While health and wellness can be overwhelming, it's important not to dwell on the minutia. So, let's take a deep breath and learn some basic things that you can do to increase your health.
Take In Vital Nutrients
One of the most important parts of nutrition is, nutrients! Yes, you could focus on making sure that you have exactly 78 grams of protein per day and 1000 mg of calcium while making sure that you are also taking in the proper amount of phosphorus. But, you have a job and a family and other hobbies. Instead, focus on eating a variety of whole foods each day. If you are someone who is very reliant on foods that come from a box, try to wean yourself off of this. Instead, try adding in a couple of meals that are vegetable forward each week. The next week, add a little more.
Eliminate Waste
It's not really fun to talk about, but waste elimination is very important. How else do you think you get the remnants of last night's toxins out? You eliminate waste three ways, through urination, defecation, and sweat. Three ways to make sure that you get rid of those toxins are to make sure you drink enough water, eat enough fiber, and move enough to sweat:
- A good basic formula for the correct amount of water is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water. Your urine should a pale yellow. If it is too clear, cut back a little on the water.
- Fiber is important for bowel movements, if you are eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, you should be doing just fine. If you are moving your bowels less than once a day, try adding in some more soluble fiber foods, like oats, beans, and citrus fruits. If you think you are moving your bowels too much, add in more insoluble fiber like brown rice, celery, and carrots.
- Don't forget to get your sweat on! Exercise doesn't always take place at the gym, unless you want it to. Go for a walk with your dog, play kickball with your friends, or do yoga on a farm with a goat. Whatever makes your heart sing is the activity you should do.
Maintain Internal Environment
Making sure that your insides are healthy enough to do their job is another guideline for reaching optimum health. This means making sure that your Immune System and Lymphatic System are kept healthy. These two systems work in tandem, so if one is on the fritz, the other will be as well. You can keep your immune system healthy by doing a lot of the steps I have already covered, eating whole foods, exercise, and eliminating the toxins you may consume. We have all heard that Vitamin C is good for the immune system and that is true! Citrus fruits, like oranges, are a great source. It's best to consume it right at the source, so a whole orange is better than orange juice (less sugar too!). Cranberries and apples are some alternatives if you aren't into oranges or lemons. You can keep your lymphatic system healthy and moving by making sure you are drinking enough water. This helps keep the lymph (the fluid that runs through lymphatic vessels) viscous enough to move freely. Another easy tip is to do exercises like rebounding (jumping on a small trampoline) or jump rope to keep the fluid moving. It is recommended to do this for about 15 minutes, 3 times a week.
Communication for Homeostasis
Homeostasis is how we keep balance within our bodies. Our endocrine system (think kidneys, pancreas, thyroid) is responsible for keeping things like hormones, waste, and fluid levels where they should be. You've heard of eating alkaline foods? Well, your body is going to work to keep all parts of it at the pH levels that it should be (your stomach is very acidic, your blood is a little alkaline) regardless of what you actually eat. But, why make it harder on your body than it has to be? Your diet should be about 80% alkaline and 20% acidic. If you are already focusing on eating whole foods like I mentioned before (several times), then you are already there. No need to stress over it!
Circulate Substances
Blood flow is important to sustaining life. Your cells won't last more than a couple of minutes unless the blood keeps flowing. As mentioned before, it is important to drink enough water so that your blood can move easily throughout the body. It is also important that you keep active and get the heart pumping! Without activity, the blood can actually sit and thicken causing blood clots, which can cause a whole mess of problems, including death. Blood flow can also be impacted by cholesterol. There are two types, high density lipoprotein (HDL, the "good" stuff) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the "bad" stuff). Too much LDL can build up in the blood stream preventing blood from flowing. Because HDL is bigger than LDL, when it comes through the bloodsteam, it breaks up and loosens the LDL. If you are concerned about high levels of cholesterol, or have a family history, try to avoid red meat and fried foods (among others) and focus on fats like avocados and nuts. Please see a doctor if you are concerned, they can run lots of tests, even if it is just to put your mind at ease.
There is a lot of information here and it can take some time to absorb it all. But, I am sure you saw that there was a running theme. Eating a diet with whole foods, exercising regularly, and drinking the correct amount of water is a great starting point for taking control of your health. The key is to take it slow and not change everything all at once. My suggestion is to pick one thing and work on it until you do it unconsciously. As an example, start increasing the amount of water that you drink. Don't start drinking all 75 ounces today if you are normally only drinking a cup or two. Increase slowly until you are at the 75 ounce mark. Then, once you feel you have mastered that, move on to adding more whole foods to your diet. Then, focus on exercising. Then, you can deep dive into some of the more complex parts of health. Your health is important, but stressing over it is counter-productive. It should be something easy and fun. It should be noted that this isn't going to be quick. It may take you a couple of months before you feel that your water drinking habit is where it should be, and even longer to stabilize your diet. This isn't a race, it's something that you are going to work on for the rest of your life. It can be frustrating, until you realize that you are increasing not only quantity of your time here, but also the quality of your time.
Sources:
https://medfitnetwork.org/public/all-mfn/rebounding-lymphedema/
Presentation: Anatomy & Physiology II: Homestasis and Wholeness, SW Institute of the Healing Arts
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