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Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Here are several healthy lifestyle tips that can improve many complex health problems and these methods recognize, support and strengthen your body’s innate ability to heal itself and restore your sense of overall well being. Much of my writing is about nutrition, today I am sharing some everyday simple solutions for healthy living.

If a food will not rot or sprout, then don’t buy it or throw it out. Your body cells have similar biochemical needs to a bacteria or yeast cell. Foods that have a shelf life of a millennium are not going to nourish the body. Think about it: if bacteria is not interested in your food, then what makes you think that your body cells are interested? Foods that cannot begin (sprouting) or sustain (bacterial growth) life elsewhere, will have a similar effect in your body.    Dr. Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS

Exercise is Key for Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Daily exercise contributes enormously to our health. Depending on your current exercise regime, add simple exercise and start walking around your block and add some light stretching or weights.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calls for adults between the ages of 18 and 64 to exercise moderately (such as brisk walking or water aerobics) for at least two hours and 30 minutes or vigorously (running, swimming, or  cycling 10 mph or faster) for at least an hour and 15 minutes weekly.(1)  2/3 of Americans are overweight and, not surprisingly, 2/3 of Americans admit to getting no exercise.

Always check with your medical professional before undertaking any exercise program.

There are many reasons why exercise is beneficial to your health

Meditation Helps Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years to heal the mind, body and spirit and is recognized as a technique in which an individual trains the mind to promote relaxation and discover the stillness. This relaxation response enhances metabolism, lowers blood pressure, and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves that benefits your physical, mental and emotional health.

Medical conditions worsened by stress such as anxiety, asthma, depression, heart disease, hypertension, insomnia, migraine, arthritis and cancer can benefit from meditation practice.

The power of the mind can be powerful when facing illness.

Other relaxation techniques like yoga, breathing, or repetitive prayer have similar benefits in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Help your brain age at a slower pace by improving attention, memory and learning faculties; all improved through meditation. Regular meditation also opens the blood vessels and could help lower blood pressure.

Symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia may ease when meditation becomes a healthy habit as part of a lifestyle change. Meditation also may lower the incidence, duration, and severity of acute respiratory illnesses (such as influenza). (3) and can also help reduce hot flashes, lower pain intensity and stress.

Healthy Diet with Fruits and Vegetables

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the most commonly eaten fruits and vegetables among Americans are french fries, onion rings, and catsup.  Those are not real foods.  Fruits contain lots of vitamins and minerals. As much as possible, you should consume your vitamins and minerals via your daily diet. Satisfy your palate with healthy fruits and vegetables.

Experts suggest 5-9 servings of fruits/vegetables a day, but unfortunately it may be difficult at times. However, when you can, include the most colorful as these are the healthiest fruits and vegetables. Think about your favorite vegetables and how you can include more of them in your diet every day, and pick bright-colored foods.

Fruits and vegetables with bright colors are the healthiest. Think white, yellow, orange, red, green, purple.

Detoxification

We have been poor stewards of our planet.  Pollutants abound in our air, food, water, bodies and even the ocean.  There is an island of plastic trash twice the size of Texas floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Studies done on newborn infants show the presence of 287 chemicals, of which 170 are carcinogens.

Buy a water filtration system for your kitchen sink.  Stop buying disposable plastic water bottles.  They leach BPA and other plastics into your body, which then become hormone disrupters.

Buy organic.  As much as possible, purchase organic products, which eliminates the grocery list of toxins being added to your food supply.

Exercise helps to detoxify the body through sweat.

Make sure that you have a daily bowel movement, which is a crucial aspect of detoxification.

Drink More Water for Healthier Living

Most of us don’t drink enough water every day. Water is essential for our body to function. Did you know that over 66% of our body is made up of water? Since we lose water every day through urine, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing, we need to replenish our water intake. Water is needed to carry out body functions, remove waste, and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body.  Food intake contributes about 20% of our fluid intake, that means we need to drink about 8-10 glasses a day to stay hydrated.

Aromatherapy for Healthy Living

This is a holistic healing technique, where essential oils are used to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit.  Aromatherapy uses the essence of essential oils i.e. the concentrated extracts from roots, leaves, seeds, or blossoms of plants, to promote health.

Essential oils are often inhaled or massaged into the skin to manage a wide range of physiological and psychological health issues. Some oils with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties are used for physical ailments such as swelling, fungal infections and arthritis, while other oils have a more relaxing effects and can be used for relieving anxiety, stress, and pain.

Improve Physical and Emotional Health

Aromatherapy stimulates the “smell” receptors in the nose, which communicate through the nervous system to the parts of the brain (the amygdala and hippocampus) that control emotions and memories. These receptors have an influence on physical, emotional, and mental health.

Often aromatherapy massage is used for holistic healing, where essential oils are both inhaled and absorbed by the skin with stimulating effects of physical therapy. The oils reduce pain and improve mood while promoting a sense of relaxation. Essential oils are popular in massage therapy (combined with medications or other therapy) may benefit people with depression. (2)

Popular Oils for Healthy Living

Lavender is very popular as a stress reliever, and can help with anxiety, pain, and can improve occasional bouts of depression.  The citrus scents such as orange and lemon and also help relieve occasional stress and anxiety. Orange can help with focus, while lemon is popular as a disinfectant and has antibacterial properties.

Peppermint oil helps with digestion issues. When using essential oils be careful when applying to your skin. Consider blending different oils as they can become more powerful when combined.

Read more about flowers used in healing.

1. cim.ucsd.edu/clinical-care/acupuncture.shtml
2. umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/aromatherapy
3. nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
4. health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx

Dr. Patrick Quillin

Dr. Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS is an internationally recognized expert in the area of nutrition and health. He has 30 years experience as a clinical nutritionist, of which 10 years were spent as the Vice President for a leading cancer hospital system where he worked with thousands of cancer patients in a hospital setting. He is a Best Selling Author with 18 books which have sold over 2,000,000 copies and also a Keynote Speaker.

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