Foundations of Holistic Health
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The most important thing you can do is to listen to your body. It knows what it needs to heal. Let’s give your body the tools it needs for success.
Below are the Foundations of Holistic Health. Your body needs each of these to be in place in order to prevent illness or start the healing process.
Keep in mind- these changes are so simple, yet make huge impacts! So you can start your journey today.
Psst…Before we get started I have a Restful Sleep digital program that I think you will love. You’ll discover the foundations of a holistic lifestyle and why that is essential for great sleep. You’ll see why this is the ultimate strategy for getting to the root cause and aligning yourself for sleep.
Sunlight
Nothing makes people happier than a beautiful sunny day. Did you know that morning sun exposure sets your circadian rhythm preparing you for a good night's sleep. Sunlight also regulates hormones and assists with vitamin production. Keep in mind that your body can only make vitamin D if the sun is high enough in the sky. Make sure your shadow is not longer than your body! You want to have some sun exposure each week without sunscreen but don’t stay in the sun too long or let yourself burn.
Exercise
We all know that we should be exercising but most of us don’t want to! I can agree with that. I don’t love going to the gym, and if you don’t either, don’t beat yourself up about it! What fun activity do you like to do? Join friends for a workout class? Maybe a walk around the neighborhood or local park would be more your speed. How about a bike ride with the family? Point is- make it fun! If you dread it - it’s not doing you any good!
Air
We all forget to breathe correctly and doing so can help calm the nervous system. The lungs help to detox the body and it cannot do that properly if we are always taking shallow breaths.
Take time to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy being outside! Especially, if you work from home or in an office all day, make a point to take time to breathe correctly. Take some time today to just take some slow deep breaths in and slowly exhale. You will feel relaxed, refreshed and ready to focus.
Balanced Emotions
Let’s stop all this negativity and worry! Changing your thinking can drastically change your life. For example, what are you worried about right now? Grab a piece of paper and write down what your thoughts are about it. It may be things like “I have no chance of succeeding” or “I am so worried, my health will never improve” or “How am I going to get everything done!” These thoughts are preventing you from getting the things you want. Let’s change that now! Write on the other side of the paper, a new way of thinking. You could say “I believe in myself, I have accomplished exactly what I want” or “Thank you for our health and wellbeing. I am no longer sick.” or “I love taking care of my family. I have plenty of time to do everything.” This one change alone was probably the most difficult for me but has been the most life changing.
Rest
Trying to get in your 8 hours? But it’s not happening. I feel you. Not getting enough sleep can impact our whole body, particularly the nervous system and immune system. A few things you can do to create a restful night’s sleep are to clear worries and your to-do list from your mind, avoid excessive fullness or hunger and avoid stimulants like caffeine, sugar and nicotine before bed. Creating a restful environment which is cool, dark and quiet is also key. Have you tried meditation? Let’s jump right into the next foundation…..
Spirituality
Does the thought of meditation have you running for the hills? Keep it simple. I never even considered meditation until my 30s and it has been a game changer. It helps me recenter myself and prepare for the day or wind down for sleep. I love going outside and looking up at the sky and saying everything I am thankful for. You can keep it simple!
Check out the Restful Sleep video course that incorporates all of the foundations of natural health!
Water
Ditch the idea of drinking 8 glasses of water each day. It should be unique to you: try drinking 50% of your body weight in filtered or reverse osmosis water daily. So if you weigh 170 lbs that would be 85 ounces. Coffee and black tea are dehydrating and do not count toward your daily ounces.
Food
Are you tired of the latest diet. Starving yourself? I am not a fan. I cannot stand being hungry. Try just eating real food. Real food. Dump the processed foods laden with toxins and chemicals, get rid of the sugar. Organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed meats, and organic dairy. If you can accomplish this 80% of the time you are doing great! Don’t beat yourself up because you had dinner with friends and had that margarita and enchilada. We need to give ourselves some grace, love ourselves and have fun!
Body & Energy Work
Body & Energy work offers physical, emotional and spiritual benefit. A great place to start would be with some well known options such as reflexology, acupuncture, chiropractic, or massage.
So don’t wait until your health interferes with your everyday life! Start now. Or if you already have ongoing health issues, now is the time to jump right in!
