It’s that time of year – time to get all introspective and set some new (or old) goals for yourself as the new year approaches. Health often tops the lists of resolutions, and as you might expect, we fully support that! We’ve just endured a year of a pandemic, and COVID-19 has not simmered down much yet. While we’re always on board and ready to support you as much as possible when your goals center around healthier lifestyle choices, this year we’re really encouraging everyone to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
Over the year, we’ve talked a lot here about how viruses are so tiny and so prevalent that it’s folly to imagine you can simply avoid being exposed to any particular one, including the novel Corona virus. But you can improve the adaptability of your immune system in as little as 30 minutes! In times like these we often feel overwhelmed by the bad news, and perhaps a bit helpless in the face of something so huge. Any time we’re dealing with a factor like this one, it’s key to remember that by insuring that you’ve done all you can to affect your own sphere of influence, you’ve helped the world immeasurably. This year – help all of us, by helping you. Here’s a quick review of things you can most definitely do to help insure that you get and remain as healthy as possible – freeing you up to be helpful!
Take a 30-minute walk each day. Remember, doing this simple act will help lift your spirits, clear your head, and increase your Natural Killer Cells significantly! It’s also a great way to spend time with loved ones and pets. How often do you spend 30 minutes on social media without even realizing it? Make time for a walk; it can literally save your life.
Avoid eating sugar and processed grains. We’re tired of hearing ourselves say this, so we know you’re tired of hearing it, too, but seriously, these “foods” aren’t your friends. They’re so damaging to every part of your body that they actually turn off your immune system’s responses and cause your body to be unable to metabolize nutrients. They are toxic, if you simply stop consuming them your body will bounce back in an astonishingly short amount of time.
Replace those sugars and processed grains with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, along with healthy fats and proteins. Any time you eat something, you are either contributing to your ability to thrive or causing disease. This year, if you haven’t already, fall in love with feeling energized, motivated, and happy – eating well causes all those side effects! Need help figuring out what’s healthy and how best to alter your eating habits? Do Nutritional Coaching in our office!
Eat something fermented several times a day. Fermented foods are enjoying a new hay day, they’re available in stores all over the place, so grab a few bites of something fermented with each meal and diversify that microbiome! It doesn’t have to be much – a little whole-fat, plain yogurt in your smoothie, some sauerkraut mixed into a vegetable soup, kimchi here, kombucha there – there are so many options and all of them contribute to overall health!
Get a good night’s sleep. All the above recommendations will help you sleep better, but not if you’re not going to bed at a decent hour each night. It helps to have a fairly regular bedtime routine. So, that means beginning to wind down about an hour before you want to be in bed, drifting off to dreamland. Try to keep a regular bedtime/wake-up schedule so your brain knows what’s up. Avoid looking at screens for at least an hour before you want to be asleep! Sleep is essential to all healing and it deserves our respect.
Get adjusted regularly and stick to your Nutrition Response Testing program! The best defense is a good offense in this case – stay on top of your health and let us help you, it’s our mission and our passion and we are here for you.
These are just few things you can choose from to add to your list of goals for the coming year. Don’t try to change everything at once, that’s a recipe for disaster, but do pick something you can do and make a plan for how you can achieve it. If necessary, enlist others to help you reach your goals, everything’s easier with friends, right? And most importantly, have a healthy, happy 2021!