Some Awesome Health & Wellness Tips for 2011

I’ve had a handy set of Health & Wellness tips that I’ve been reviewing daily, trying to implement them into my lifestyle and I thought that I’d share them with you.  Before I do, I just want to reflect on them and let you know that, I struggle to keep them.  Like anyone else, I set goals and at times I cannot get myself geared up to following them.  I get side-tracked with life, I use excuses, and I just don’t force myself enough to really lead the life I want because of my own lack of motivation.  Yes, I admit it, it’s not easy to stick to goals, neither is it easy to change eating habits you’ve had for the last 8 years; or practice restraint and self-control, when you’ve allowed yourself to get away with just about anything! 

That being said, there is hope and I truly believe that when you make a decision for a conscious change, through choice and faith, and stick to your goals; you’ll get there!  Nothing is impossible; it is simply a matter of self-discipline and allowing yourself to stumble a few times before you learn to walk.  Think about it, as a baby it takes us months to finally learn to use those legs, that lesson still applies in every aspect of our lives.  It doesn’t just happen; we need to make the effort in order to see the results!

Here are the tips:

1. Eat a whole plant food diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. “Eat Rainbows.” Remember that even the color of the plants have healing power. Such as the red pigment in tomatoes known as lycopene can help preventing prostate cancer. Also a plant-based diet is highly alkaline. Acid foods like meat, dairy, and sugar will make you more vulnerable to disease and cancer.

2. Avoid eating animal foods. Animal food is high in protein and fat that increases one’s chance of getting cancer and other chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Animal food is void of all fiber making it a major cause of colorectal cancer. It is also high in cholesterol and therefore a contributor of heart disease. Cultures that eat the highest amounts of animal foods have the highest amounts of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and other diseases.

3. Avoid Dairy when you can. Dairy is liquid meat, and any disease in the animal is most likely also in its secretions. Milk is the number-one cause of childhood anemia and allergy. Many of us just sit back and listen to what everyone else says “Milk Does A Body Good”…. Stop, get the facts and instead, drink water or fresh juices when thirsty.

4. Avoid refined white sugar, white flour, and ordinary salt. Sugar is acid forming and weakens the immune system. It contributes to diabetes and obesity. When using salt, use Celtic Salt or Real Salt instead, for they contain all the minerals from the ocean instead of just sodium and chloride. 

5. Avoid artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet, Splenda, Aspartame, Sucralose, that causes lesions in the brain, MS symptoms, diabetes, and painful joints to name a few.  Instead try using Fructose which is a simple sugar found in many foods and one of the three most important blood sugars along with glucose and galactose. Honey; tree fruits; berries; melons; and some root vegetables, such as beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips and onions, contain fructose, usually in combination with sucrose and glucose.  You can find it at any health foods store, or simply use a really good Honey.

6. Exercise at least four or five days a week.  We need all the oxygen we can get. Exercise is wonderful for fighting depression and increasing longevity.  Perfect health comes with perfect circulation, so if you already have a routine, try and sneak in as many 20-30min sessions a day and achieve the optimal health you’re looking for!

7. Increase your consumption of water and drink 6 to 8 glasses a day (sip throughout the day). Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty of it in order to re-energize your body, stimulate a healthy heart, cure headaches, and give you that beautiful healthy skin you’ve always wanted.

8. Cleanse your elimination organs on a seasonal basis. Cleanse the colon, liver, kidney, lung, blood, lymph and skin using organic herbal formulas, saunas, skin brushing, etc. The importance of colon cleansing can be summed up as: reduction of constipation, elimination of diarrhea, avoiding of colon cancer and the experience of significant weight loss.  So one can very well estimate the importance of colon cleansing from the above mentioned points!

9. Have a positive attitude and get moving if you feel depressed. Doing something for someone else that has a need will help heal your own discouragement. My #1 recommendation for depression is exercise!

10. Breathe deeply several times a day of fresh air. Take a walk in the open air. Walking outside or through a forest is always nice and refreshing. Exercise in the open air is a blessing.

11. Get 30 minutes of sunshine every day on your front and back if possible, but do not burn. The best times are before 11 AM or after 4 PM.

12. Exercise self control and practice temperance. Temperance means to abstain entirely from things that are harmful and use judiciously the things that are good; “moderation in action, thought, or feeling; restraint.”  This is going to have a huge affect on your life, especially if you struggle with forms of addictions, however, no matter what the problem you will overcome it… just remember (1) forgiveness and mercy, (2) modesty and humility, (3) prudence, and (4) self-regulation.  That means towards yourself and towards others!