10 Things You Can Do Everyday For Your Health
If you’ve been with me awhile, you know how much I love health & wellness.
Why? Because I understand what it’s like to know feel your best, and I love feeling good. You can read all about my health journey here, but suffice it to say that I have fully embraced the practices that make me feel vibrant and full of vitality…
I’ve spent many years studying this field, first learning to apply what I've learned to myself, then sharing it with YOU.
Today I'm sharing with you 10 daily health practices that really move the needle.
Some might seem kind of small, but they yield BIG results. Read on to learn about integrating new habits that are easy and doable — things I’m doing for my own health right now that don’t take up much time. Try putting them into practice today so you can experience the remarkable impact for yourself.
Let’s dig in…
1. Daily gratitude
Gratitude is such a powerful, positive energy. And not only does it feel really good, I believe the Universe recognizes it and responds to it, so when you express what you're grateful for, that feeling multiplies.
To practice daily gratitude, focus on things in your life for which you’re thankful — whatever brings you joy, love, ease, simplicity, and grace. Block out time to write down three things you're grateful for. (FYI: writing it down is more powerful than saying it aloud.)
You’ve probably heard about the power of practicing gratitude before, but are you actually *doing* it? I promise it’s worth the effort. Do yourself a favor and give this a proper try — it’s easy, free, and it can make a massive difference to your health.
2. Clean Filtered Water
Your body is 75% water and needs water to thrive. Make sure you're drinking the best quality water you can, ideally not out of a plastic jug or bottle due to the toxic chemicals that leach into the water. You can get fancy with your water bottle or you can simply pull out a mason jar and fill that baby up a couple times a day
3. Mother Nature
I never, EVER fail to feel better when I spend time soaking up her wonder! Do your best to spend some quality time in nature every day — whether it’s the forest, the shore, a local park, even your backyard — just gaze at a tree and breathe. And for the love of Gaia, don’t look at your phone during your nature time.
4. Foundational Supplements
I know this can be a controversial topic, but I’m here to tell you that after working with so many people over the years, I’ve witnessed the change supplements can bring to an individual's health (and my own, of course!). Most people aren’t getting adequate amounts of key vitamins and minerals in their daily diet—especially with soil depletion being a very real problem.
Multi-vitamin with minerals.
As the great Mary Hyman M.D. put it, you don’t need a multi-vitamin “...ONLY if you eat wild, fresh, whole, organic, local, non-genetically modified food grown in virgin mineral and nutrient soils, and not transported across vast distances and stored for months before eaten… work and live outside, breathe only fresh unpolluted air, drink only pure, clean water, sleep nine hours a night, move your body every day, and are free from chronic stressors and exposures to environmental toxins.”
However, the quality of your multivitamin is imperative. Here is the perfect formulation:
Complete. Based on the latest nutritional science, women need at least 30 vitamins and minerals, plus a rich essential fatty acid formula (i.e., EPA and DHA).
Bioavailable. The nutrient forms must be the most bioavailable, and of course it must meet USP standards for solubility.
Natural. No artificial preservatives, dyes, allergens, or other contaminants. The fatty acid formula (derived from marine lipids) must be certified to be free of mercury and lead.
Laboratory tested. As is true for pharmaceutical drugs, every production batch of a nutritional supplement must be tested in a laboratory (i.e., “standardized”) to ensure that it contains exactly what is on its label.
Makes a difference. You are the final test. If the nutritional supplement doesn’t make you feel better within the first 30 days, try another formula. It may not resolve all your symptoms in that time, but you should feel a real improvement.
Probiotics
Healthy bacteria that live naturally In your gut are known as “probiotics.. They are responsible for manufacturing key nutrients and limiting the growth of yeast and unhealthy bacteria. They are essential for digesting fruit, veggies, and legumes and they minimize digestive problems such as lactose intolerance and diarrhea. When you don’t have enough good flora in the gut it can manifest itself in many ways — chronic indigestion, gas, bloating, abdominal pain, IBS and other digestive disturbances. Most of us have unhealthy levels because of frequent antibiotic use (often from childhood).
Vitamin D
A number of studies have recently come out touting the benefits of vitamin D and how many Americans are malnourished in this nutrient. This deficiency is linked to lethargy, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and a variety of autoimmune diseases. People not only suffer from vitamin D deficiency in the fall, but also Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which causes people to feel depressed from the lack of sunlight. Dose: A minimum of 2000-4000 IU a day
Fish Oil
These fats will lower your risk of heart disease and lessen the inflammation that leads to a host of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, and arthritis. Inadequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids will up regulate the body’s inflammatory cascade, which over time leads to insulin resistance, increased cholesterol and triglycerides, obesity, high blood pressure, degenerative heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome — and more. By enriching our diets with omega-3’s we regain the power to thwart this entire catastrophic chain of events. Dose: A minimum of 1000mp EPA/DHA combined a day
Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for the functioning of more than 300 different enzymes, and is involved in over 300 reactions in which it serves as a co-enyzme — meaning the reaction can't happen without magnesium as a partner. It supports functions as wide ranging as keeping your heart rate steady to helping with the production of glutathione necessary for detoxification processes in your liver, bone formation and strength, protein synthesis, and keeping your blood sugar steady. Dose: A minimum of 300-400mg/day
B Vitamins
B-vitamins support efficient energy usage, detoxification, nerve signal transmission, hormonal balance, pH balance, insulin sensitivity, immune response, and more. Without adequate B vitamins, our mitochondria don’t function well, and we feel tired and lethargic. That makes it next to impossible to lose excess weight. Note: if your multi-vit has adequate amounts of these, you don’t need to do both.
5. Tongue Scraping
This is an ancient Ayurvedic detox ritual that will remove bacteria that has collected on your tongue overnight. It’s hugely beneficial for both your oral and overall health, and can help prevent cavities, gum disease, and other conditions affecting the mouth. It takes just about 30 seconds or so to complete this and it’s worth every one of them. You’ll feel squeaky clean and have fresh breath all day!
6. Movement
Move your bod — every single day. Period. Movement is incredible for your body, mind, and soul. It really doesn’t matter if it’s running, weight lifting, pilates, yoga, dancing, pickleball, or simply going on a walk around the neighborhood, your body will thank you for it.
7. Meditation and/or Breathwork
Confession: I don’t meditate every day (always a work in progress) but I DO make sure I do some sort of breathwork. I love exploring the way breath makes me feel and the research shows that there are profound effects that come from this. It can move you from fight or flight into "rest and digest," but can also energize you and wake up other systems in the body.
8. Dark Leafy Greens
Yes, I get these in some way every day, whether sauteed with my scrambled eggs or in a green superfood smoothie, I make sure they're part of my daily diet. Learning to incorporate dark leafy greens into the diet is essential to establishing a healthy body and immune system. Greens help build your internal rainforest and strengthen the blood and respiratory system. When you nourish yourself with greens, you may naturally crowd out the foods that make you sick. Leafy green vegetables are also high-alkaline foods. Alkaline minerals in our bodies neutralize acidic conditions caused by the environment. Green vegetables help to replenish our alkaline mineral stores and filter out pollutants.
Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. They are loaded with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll, and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Although choosing organic is recommended, eating non-organic greens is still preferable to not eating any greens at all.
9. Seeds
Flax, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, chia. Oh, how I love my seeds. There are so many reasons they're amazing for your health — it took me a whole blog post to lay it out. Be sure to check it out here. I give the rundown on the different seeds and their nutritional value, but also why they are so wonderful for your hormonal health. I also share simple, fabulous anti-inflammatory seed mix recipe I often add to my daily routine.
But, the one seed I make sure to never miss is flaxseed (via meal). Why? Because it's especially rich in lignans, which are converted to enterolactones in the presence of healthy gut flora, so they help keep your estrogen levels healthy. And, they’re high in alphalinoleic acid (ALA), an Omega-3 fatty acid that the brain needs and is hugely anti-inflammatory.
10. Get to bed no later than 10:30
Oh yes, sleep! A divine and critical health habit. A good night’s sleep supports immune, neurological, and hormonal function. It helps balance the microbial diversity in the gastrointestinal tract. Sleep is one of our most critical (and natural) forms of detoxification. And sleep is one of the biggest factors that’s been found to be clinically relevant in weight loss resistance.
The body needs adequate rest each night for a variety of reasons, including:
Fighting illnesses
Strengthening the immune system
Repairing damaged tissues
Digestion
Detoxification
Hormonal balance
Maintaining cognitive health
To ensure a blissful night of zzz’s, try eating your last meal three hours before bed, turn the lights low and avoid blue light coming from your computer/phone. Put your phone in airplane mode at least an hour before bed and read a book or magazine instead of looking at your phone (better yet, don’t bring your phone or iPad into your bedroom at night at all).
BONUS: Get the sun on your face every morning you can!
Exposing your eyes to 10–30 minutes of sunshine within the first hour of waking helps to regulate your circadian rhythm and tell your body to wake up, but also is hugely powerful for regulating your nighttime sleep patterns as well. This rhythm also regulates other biological activities, such as appetite, energy levels, hormone synthesis, and body temperature so getting into the groove with this can have a profound impact on your overall health.
If you don’t have sunlight available to you in the morning, you can also use a full-spectrum light for 10 min to get the same effect (not expensive and easy to find online!). If you’re someone who struggles to feel sleepy at bedtime, try this tip for a few days in a row, and your mind will be blown!
That was a lot to digest (pun intended)! I hope these tips help you on your path to health and happiness. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation to review your unique health journey, please reach out…stephgdalton@gmail.com