What is your definition of health? Think about it for a moment. Chances are your answer will probably differ from someone else's What does it mean to be in "good health"? Without a doubt, this answer will differ even more. No matter your definition, obtaining a level of exceptional health requires discipline and structure. There are some things to consider when optimizing your health. Here are 10 principles to follow to become the very best version of you that you can be.
1. STEP BY STEP - Everything takes patience. While there are probably a list of things you would like to improve, do not rush it. Find and use one tool at a time. Master it, then think about picking up another.
2. CREATE ENERGY - Remove things from your life that zap energy. Alcohol, negative relationships, poor jobs, lack of sun light and lack of creativity all have a major impact on our mood and energy. If you know some thing or some one is affecting you, address it.
3. CORRECT DIGESTION - Take note of how you feel an hour after eating something. Do you get gassy after drinking milk or using whey protein? Do you feel slow or lethargic after eating something greasy? Eliminate foods that make you poorly, one by one and avoid them for one week. Note how your stomach feels without these foods. Try to increase microflora (good bacteria) in your gut by eating things like fermented vegetables or Greek yogurt. Be aware of the foods your body is allergic or sensitive to. If you are not sure you should take the L-CAT test.
4. CONQUER INFECTIONS - Candida, yeast and inflammation are all linked together. Certain foods will make you feel bloated and cause your body to react poorly promoting infection, disease and illness.
5. CLEANSE - Juice, hydro therapy, cold/hot sauna treatments, lymphatic massage, elimination diets... These are all good examples of cleanses. Get one or combine a few and stick to it for a minimum of 5 days. Eliminate toxins! Find a health consultant to give you support and help walk you through the process.
6. STAY SLIGHTLY ALKALINE - Research shows that our body reacts best when it is in a more alkaline state. Meat, grains and sugar make your body more acidic. Vegetables make you more alkaline. You can test you alkaline/acidity levels with pH strips that can be purchased at a pharmacy. Test your levels throughout the day. Stay more alkaline by incorporating more vegetables into every meal and by squeezing more lemon juice in your water.
7. YIN & YANG (BALANCE) - If you eat a lot of meat, eggs and fish you must balance yourself out with vegetables. Meats are contracting (meaning it they are denser and hard to break down), vegetables are expansive (the opposite of contracting). Expansive foods help neutralize and remove contracting foods from the body. The result? Your body will naturally have more energy and it will in turn function better! When your body functions better you become more efficient at burning fat, eliminating toxins, rebuilding and repairing skin and muscle tissues, etc.
8. BIO-INDIVIDUALITY - Understand that everybody is different. You can not always trust that what works for some one else will work for you. For example, some people thrive and have no problem consuming dairy. Someone else has may not have problem running 50 miles a week, however, your body type may be different. This does not mean they are more exceptional than you. We are all different and must recognize, appreciate and understand it and use it to our advantage. We all need to find what is right for us, individually.
9. FOOD COMBINING - Studies show that meat and grains do not mesh well together in the digestive system. Think about that the next time you reach for a sandwich. Vegetables and meats however, work very well together. Certain foods have been found to compliment each other in your body while other foods actually do the opposite and the outcome is anything but pleasant, if not immediately (gas, bloating, fatigue) than gradually over time (weight gain, illness).
10. 80/20 RULE - If you eat too much food it will not be digested. It will sit in your stomach and ferment, resulting in internal yeast (candida). You must allow your digestive enzymes to work properly and this starts with your saliva. Chew at least 30 times before you swallow. So eat until your stomach is 80 percent full and leave 20 percent room for digestion. The 80/20 applies to the size of your plate. If 20 percent is meat then the other 80 percent should be vegetables.
Give it a try. What do you think about these principles? Which ones could you start working on to feel better? Let us know in the comment section below.
