I got inspired to put together this latest post after feeling bombarded with all the health info that comes into my newsfeed and all the blogs, articles, and podcasts I needed to catch up on. What the heck! This is just TMI ….TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!!

Health, better health, and getting healthy is really NOT . THAT . HARD !!! Simple steps can go a long way. Once you get started on the road of better health things start to change just on their own naturally.

“When you know better you do better”-Maya Angelou

START HERE WITH THESE 5 tips!

 

1. QUIT “RED light” CARBOHYDRATES

Yup I’m talking about breads, crackers, bagels, pastas, snack foods, bars, cookies, and cakes. All of these processed bread based items are ruining our health and our waistlines. These “RED light” carbohydrates fuel inflammation in the body and feed disease as well as provide empty excess calories.

Listen, carbs have gotten a bad rap and NOT ALL CARBS ARE CREATED EQUAL. The “RED light” carbs should be AVOIDED at all costs but NOT ALL carbs need to be avoided. Many people don’t realize fruits and vegetables are complex carbohydrates and what I would call GREEN light carbohydrates. Go and eat em up! They are the carbs that God has provided for us and the right carbs to focus on.

BOTTOM LINE– Quit RED light carbs and eat more fresh fruits and veggies everyday!

 

2. TAKE YOUR (REAL) VITAMINS!!!!

What I mean by REAL vitamins are simply whole food based good quality supplements. Don’t waste your money on the synthetic cheap kind you see at the checkout line in the grocery store. Vitamins are a must in today’s day and age. Even if you ate a perfect diet you still would not be able to supply the body with all it needs. The soil is depleted year after year and most of our produce by the time it reaches our mouths has lost some of its nutritional value.

It’s practically impossible to get all you need nutritionally just from food. So grab a good whole foods multi vitamin/mineral supplement and throw that greens powder into your smoothie. Every little bit counts!!!

BOTTOM LINE: Take your vitamins!

 

3. EAT FERMENTED SOUR STUFF!!!

Research is proving that the gut/brain connection is way more intertwined that we ever thought. Your have a “back-up” second brain controlling so many things in your body and it lies in your gut! The bacteria in our guts are responsible for our overall digestion and absorption of nutrients. These tiny bacteria play a huge role in our immunity, and even our daily mood!

The problem is everyday stress, poor eating habits, and environmental factors out of our control can significantly deplete the good bacteria in our guts leading to leaky gut, auto immune disease, even anxiety and depression. THE SOLUTION IS TO NOURISH AND FEED YOUR GUT! Cultured “LIVE” foods such as raw sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled beets, pickled ginger, kombucha tea, raw kefir, amasia, natto, miso, tempeh, and plain yogurt with active cultures provide the good bacteria needed to keep our guts healthy and functioning. Incorporating these funky foods into our daily diets is a MUST for better health.

BOTTOM LINE: Eat fermented foods everyday to feed your gut with good bacteria. Just a small portion on a regular basis is all you need!

 

4. EXERCISE! MOVE! GO!

Friends sorry to say but your going have to move everyday if you want to lose weight and feel better. Do you have to go to cross fit and go crazy? NO! Not at all, but you do need to do more than a walk around the block. Aim to exercise 6x a week with Sunday a rest day. Split your days and focus on cardio one day and strength the other. Another option would be to do HIIT (high intensity interval training) that combines strength and cardio at least 3x a week and making your other days something less intense. Whatever you choose there is no way getting around the fact that we need to exercise and move our bodies and sweat EVERYDAY! Just put it on your calendar and on your to do list. Make it a habit and a lifestyle that’s when you begin to reap all of the benefits! DON’T FORGET TO DRINK MORE WATER TO!!!

BOTTOM LINE: Aim to do some sort of exercise everyday.

 

 

5. SLEEP/DE-STRESS/PRAY/MEDITATE

Get to bed at a decent hour! Aim for 7-8 hours a night and do whatever it takes to stick to that most days of the week. Find little ways to de-stress through out your week. Take a hot bath, grab a coffee with a friend, or even organizing that closet that’s been bugging you forever can go a long way in helping your overall mental health.

Lastly and probably the most important step of all is to pray, meditate, and visualize. Pray and have gratitude for all you do have, all you have gone through, and wisdom and strength to fulfill your purpose on this earth. Meditate on what is good, wholesome, and pure including motivational quotes, books, and bible scripture. TAKE 5 MIN EVERYDAY to VISUALIZE what it is you want to come in to your life.

Whether its health, friendship, wealth, career, healing, peace, joy, or contentment taking time everyday to visualize will help these things come into your life sooner than if you left them as distant daydreams. Receive Gods Grace in your heart and many many doors will open up for you.

BOTTOM LINE: Pray and trust in God !

Don’t wait until it’s to late! Health truly is the ultimate wealth Keeping a healthy lifestyle is not a drag, nor boring, nor hard. It’s taking little daily consistent steps and tweaking them to your own needs that keep it easy and enjoyable to live a healthy life!

Be well! 🙂

Susie R.