Wellness Simplified

Wellness Simplified

Have you ever been confused by all of the mixed messages regarding healthy living. Me too, but with diligent research I’ve been able to deconstruct and simplify the basic components and I will share them with you today. When it comes down to it, health is determined by your lifestyle and choices. Your body needs certain nutrients and minerals, a certain amount of quality sleep, and it must move, and have proper gut balance. That’s it. So let’s take a look at each of these areas alittle closer. What nutrients and minerals do you need and where do you get? I’m glad you asked. Mostly you get them from your food. Some are essential and some are produced within the body. The essentials can be consumed directly through a natural food diet consisting of primarily vegetables, some fruit, and some animal sources. Always consume foods that are closest to there natural state. These vitimins/minerals are either fat soluble or water soluble. This means, in order for your body to synthesize the nutrients you must consume them with Fat and/or Water. Which brings us to the next topic of Fats/Protein/Carbs(not neccesarry)! SO you need fat. This means high quality Fats: such as: Avocado/nuts/seeds/olive and coconut oil/ cold water Fish! Eat a good amount of FATS. It’s brain food! Next is Protein: the building blocks of cells. Must consume quality Proteins. Best choices are: Green Leafly and cruciferous plants such as Kale/Spinach/Arugula/Broccoli cabbage. also, EGGS, and small amounts of animals that consume natural diets and are free of harmful hormones and antibiotics. Carbs are unneccesary, but you can eat some grains and legumes. Stay away from processed foods and watch out for SUGAR, it’s a very toxic and addictive substance that should be avoided. A small amounts of natural sugar found in fruits can be consumed moderately. No Bread. No Pasta. No alcohol. No tobacco. Hydration is also very important. Minimally, 1/2 you body weight in ounces should be consumed daily for general cellular maintenence. Some of this will come from the foods you are eating. Make this a habit. Another important part of nutrition is gut balance. Your intestines are filled with lots of bacteria, some good and some bad. In order to populate the good bacteria and keep the bad ones at bay, you have to consume lots of fermented foods that contain these beneficial bacteria’s. Foods like kefir, saurkraut, probiotics, and other fermented foods allow the growth of these beneficial bacteria’s as well as your emotional state. This is why stress management is so important. Positive emotions elicit the rest physiology which releases dopamine and seratonin( the feel good molecules) and negative emotions elicit the stress response which releases adrenaline and cortisol which wreak havic on your body. Excessive stress hormones are released into you bloodstream and when not released promptly, accumulate in the fascia, which is the thin skin that envelopes all of your muscles and organs. When this happens, the fascia becomes thicker and starts to restrict motion and decrease organ function. Not Good. Don’t stress. Instead, get a massage, or do some deep breathing exercises, or meditate. Vibrating your body after a stressful situation will help dissapate some of the detrimental effects of stress. This is what animals do. Now that you know what to eat, what to avoid, and how to manage stress, let’s discuss movement. Our bodies are designed to move. We need to move the ways our bodies were designed to move. Naturally. Like kids move as they run around and play at the park. Just observe and monkey see monkey do. Learn from the people that are most natural and copy what they do. We are designed to be strong and agile like our hunter gatherer ancestors. Not the modern day “Wall-E” characters that we have become from sitting to much and spending to much time indoors. Get Outside. Get some Sun(Vit.D)! It will help you produce melatonin that will in turn help you sleep better. Sleep is our next topic and a it is crucial to rebuilding. This is the bodies time to clean up waste and rebuild. Get atleast 7-8 of quality sleep everyday. If you eat right, stay active, and manage stress, you will have no trouble getting restfull sleep. Follow these simple strategies and you will be looking and feeling “Amazing” in no time.

Summary: Eat nutrient dense food! Avoid processed food and SUGAR! Improve Gut Health!Get sufficient Rest! Get Outside! Stay Hydrated! Don’t Stress!It’s that Simpe!

“Heal Yourself, Heal the Planet!” ~Jared R.