While we sometimes do need a prescription for certain ailments or life threatening situations true health arises when we balance our mind, body and spirit. We need to look to ourselves for the answers.
What Does a Balanced Healthy Life Really Look Like?
Getting there doesn’t happen overnight and it’s not really a destination! Good health nourishes you from inside out. Starting with the how we talk to ourselves – self love. Our bodies are meant to work like a well-oiled machine and in perfect harmony. It’s truly miraculous! When given the right ingredients your body can heal itself but you need to be aware of what’s going on and do not ignore the symptoms it gives you. A healthy balanced life doesn’t have debilitating side effects like some prescriptions do especially if taken long term for a chronic issue. Especially most of them weren’t even designed to be taken that long (ie. acid reflux medicine!!).
It probably doesn’t look like the super-model on the cover of Vogue either! Get comfortable in your own skin!
Balance isn’t Perfect Everyday!
Balance isn’t perfect everyday but a practice over time to what feels good for you. Listen to your body and look to your higher self for the answers, it knows intuitively what it needs as well as has all the answers it needs. Symptoms pop up to tell us “hey, something is off, come look a bit deeper to finding the root cause”. Try to get out of the habit for looking for the quick fix or pop a pill to put a band-aid approach to a bigger issue. Question your health care professional, seek a second opinion, don’t believe everything you read, what is good for one might be poison to another.
Stress can Wreak Havoc on Our Bodies
Stress is also a huge factor in our lives today especially with all the technology that is literally coming at us every minute of the day.
Stress comes in many levels. For example, your body can be stressed internally from a simple sugar overload which is difficult for you organs and blood to process. Or you may be eating a food that you don’t even realize you are sensitive too which is causing digestive distress. Top that with stress from business or job, financial pressures, family, relationships, etc. You could be eating all the super-foods in the world and if you have a lot of stress in your life you can kiss your health good-bye. On the flip-side, some small level of stress, helps keep us motivated and strive for something better so that’s where balance is key. Do what feels good and practice what keeps you peaceful!
12 Steps to balance your life for better health:
- Take 6-8 deep belly breaths, breathe in through your nose while your belly expands (not your chest) and hold for 5 then out through your mouth slowly for 6-8 when you first wake up or anytime you want to recenter yourself. This helps trigger your parasympathetic nervous system and awaken more happiness, peace as well as productiveness in your life!
- Get a morning daily ritual that includes some self-care. Meditation, reading, journaling are all great to include. Time to reflect and appreciate the day that is coming. Also a gratitude journal is also a great way to start your day. Gratitude truly can be a game changer!
- Just eat whole foods (forget food with labels and boxes, fast food and it would be a good idea to try to eat home as much as you can). Restaurants are known for using bad oils and unhealthy ingredients. However if the restaurant you frequent is using healthy ingredients and preparation than go for it! And, please share in the comments who they are! Even Whole Foods is using canola oil in preparation of their already prepared food station — canola oil is not a healthy oil!
- Drink more water! When you urinate your urine should be light not yellow and dark (although if you are taking supplements they do cause yellow urine).
- Exercise! Find what works for you but get moving to create oxygen and move stagnant energy that might be stuck in your body!! It doesn’t have to be hard core as a matter of fact over exercising is not good either! Walking or stretching is great way to start!
- Body Tapping! Your body is energy! If you’ve been sitting for a long time or when you first wake up you want to wake up your organs and get the blood and energy moving and release stagnant energy in your body. This helps to release toxins as well. First rub your hands together in quick motion creating energy or even clapping is great. Start with your ankles and move all the way up the back of your legs, arms (each one), neck/sternum, chest, back and kidney area. The whole idea is to move the energy in your meridian lines in your body and helps balance your chakras (your energetic/emotional body).
- Eat more vegetables! I don’t subscribe to one style of eating but everyone, everyone could benefit from eating more vegetables! They are nutrient dense and help with so many ailments. Please note eating cold salads everyday doesn’t necessarily mean that they are good for you if they cause bloat and gas. This typically means that you may not be digesting them and cooking them would be ideal for you.
- Sleep! You should shoot for 7-9 hours of sleep a night. For some that might seem like a dream but if you are not sleeping, your health will deteriorate in some form or another. You need to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones. It all happens when we sleep.
- Dump the chemicals you are using in your home, on your skin and in your food! Nowadays it is easy to find natural products in regular stores as well as online. Chemicals disrupt hormones, cause cancer, breathing/lung issues, asthma, brain fog, ADD, ADHD, contributing to you not losing the weight you want to lose, inflammation, organs not working optimally…just to name a few!
- Prepare and plan! Food, schedules, life needs to organized not wake up and figure it out in a scattered mindless way. You set your day up for failure that way. Focus and allow yourself enough time to plan your week and day. Everyone has a different system but find one that works for you. If you are running late all the time for appointments, going through the drive through or just plain exhausted you need a better plan! We all get 24 hours in a day – it is a choice on how we choose to use it ~ no excuses!
- Eat mindfully. Sit down and really enjoy your food and praise it. Take time to really appreciate it. You might think this is something you can skip but digestion starts the minute you look at your food. Digestive enzymes are start to churn in your mouth the minute you look at your plate! Take time to chew your food that is half the battle of helping it to digest!
- Feed your mind with good thoughts! Your beliefs DO rule your life. It’s good practice to continue to feed your mind with positive thoughts several times a day if you tend to have negative self talk. Just be aware of the thought and then send it on it’s way then replace it with something positive even if it’s not really true. Believe first, then see!!! Not see and believe!