By
Anu Fergoda
Creating a heather lifestyle doesn't have to be complicated but it
does
require commitment. It takes 21 days to create a new habit, and 6
months for that habit to become ingrained in your routine. Since life
can get in the way, I recommend small changes one step at a time. The
list below represents five simple health tips that you can incorporate
into your life and make a huge impact on your health, energy, and
vitality. Choose one item at a time and do it for at least 3 weeks
before adding another component to your lifestyle. When you are doing it
without having to constantly remind yourself, then you are ready to
move on to the next item.
1) Drink half your "ideal" weight in ounces of water per day.
If your ideal weight (not your actual weight) is 120 pounds, you should
drink 60 ounces of water per day. Even mild dehydration will cause a 3%
drop in your baseline metabolism. That means you will gain 1 pound of
fat every 6 months! Drinking water minimizes bloating and water
retention in women. These symptoms are often a result of lack of
hydration. Drinking plenty of water is how you flush the fat and toxins
stored in your fat cells, and also how you can prevent muscle cramps.
When muscle cells don't have adequate fluids, they don't work as well
and performance can suffer. When exercising, you should try to drink 3-5
ounces of water every 20 minutes. Downing your 8-10 glasses of water
all in one sitting doesn't cut it. For maximum effectiveness, staying
"evenly" hydrated throughout the day is how our bodies metabolize fat.
Also, proper hydration keeps our kidneys and bowel function healthy.
Getting the proper hydration also gives you more youthful looking skin.
Symptoms associated with mild dehydration are weakness, muscle cramps,
headaches, irritability, fatigue, trouble concentrating, heart
palpitations, and anxiety.
2) Get your Vitamin D levels tested.
Over 80% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient. This is especially
prevalent during the winter months. Research shows that proper levels of
vitamin D can boost your immune system and decrease your risk for
cancer. You can buy Vitamin D3 in a supplement form or you can spend
some time in the sun, although your body can only generate vitamin D
from UVB rays and during certain times of the day. There is an app for
smartphones called D
minder. This app will let you know what time
of day, based on your geographic location, the sun is at the proper
angle and generating UVB rays so your body can create Vitamin D. In some
geographic areas there will be times of the year that you cannot
generate vitamin D from sun exposure and will need to get it in the form
of supplementation or special tanning beds. This app takes all of the
scientific data into account plus your personal profile which includes
skin pigmentation, weight, and age. When you are ready to begin your sun
exposure, input the type of clothing you are wearing and start the
timer. When you've maximized your Vitamin D production for the day, an
alarm will sound to end your session. For those of you who don't enjoy
the outdoors or live in a location where you can't generate Vitamin D,
there are plenty of Vitamin D supplements. Look for Vitamin D in the
form of D3. The daily recommended amount is controversial, but
generally, 1000-5000mg is recommended. For more info on this topic visit
mercola.com
3) Get to bed before 10pm. Since I
know this is going to be challenging, start with going to bed just a
little earlier each night and work your way to 10pm over a three week
period. The latest sleep studies indicate that the deepest and most
regenerative sleep occurs between 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. If your body is
chronically deprived of "regenerative sleep" between 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.,
then you may still feel tired and have difficulty getting up in the
morning. At 10 p.m., your body goes through a series of transformations
following the rise in melatonin production. Melatonin not only helps
regulate your sleep/wake cycle but is also responsible for the repair
and restoration of your body. A reduction of your mental and physical
activity is necessary for this 10 p.m. shift to occur. Watching
television, reading from an electronic device, or bright LED clocks all
impact melatonin production and the subsequent chain reaction that leads
your body into deep sleep. This is one good reason to buy paperback
books and a book light! You can also listen to relaxing music. Getting a
good night's sleep can create longevity and health. Deep rest during
the night helps you fight stress, maintain a healthy weight, and keeps
your energy levels high. A simple health tip for those wanting to lose
weight: get a minimum of 5 hours of sleep per night.
4) Eat more fruits and vegetables.
When we eat a diet high in whole foods, we feed our bodies thousands of
micronutrients which stabilize our blood sugar and cholesterol,
decrease weight, boost the immune system, reverse heart disease and
prevent cancer. An apple a day may keep the doctor away but a mushroom a
day will help keep cancer away! The micronutrients found in fruits and
vegetables are very powerful antioxidants. Micronutrients create many
cell protecting compounds. Many of these compounds such as polyphenols,
flavonoids, carotenoids, and phytoestrogens have significant health
benefits and are an essential component to optimal health.
Micronutrients high in carotenoids are found in carrots, tomatoes,
pumpkin, broccoli and spinach. Vegetables that are deep red, purple or
black provide rich sources of polyphenols. Flavanoids are found in nuts,
seeds, grains, green tea, red wine, kale, and lemons. Phytoestrogens
are found in soybeans and flaxseeds. If you do not have access to a
fresh variety of produce, then supplement your diet with a good whole
food concentrate formula. It's important to incorporate both raw and
cooked vegetables into your diet. A simple health tip is that roasting
vegetables is easy, quick, and delicious! Cut your vegetables into bite
size pieces, drizzle them in olive oil, add salt, pepper and a little
cayenne. Roast at 420 degrees for about 20 minutes. To change it up, add
raw nuts or dried cranberries in the last five minutes of cooking. You
can squeeze fresh lemon juice or shake some parmesan cheese over the top
for added flavor.
5) Exercise for 20 minutes a day.
It is not necessary to kill yourself at the gym for hours at time. You
can get tremendous benefit from just 20 minutes of activity per day, and
even walking the dog counts! If you can think of exercise as a
play-date, then it can be something to look forward to rather than
something to get done! Find something you enjoy doing, and do it. It
could be tennis, swimming, hiking, jogging, weightlifting, Zumba
aerobics, dancing, pole-dancing, kickboxing, boxing, cardio barre, Nia,
yoga, biking, jump rope, hula hooping, climbing stairs, or even just
shooting baskets. Think about something you used to love doing and then
do it again! If you can commit to anything physical for 20 minutes a day
you can make a big impact on your health and really boost your
metabolism! Running on a treadmill for 20 minutes a day at 4 mph will
take 26 days for you to lose 1 pound of fat. That's a total of 14 pounds
of fat in one year from this simple health tip. That's a lot of pant
sizes! There are so many fun ways to lose weight and get in shape while
improving your heart health, reducing stress, increasing endorphins and
building muscle.
None of these simple health tips are rocket
science. In fact I bet you knew most of this stuff already, you just
don't do them. I spent years looking for complicated diets and
supplements to get myself into optimal shape. The best medicine I had, I
already knew - I just didn't do it. Make your New Years Resolution a
lifestyle change to incorporate healthy habits three weeks at a time!
If you would like to take the guesswork out of diet and nutrition, then
click here
to learn my simple secret to achieving optimal health. My name is Anu
Fergoda and I am passionate about helping people feel better! To learn
more,
click here.