Ten Healthy Mind and Body Lifestyle Habits You Can Add Into Your Life Today!
1. Drink More Water
Did you know that your body is made up of between 60-75% water? No wonder how much water you drink can affect your health. Too little water could cause dehydration, headaches or fatigue, while too much water could result in mineral imbalances.
Sometimes thirst and hunger are confused. Next time you’re hungry, before you have a snack, have a glass of water. Even mild dehydration can alter your metabolism. Drinking a glass of water or two before having a meal often helps you feel full sooner and eat less.
Bio-individuality applies not only to food, but also to the amount of water our bodies need to function properly. On average, women should drink about 9 cups of water per day. Various lifestyle factors need to be taken into account to satisfy individual needs. For example, the water content in fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables may increase hydration in the body.
Learn more here.
Sometimes thirst and hunger are confused. Next time you’re hungry, before you have a snack, have a glass of water. Even mild dehydration can alter your metabolism. Drinking a glass of water or two before having a meal often helps you feel full sooner and eat less.
Bio-individuality applies not only to food, but also to the amount of water our bodies need to function properly. On average, women should drink about 9 cups of water per day. Various lifestyle factors need to be taken into account to satisfy individual needs. For example, the water content in fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables may increase hydration in the body.
Learn more here.
2. Eat Real Carbohydrates
I’m not talking about refined carbohydrates like bread and pasta.
Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds all contain complex carbohydrates.
The bonus is that they contain vitamins, minerals, micronutrients and fiber, as well. They’re also packed with anti-oxidants, which reduce inflammation. Fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber, which slows digestion and stabilizes blood sugar.
Try to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, starting today. Fruits tend to be easier to eat than veggies (especially in the summer), so try to emphasize the vegetables.
Try having the focus of your meals be vegetables. At your bigger meal of the day, try to have at least half of your plate filled with vegetables.
Another way to increase your veggie consumption is to add them to a smoothie. It's easy to throw in a handful of spinach or other greens.
Try having a plate of carrots and celery sticks and/or other vegetables sitting on the table for snacking.
The key is to have fruits and vegetables easily available when you get hungry.
Learn more here.
Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds all contain complex carbohydrates.
The bonus is that they contain vitamins, minerals, micronutrients and fiber, as well. They’re also packed with anti-oxidants, which reduce inflammation. Fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber, which slows digestion and stabilizes blood sugar.
Try to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, starting today. Fruits tend to be easier to eat than veggies (especially in the summer), so try to emphasize the vegetables.
Try having the focus of your meals be vegetables. At your bigger meal of the day, try to have at least half of your plate filled with vegetables.
Another way to increase your veggie consumption is to add them to a smoothie. It's easy to throw in a handful of spinach or other greens.
Try having a plate of carrots and celery sticks and/or other vegetables sitting on the table for snacking.
The key is to have fruits and vegetables easily available when you get hungry.
Learn more here.
3. Eat Healthy Fats
There is a common misconception that fat is bad for you. The reality is that unhealthy fats are bad for you. Trans-fats or hydrogenated oils have no redeeming qualities and should be completely avoided.
We really need healthy fats for healthy skin, hair, vitamin absorption, and other everyday bodily functions.
Avocados, olives, and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon and omega-3 rich organic eggs.
Whole nuts and seeds, and their butters like almond butter and tahini.
Look for the highest quality organic oils when shopping. Words to look for: organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, and unrefined. Avoid expeller-pressed, refined, and solvent extracted.
For more information about the different types of oils, click here.
We really need healthy fats for healthy skin, hair, vitamin absorption, and other everyday bodily functions.
Avocados, olives, and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon and omega-3 rich organic eggs.
Whole nuts and seeds, and their butters like almond butter and tahini.
Look for the highest quality organic oils when shopping. Words to look for: organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, and unrefined. Avoid expeller-pressed, refined, and solvent extracted.
For more information about the different types of oils, click here.
4. Emphasize Lean Proteins
We need protein to renew an replenish our cells, stabilize our blood sugar and give us energy.
Many foods contain protein, not just animal products, although those are the richest sources.
If you eat meat, be conscious of the way the animal was raised and what it ate. Grass-fed beef and free-range chickens are healthier and more ethical choices than feedlot meats.
You can get plenty of protein in your diet without eating meat, but you do need to be more conscious of your protein sources if you are a vegetarian or vegan. Organic yogurt, cottage cheese and free-range eggs are great for vegetarians, while tofu, tempeh and nut butters can be good vegan protein sources.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post about the Peruvians, they tend to eat meat only on the weekends and have many plant based sources of protein they eat during the week, such as quinoa and fava beans.
Even if we choose to eat meat, we can reduce our dependence on it.
Many foods contain protein, not just animal products, although those are the richest sources.
If you eat meat, be conscious of the way the animal was raised and what it ate. Grass-fed beef and free-range chickens are healthier and more ethical choices than feedlot meats.
You can get plenty of protein in your diet without eating meat, but you do need to be more conscious of your protein sources if you are a vegetarian or vegan. Organic yogurt, cottage cheese and free-range eggs are great for vegetarians, while tofu, tempeh and nut butters can be good vegan protein sources.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post about the Peruvians, they tend to eat meat only on the weekends and have many plant based sources of protein they eat during the week, such as quinoa and fava beans.
Even if we choose to eat meat, we can reduce our dependence on it.
5. Eat Breakfast
I bet you’ve heard this one before! Skipping meals, especially breakfast, doesn’t do you any favors.
By eating a good breakfast, you’ll give your metabolism a jumpstart and be in better control of cravings.
You’re also more likely to eat less healthy foods later in the day when you skip breakfast.
Adele Davis, a nutritionist from the 70’s said to “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” There may be some truth to this, but remember, as I said above, it’s all very individual. Experiment to see what works best for you.
Try eating breakfast within an hour of waking up.
This will help you keep your energy steady throughout the morning, maintain focus and clarity, and avoid blood sugar crashes.
If you have a hard time eating breakfast in the morning, it can be easier to drink a protein rich smoothie, than eating a traditional breakfast.
Breakfasts should be high protein and have healthy fat. Skip the sugar in the morning, including fruit, unless it's in your morning smoothie.
Learn more here and be sure to download the Healthy Breakfast Recipes. They're my favorite standbys!
By eating a good breakfast, you’ll give your metabolism a jumpstart and be in better control of cravings.
You’re also more likely to eat less healthy foods later in the day when you skip breakfast.
Adele Davis, a nutritionist from the 70’s said to “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” There may be some truth to this, but remember, as I said above, it’s all very individual. Experiment to see what works best for you.
Try eating breakfast within an hour of waking up.
This will help you keep your energy steady throughout the morning, maintain focus and clarity, and avoid blood sugar crashes.
If you have a hard time eating breakfast in the morning, it can be easier to drink a protein rich smoothie, than eating a traditional breakfast.
Breakfasts should be high protein and have healthy fat. Skip the sugar in the morning, including fruit, unless it's in your morning smoothie.
Learn more here and be sure to download the Healthy Breakfast Recipes. They're my favorite standbys!
6. Eat more frequently.
As I mentioned above, skipping meals doesn't do you any favors. When you consistently go too long without eating, your body goes into conservation mode, which slows down your metabolism. Not what most of us want, especially as we age.
It’s important to have clear times for your body to eat and have time to digest and to balance your food intake throughout the day to help maintain normal blood sugar and decrease the chance of binging when you get hungry.
At the same time, its good for healthy digestion to have at least three hours between meals.
Try not going much more than four hours without eating, while at the same time not eating more often than every three hours.
So obviously, it’s also important to eat foods that will sustain you for that period of time. Here we are back at proteins and fats again. Protein and fats are great fuels.
Protein helps you feel satisfied and will provide sustainable energy for about two hours after you eat it and healthy fats will sustain you for up to four hours!
I know it's hard to ignore all of our conditioning to avoid fats, but healthy fats really are your friend. Healthy fats include olive avocado, coconut, flax seed, and walnut oils. Cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and trout have healthy fats and protein! Remember to avoid trans fats found in margarine, chips and other processed food.
And remember, eating your carbohydrates in the form of vegetables also helps you to feel fuller and have a longer lasting energy, without the sugar crash.
When you do need a snack, late afternoon for example, have some good snacks on hand. Cut up vegetables and hummus or apples or celery with almond butter are good choices.
It’s important to have clear times for your body to eat and have time to digest and to balance your food intake throughout the day to help maintain normal blood sugar and decrease the chance of binging when you get hungry.
At the same time, its good for healthy digestion to have at least three hours between meals.
Try not going much more than four hours without eating, while at the same time not eating more often than every three hours.
So obviously, it’s also important to eat foods that will sustain you for that period of time. Here we are back at proteins and fats again. Protein and fats are great fuels.
Protein helps you feel satisfied and will provide sustainable energy for about two hours after you eat it and healthy fats will sustain you for up to four hours!
I know it's hard to ignore all of our conditioning to avoid fats, but healthy fats really are your friend. Healthy fats include olive avocado, coconut, flax seed, and walnut oils. Cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and trout have healthy fats and protein! Remember to avoid trans fats found in margarine, chips and other processed food.
And remember, eating your carbohydrates in the form of vegetables also helps you to feel fuller and have a longer lasting energy, without the sugar crash.
When you do need a snack, late afternoon for example, have some good snacks on hand. Cut up vegetables and hummus or apples or celery with almond butter are good choices.
7. Exercise your body and mind.
A balanced diet is necessary for a healthy life, but no amount of good food can make up for a lack of exercise.
Our bodies thrive on movement, whereas inactivity can shave years off of your life.
Exercise benefits your mind and body.
Exercise decreases your body weight, lowers your resting heart rate and blood pressure, and boosts your mood.
Try to be active at least 30 minutes every day.
Any kind of movement is great, such as getting off a few stops before your bus or subway stop or parking further away from your destination when you’re doing errands. It can be taking the stairs, instead of the elevator. Or, my personal favorite, taking my dogs for a walk!
Without exercise, it’s hard to reach your full physical and mental potential.
Read more here.
Our bodies thrive on movement, whereas inactivity can shave years off of your life.
Exercise benefits your mind and body.
Exercise decreases your body weight, lowers your resting heart rate and blood pressure, and boosts your mood.
Try to be active at least 30 minutes every day.
Any kind of movement is great, such as getting off a few stops before your bus or subway stop or parking further away from your destination when you’re doing errands. It can be taking the stairs, instead of the elevator. Or, my personal favorite, taking my dogs for a walk!
Without exercise, it’s hard to reach your full physical and mental potential.
Read more here.
8. Get enough sleep!
Many critical bodily activities occur during the sleep state.
Our internal organs rest and recover. Hormones are released and help to regulate appetite control, stress, growth, metabolism, and other bodily functions. Memory consolidation occurs, allowing for the formation and storage of new memories which is essential for learning new information.
Getting the sleep we require helps improve our quality of life.
When we get enough sleep, our energy increases and we're more likely to make beneficial lifestyle choices. We also strengthen our immune system, heighten our alertness focus, and creativity, improve our mood and even our libido is increased.
When we don't get enough sleep, we throw off our circadian rhythms, which can lead to inefficient body regulation of metabolism, energy, and appetite. Not only that, but we often don't make good choices when we don't sleep enough.
The amount of sleep we need depends on the individual and their age group.
Try experimenting with your sleep patterns to find out what works best for you and your individual needs.
Adults generally need seven to nine hours a night, but some people thrive with even more!
Learn more here!
Our internal organs rest and recover. Hormones are released and help to regulate appetite control, stress, growth, metabolism, and other bodily functions. Memory consolidation occurs, allowing for the formation and storage of new memories which is essential for learning new information.
Getting the sleep we require helps improve our quality of life.
When we get enough sleep, our energy increases and we're more likely to make beneficial lifestyle choices. We also strengthen our immune system, heighten our alertness focus, and creativity, improve our mood and even our libido is increased.
When we don't get enough sleep, we throw off our circadian rhythms, which can lead to inefficient body regulation of metabolism, energy, and appetite. Not only that, but we often don't make good choices when we don't sleep enough.
The amount of sleep we need depends on the individual and their age group.
Try experimenting with your sleep patterns to find out what works best for you and your individual needs.
Adults generally need seven to nine hours a night, but some people thrive with even more!
Learn more here!
9. Learn to cook and meal plan, so you can eat at home more.
There are many benefits to eating at home.
Cooking at home can take less time than eating out, especially if you've planned ahead and have the ingredients on hand.
It's hard enough to decide on a restaurant with two people, much more if you're going out as a family. While it seems like it's going to be the easier option, it often isn't.
You decide the quality of the ingredients in your food.
Most of the time you can purchase good quality organic ingredient for much less than the cost of eating out.
You control the amount of seasoning, salt, and richness of your food.
Has your stomach ever felt a little upset from the richness or saltiness of food when eating out? Especially if you've been eating at home most meals.
You also control the portion sizes of your food.
How many restaurants have portion sizes you can actually finish?
All in all, eating at home is much healthier than eating out.
Learn more about meal planning here and be sure to grab your downloadable resource guide.
Cooking at home can take less time than eating out, especially if you've planned ahead and have the ingredients on hand.
It's hard enough to decide on a restaurant with two people, much more if you're going out as a family. While it seems like it's going to be the easier option, it often isn't.
You decide the quality of the ingredients in your food.
Most of the time you can purchase good quality organic ingredient for much less than the cost of eating out.
You control the amount of seasoning, salt, and richness of your food.
Has your stomach ever felt a little upset from the richness or saltiness of food when eating out? Especially if you've been eating at home most meals.
You also control the portion sizes of your food.
How many restaurants have portion sizes you can actually finish?
All in all, eating at home is much healthier than eating out.
Learn more about meal planning here and be sure to grab your downloadable resource guide.
10. Keep track of what you put in your body.
I don't really mean writing down everything you eat. That can get tiresome.
What I mean is try to eat whole foods whenever you can and when you aren't eating whole foods, look at the labels.
Try to avoid sugar, trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup and chemical ingredients you can't pronounce.
Processed foods have become very popular for their convenience and portability.
Toaster pastries, tubes of yogurt, cans of soda, individually wrapped slices or pieces of cheese are usually heavily processed and contain various additives and chemicals to preserve their shelf life. Unfortunately, they come at a price.
Processed foods cause a variety of health problems including gut lining damage and impairment to the mechanisms that protect your DNA.
They also confuse the immune system causing chronic inflammation and auto immune disease. The symptoms range from nausea and headaches to more serious conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis. Reference.
Our bodies weren't meant to eat processed foods.
Almost always, processed foods will contain chemicals that don't naturally occur in.
Did you know that even a box of "natural" cereal can contain preservatives impregnated in the packaging that aren't listed in the ingredients.
Try to avoid foods with ingredients that you can't pronounce.
Better yet, as Michael Pollan, the author of In Defense of Food, writes, "Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
Go ahead and have a treat now and then, but make it yourself from whole foods. Try to find a recipe that's similar to the processed food that you're wanting to make.
When you give your body whole foods it can process, you’ll not only feel more satisfied, but you’ll be making a better choice that supports your health.
What I mean is try to eat whole foods whenever you can and when you aren't eating whole foods, look at the labels.
Try to avoid sugar, trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup and chemical ingredients you can't pronounce.
Processed foods have become very popular for their convenience and portability.
Toaster pastries, tubes of yogurt, cans of soda, individually wrapped slices or pieces of cheese are usually heavily processed and contain various additives and chemicals to preserve their shelf life. Unfortunately, they come at a price.
Processed foods cause a variety of health problems including gut lining damage and impairment to the mechanisms that protect your DNA.
They also confuse the immune system causing chronic inflammation and auto immune disease. The symptoms range from nausea and headaches to more serious conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis. Reference.
Our bodies weren't meant to eat processed foods.
Almost always, processed foods will contain chemicals that don't naturally occur in.
Did you know that even a box of "natural" cereal can contain preservatives impregnated in the packaging that aren't listed in the ingredients.
Try to avoid foods with ingredients that you can't pronounce.
Better yet, as Michael Pollan, the author of In Defense of Food, writes, "Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
Go ahead and have a treat now and then, but make it yourself from whole foods. Try to find a recipe that's similar to the processed food that you're wanting to make.
When you give your body whole foods it can process, you’ll not only feel more satisfied, but you’ll be making a better choice that supports your health.