calm you down and center your energy so you are more aware, more at peace and more focused on you and the environment around you. When you feel good, you want to eat good food. As your stress levels decrease, there’s a whole list of physical and mental improvements that will follow suit including better mood, more energy, improved digestion and better sleep to name a few. Also, take time off. When you get away from your daily routine, your eyes open up to many more possibilities because you’ve invited new ideas and new experiences into the mix. Travel more. You’ll see that life is not just about getting work done and choking down fast food.
Avoid GMO and Eat Natural
Take advantage of any chance you’re given to limit the amount of chemicals that enter your body. These include processed foods with GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms). The term genetically modified food (also known as biotech or genetically engineered food) refers to crop plants that have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits, such as resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Risks can include: Allergens and toxins to food; Antibiotic resistance; And creation of “super” weeds and other environmental risks,
Rather, buy and eat a lot of organic veggies. Your main staple should be dark leafy green veggies like spinach, collard greens, kale, and chard because they offer the best nutrition of any of the vegetables. Also, eat a lot of grains. This food family is straight from the earth. Quinoa ,brown rice, and oats are great places to start. Whole grains are necessary for proper digestion, calming the nervous system, encouraging sleep and satisfying hunger and taste, thereby decreasing cravings, while promoting energy and endurance, elimination, good reflexes, a long memory and clear thinking.
Drink What Nature Gave Us
Drink a lot of water in the morning and throughout the day, and less at night to avoid waking up with an unhappy bladder. Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluids. Your body is composed of about 60% water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Water also can help control calories, keeps skin looking good and energize muscles. Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue and tissue destruction. Finally, water helps your kidneys and maintains normal bowel function. Adequate hydration keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. When you don’t get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration — and the result is constipation. Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate.
Exercise, Laugh and Sleep
Walk 30-minutes a day or do yoga. Dance, play basketball, tennis, football, baseball or soccer. Move your body for extra endorphin production and healthy organs and muscles. Activity is the spice of life. In fact, movement IS “life”. Our bodies were meant to move — they actually crave exercise. Regular exercise is necessary for physical fitness and good health. It reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases. It can improve your appearance and delay the aging process. Exercise is also a key to weight control because it burns calories. If you burn off more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Exercise reduces stress, lifts moods, and helps you sleep better. It can keep you looking and feeling younger throughout your entire life.
Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused and alert. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.
Finally, get 7-8 hours of sleep. Don’t hit snooze, eat at least two hours before bed, and resist the urge to get on the computer. Rather, pick up a book, because reading will help you get to sleep easier. Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.
David Novak is a international syndicated newspaper columnist, appearing in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV around the world. His byline has appeared in GQ, National Geographic, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, USA Today, among others, and he has appeared on The Today Show, the CBS Morning Show and Paul Harvey Radio. David is a specialist at consumer technology, health and fitness, and he also owns a PR firm and a consulting company where he and his staff focus on these industries. He is a regular contributing editor for Healthline. For more information, visit http://www.healthline.com/.
