8 Easy Ways To Be A Healthier Human

What do we need to be a healthy human?

It is a great question and one that could have a variety of answers. However, considering I like to look at things with a whole body approach, these 8 tips are a perfect concoction for living a healthy life in my opinion.

According to Americas Health Rankings, obesity rate rose 5% in the past year with one in three adults now experiencing obesity. Cardiovascular death rate continues to rise every year, and the cancer rate continues to rise. Yikes! AND not only that but the average time a Dr. has allotted to see us is 15 minutes. 15 minutes to do a thorough exam, ask questions, come up a decent plan, and hopefully, have time to answer your questions.

I don’t know about you but if there is anything I can do to stay away from all those statistics, I will do my best.

Health is one of the most important things in our lives but unfortunately, many of us are resistant to change because it’s not what we are used to. Starting new habits can take time. SO, with that said, this list below is not something you should tackle all at once. I suggest adding in a few things from this list and start with those. Once those habits are formed, add in a couple more. Before you know it, you will have 8 new daily habits to help you become a healthier human.

Here are 8 tips to getting healthier

1. Consume a variety of foods- mostly plants. Be careful not to get stuck in the rut of eating only a small handful of the same fruits and veggies. Try something new this week!

No matter how you eat- choose a variety. Switch up your greens from week to week. Use pinto beans one week and the following week make it black beans then try to add in some lentils. If you are eating animal products, make sure it is the side dish and not the main attraction. The key word here is a variety.

2. Move daily. If you work from home, get up and stretch for at least 5 minutes every hour. If you work in an office, stretch as often as you can. Walk at lunch breaks. Go to the gym even if you can only make it for 15 minutes. Something will always be better than nothing.

3. Deep breathing. There are apps, articles, and booksdedicated to breathing. Find one that suits you and that feels like something you can learn from. Deep breathing can help calm the nervous system, lowers the heart rates, and release tension from the daily stresses we encounter.

4. Eliminating daily. This also means you will need to drink enough water so that you can eliminate all the toxins from our body. Yes, the more you drink the more you will be in the bathroom… that is good! We need to consume enough fiber to help eliminate waste through daily bowel movements as well. For water, drinking half your body weight in ounces will help. Fiber intake should be around 25-30 grams per day! To give you a slight idea, most Americans consume around 10 grams per day.

5. Sleep. Aim for at least 7 hours each night in the dark so our bodies get enough rest. Lack of sleep leads to increased hunger signals in the brain and decreased ability to recognize when you are full.

6. Soak up some sun. Get outside and soak up the Vitamin D.  BUT let me note that you need to watch your sun exposure.  Anything after 20 minutes, please protect with sunscreen or long sleeves, hat, and even then, add sunscreen to your face.

7. Sweat.  Sweat however you can whether it is a cardio workout, sauna, or stepping outside in Phoenix, AZ mid-August; sweat.  The heath benefits of sweating include helping your body rid of toxic heavy metals, promoting healthy skin, lowering stress levels, and helps your body recover after exercise.

8. Laugh.  It is said that laughing for just 15 minutes a day benefits the human body the same as sleeping for 2 hours.  That sounds good!  But if you need more, laughter can also help lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, help improve memory, help improve our immune systems and help with the chronic pain.