There are so many things that can help guide you to YOUR optimal health. This info-graph is just a few of my favourites and most of them are FREE.
Sleep
Let’s start with the importance of sleep, by far my favourite optimal health tool. When we sleep we activate our glymphatic system, which is known as our nightly brain detoxifier. Our brain cells literally shrink by 60% in order for the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) to travel through all of the little crevices in our brain and help carry out toxins. Isn’t that the coolest thing? After getting a bad night sleep have you ever felt cloudy in the morning, foggy brain? I think that is because our glymphatic system didn’t have the proper time it needed to clear out and recalibrate what was needed. If we do not include a proper sleep routine over time this can effect our hormones, immune system detoxification system and lead to chronic dis-ease. Aim for a good 7-8 hours of sleep, this will help balance your circadian rhythm and have you feeling like a million bucks in the morning.
Detox Daily
The word detox may bring up thoughts of unpalatable liquid concoctions that you dread to take every day, however I am referring to something that is more gentle, habitual but powerful. Over the years our body and mind can accumulate toxic load and if we do not help it through hard times we can increase our chance of creating chronic dis-ease. Exercise, deep breathing and time restricted eating are just some of the powerful holistic tools you can use to create your optimal lifestyle. They have all been shown in their own unique ways to help release and remove toxic build up, let’s get into it.
Daily Deep Breathing
By having a daily 5-10 minute breathing practice you can help decrease cortisol levels, activate your lymphatic system, increase the amount of oxygen in your body, increase your immunity by reducing acidity in the body and you can improve your heart rate variability.
Fasting with TRE (time restricted eating)
Fasting 12-16 hrs a day gives your busy body a break from digesting food and a gift to other systems in your body that need your time and energy. TRE over time helps improve insulin sensitivity, reduce high cholesterol levels, reduces overall inflammation, helps balance your circadian rhythm, balances your blood sugar and therefor reduces your risk of chronic dis-ease.
Exercise
My least favourite, I’m not kidding. Well, I do love to walk, every day and according to many new scientific papers, walking is underrated for overall improved health. Our body needs some form of movement and stress. Yes, STRESS! It’s called hormesis and this type of stress actually builds resilience in your body, in other words you become better able to adapt when under stressful situations. My favourite form of hormesis is sauna therapy, cold water exposure (which is really hard for me) and HIIT. What I personally like about this type of exercise is that it’s sweet and short. The body goes under intense stress but only for a short period of time. Whatever you choose to do, make it part of your lifestyle, it does not have to be hardcore blood sweat and tears style, just move, sweat and get into nature when possible.
Diet
Ugh, I hate calling it diet but it’s universal so here it goes. What should we consume, everyone has their beliefs and with that comes their own bias to anything else. Here is the thing, as similar as we are, we are all made up a little differently and what is good for me may not be good for you. My diet changes according to what I feel I need so I will never say that I am Paleo, vegan, carnivore etc…. What I will say is that 99% of the time I am gluten free, reason being is that I have stage 4 endometriosis and I am trying to prevent Alzheimer’s disease which I have a genetic susceptibility to (this does not mean I will get it it).
My symptoms from endometriosis have improved from being gluten free and the research I have done on Alzheimer’s prevention has shown that reducing inflammation and caring for my gut can help prevent Alzheimer’s. So with that said, I do not eat glutenous grains for those reasons.
I eat mostly organic vegetables, good quality fat, local grass fed, pasture raised, organic (if possible) meat, some raw nuts and seeds and legumes.
What we put in our mouth directly correlates to how our body’s work for us on a daily basis, the food we eat can either increase our optimal health or decrease it.
Mind
Who knew it was so powerful, hahaha, not everyone agrees with me here. Until I read the work of Dr.Joe Dispenza and Biologist Bruce Lipton (Father of epigenetics) I had very little respect for my thoughts and how they could influence my overall health. Learning to become aware of your programmed mind and learning how to change what you don’t want can be THE most powerful tool journey to optimal health.
Socializing feeds our brains, it increases oxytocin (secreted from the pituitary gland in the brain). It gives us a sense of community, allows us to express our ideas and learn new things from fellow humans. It has been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and reduce the risk of depression. I make it a habit now to meet up with friends 2-3 days a week and I feel “filled up” once I leave. Just going for a walk, having a coffee or tea and being outside with friends and family can make or break your mental health.
Learning new things has also been shown to keep our brain young. It has been proven that our brain can grow and shrink and that we are not stuck with what we have. We can increase the amount of neurons in our brain, we can create new pathways. It’s called neuroplasticity and we can enhance it by learning new things. I try to read a new book every two weeks, I want to learn a musical instrument and continue perfecting Spanish. Whatever it is, think outside the box and learn, just learn.