It is very easy to identify an injury and it’s cause, ie I lifted something too heavy, was in a car accident, or hit my thumb with the hammer. Most of the time these heal and we go back to living life as usual. Some times we need the help of a good chiropractor, or exercise, stretching and strengthening to get back to healthy.
Other things like type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, poor posture, ulcers, etc take longer (like years or decades) to develop. These don’t clear up by themselves and need some help.
To get that help, some people opt for medication, others opt for lifestyle change. Sometimes the medication route works faster at first but can result in a whole new set of problems down the road. For those that choose lifestyle changes as their road to health, the long term benefits of body, mind and spirit can be quite profound.
Here are some daily habits to improve life no matter what age:
1. Stretching 15-20 minutes a day, hold stretches for 30 seconds. Gently stretch till you feel tension and breath long slow breaths. Then release gently.
2. Exercise and stay active! Walking, gardening, yoga, chi gong, ti chi, dancing and swimming are all good exercises. Younger or already active people may need higher intensity activities such as tennis, pickle ball, basketball, cycling, surfing, volleyball and running. Golf and other one sided sports are good, just remember to engage in the opposite movement as well.
3. Eat a combination of raw and cooked foods. Some vegetables are more nutritious cooked such as broccoli, beans, tomatoes, potatoes. Others loose the enzymes and other nutritional benefits when cooked.
4. Eat a variety of foods in moderation. Even too much spinach or blueberries can contribute to kidney stones. Eat enough but not too much. Don’t overload your stomach.
5. Drink enough water. Consume around half your body weight in fluid ounces or juicy fruits and vegetables such as celery, cucumber, apples, peaches and plumbs.
6. Rest and sleep. Try to disconnect from your computer, tablet, TV and phone at least 30 minutes before going to sleep and wait 30 minutes after you wake before getting on.
7. Make gratitude a priority either by keeping gratitude lists and just spending time each day in grateful contemplation. Experience as many moments of grace as possible.
8. Be engaged in meaningful activities.
9. Save money for long term and emergencies.
10. Moderate your emotional reactions by finding the drawbacks to infatuations and benefits to resentments.
Photo by Petr Urbanek on Unsplash