3 Tips for Healthy Living

What series are you watching now? Have you seen XYZ movie? Sound like a familiar conversation with friends and family? In times like these it’s easy to fall into the Netflix and chill trap.  Being homebound for weeks on end can easily summon feelings of helplessness that lead you to question the importance of your involvement in life.  Ironically at a time when your involvement is actually needed the most.

What we know about Covid-19 though is that aside from older people being at risk, the second most vulnerable group are those with underlying medical conditions, many of which are lifestyle related illnesses.  So now more than ever doing what you can do to claim responsibility for your physical and spiritual wellbeing takes on a special significance. So, let’s discuss some often forgotten are perhaps unknown facts of healthy living so that you can take back the reigns and become even stronger than before.

Tip #1 Listen to your gut

Food should ideally be moving out of your system within 3 hours, so pay attention to what you eat and how long it takes your body to digest it. You don’t even necessarily need to follow a particular diet. Just try different foods and be attentive to the way your body responds to them over the course of a week. If the foods you are eating are able to move out of your digestive tract within 3 hours it’s a good indication that your system can handle that particular food.   Now being hungry an hour later doesn’t necessarily mean that food is the healthiest food for you, to gauge that you’ll have to focus more on the way you feel whilst eating and directly thereafter. But at least if the food moves through your system in short order you know your body was able to handle it.

How you eat is as important as what you eat

Snacking between meals is a fairly pervasive habit no matter what part of the world you live in because most people don’t understand that constant eating is an energy drain on your system. However, there should be a gap of at least 5-6 hours between meals. This allows cleansing to happen on a cellular level. If you are over 30 years old, 2 meals a day should suffice. There will be an adjustment period when you first start eating this way, but you’ll quickly notice what you thought were hunger pains was just your body becoming adjusted to the feeling of an empty stomach. Which actually shouldn’t necessarily evoke a feeling of discomfort. It only feels that way, because you’ve bought into the notion that a full or half full stomach is an ongoing requirement of life. But eventually once you witness the fact that life without snacks or even missing a meal isn’t the end of the world, but in fact helps you to feel sharper you’ll be even more empowered to live this way, not to mention have a few more dollars in your pocket.

If you can manage to top the evening off with a bit of physical activity after the last meal, perhaps 20 minutes of walking, even better.

 Tip #2 Honey please!

When the necessary iron is not in your blood the ability to carry oxygen to the body decreases.  So how easily the body rejuvenates itself is dependent on iron amongst other vitamins and minerals. According to the National Institute of Health “honey increased antioxidant agents, serum iron and blood indices, and trace elements and decreased immunoglobulin E, liver and muscle enzymes, and fasting blood sugar in healthy subjects.”  So, consume a bit of honey with warm water (not hot water) on a daily basis and the level of inertia you feel in the body and mind will be decreased.

 Tip #3 Relax, Relate, Release

Unbeknownst to most, sleep is not a requirement of life per se, rest is a requirement. We’ve all had the feeling of taking a long nap during the day and waking up groggy instead of refreshed. Or perhaps many people start the day this way. It’s because a lot of sleep begets more sleep. Is this to say that you should stop sleeping? Of course not, for most people, the way we are living makes sleep a requirement. But one thing you can do to slowly lower sleep consumption in a healthy way is increase production whilst maintaining a pleasant state of being. You’ve probably noticed when you’re at your happiest and most exuberant it’s difficult to sleep? The same logic holds true here, if you keep your body at ease sleep won’t occur until you’ve reached a point of utter exhaustion.

Are certain unnecessary thoughts causing you to tense muscles or breathe rapidly? Pay attention to your body and your breath. Do mini self-checks throughout the day, be at ease to the point where you can sit for hours without falling asleep or without tension and you’ll slowly see your sleep consumption reduce, whilst the quality of the sleep you do have increases.

There are so many things that we can be doing now to involve ourselves with life and thereby improve the quality of it. These are just a few to focus on in the short term so that you can begin that journey. The key to healthy living begins and ends with attentiveness though. Really listen to your body and if you seek answers to the questions it proposes you’ll be prepared for anything.