10 Pillars of Health and Longevity
1. Nutrition
Nutrition is absolutely a game-changer. You can workout all you want, but if your eating habits are way off "ECOLOGICAL BALANCE", then not only does your health suffer but your time is not as well-spent in the gym. Organic and Non-GMO over all other choices is always the smart choice. (As well as drinking good clean water) Studies show that when you switch to Organic, the toxins from, for example, Monsanto Roundup(Glyphosate weed killer), will disappear. This also goes for toxins in our environment, give the body and our environment what it needs and healing will commence at a rapid pace! Food is healing, Food is Medicine. IT STARTS AND ENDS WITH GUT HEALTH, KEEP YOUR GUT BUDDIES HAPPY!!!
2. Exercise
This one is another obvious one. Exercise is super important for your mind, body and soul. We are meant to move, we are meant to improve strength. Everybody has those mornings where you feel like BLAH! Well the best "pick-me-up" is not coffee it's movement! When you exercise you energize and when it feels challenging then it's changing. It is positively changing you physically and mentally. Above all, strengthen that heart and engine of yours(with consisent cardiovascular training) to keep moving strong for a long time. That's the key to improving your overall fitness level! Don't forget the strength part, if you don't try to improve or at least maintain your strength, you will get weaker faster as you age. Keep the lifestyle going strong cause you love it and it's fun to MOVE THAT BODY!!
3. Stress Management
We all have our days. It's how we choose to react and deal with what comes our way is key. Stress can be handled positively by mastering the the other Pillars to health and longevity. It's always best to surround yourself with good people that you love to be around to take your mind off things and can talk to easily. Movement is a great place to start or even meditation and yoga. Studies have proven just 10min or more a day of meditation can drastically improve mood, brain power, energy, breathing and sleep. "Exercise Stress " is different. You want that stress. The body adapts positively to that stress and makes you stronger and more confident and therefore minimizing the bad stress that clouds your mind.
4. Breath Control
People know that we can survive without water for roughly 3 days and weeks without food, but air? Minutes. There's a big myth that has been encouraged, especially in the athletic world. "Deep breathes, breath deep, deep through the mouth." The contrary to popular beliefs, the nose is for breathing and the mouth is for eating and talking....and NO, stop trying to suck up all of the earths air, you want to control your breath, relax it. It makes total sense when you think about it. Control your breathing, to relax the heart and mind. You do this and physical activities will become easier and you can outlast the person next to you! BREATHE LIGHT TO BREATHE RIGHT!
5. Maintenance
Playing sports, exercising, working all day, chasing kids all day…etc …The body breaks down. Just like a vehicle, you need to properly maintain it for it to continue to run smoothly. Chiropractic Treatments, Osteopathy, Massage, Kinesology Stretching Techniques, Yoga/stretching, Mobility/Stability/Flexibility, Spinal decompression by using a inversion table or gravity boots, or even having an easy mobilty session with resisence bands...etc You want to have a regular system in place for "enhanced movement" that develops maximum body control, flexibility and the lovely "handy" ranges of motion. This will help diminish possible injuries and help heal injuries quicker, ...plus it's a huge stress reliever! It should be apart of the routine so you can keep that body moving strong!
6. Connect With Mother Nature
Just like with nutrition (to feed the ecosystem inside our body (our "Gut Buddies")), we also need to connect with nature as much as possible. We are not meant to be in a climate-controlled box all day looking at harmful blue light and being exposed to wireless raditation... and then into a climate-controlled box on wheels to go into another climate-controlled box to get our food that's been sprayed with toxins. Humanity has lost touch with mother nature. Get outside as much as possible. Read a book outside instead of on the couch. Get that sun shining on your skin for that vital vitamin D, go to the river or beach, get in, soak in the water that hasn't been treated with chemicals flowing through endless pipes! Get dirty and grow your own food garden! Take off your shoes!! Let your feet breathe and feel the ground. Electron deficiency is caused by the lack of "grounding" or "earthing". Vitamin "G" studies have revealed that it's the biggest and best antioxident and anti-inflammatory that excists. There's been remarkable results that has had outstanding feedback and those that have studied this say it has unlimited potential to infuse health and defuse pain. Grounding or Earthing is the practice of walking barefoot on the Earth's floor. By doing this you will be receiving what many consider to be the most potent antioxidants in existence. Grounding has a multitude of benefits of which includes reducing the harmful effects of EMF exposure. The Earth's negative ions balance out the positive ions that devices such as cell phones fill our bodies with. By Grounding daily you will be rebalancing your body's electrical state and receiving potent healing energy. It makes total sense! Make it apart of your practice. This is bigger than you think for overall health and well-being! We are an ecosystem in of ourselves, it's time to connect more with nature inside and out! (Check out Dr. Zach Bush's work!)
7. Climate Adaptation
Getting outside in all-weather conditions is a good start, but also creating your own "hacks" is good too! Ever heard of a guy named "Wim Hof"? Well he holds over 20 world record in extreme temperatures. You don't need to go as far as he did, but regularly exposing your body to cold and hot temperatures will do wonders for your mental and physical health and longevity. Cold water exposure(Cold Thermogenesis), which will include the restoration of the blood-brain barrier health, but it will also increase cell longevity, give you such a robust immune system and also fat loss...a lot of times even rapid fat loss. Cold showers will be the starter and if that's all you do then that's still really good and all you really need. It doesn't need to be extemely cold but what changes come from something that is easy at the start? Challenging yourself to an ice bath or ...snow angels in your shorts? ..haha. (There's lots of people that will buy a chest freezer, fill it with water, just for a cheap way to get a daily dose of cold thermogenesis) Again, controlling the breath is key to adapting to the cold. As for HOT, use the SAUNA!! If you can find yourself one, awesome! A hot bath with some epson salts is good too. Many studies show the benefits on using a sauna. It lowers blood pressure, eases joint stiffness, promotes weight loss, detoxifies, again..enhances blood circulation which in return helps cardiovascular health...again control your breathing. Do both cold and hot exposure!
8. Sleep/Rest
The contrary to popular beliefs, you make your gains at rest. Sleep is sooooooo imporant. An absolute GAME-CHANGER. The secret is nose breathing. Breathe through your nose day and night, but especially night. If you simply can't breathe through your nose, please get that fixed!(You'll thank me later) 7-9 hours a day is the sweet spot for the majority of the population. Sleeping in line with our natural biological clock(our circadian rhythm) consistently is a must for overall health and longevity. If you work the night-shift, try your best to get out of that as soon as possible. No matter how much you try to get use to it, it never is healthy. If you really can't, then the other pillars is even more important to master. Sleep boosts your immune system, vital for mental wellness and brain function, helps with weight loss, reduces inflammation and is also a major contributor to stray away or heal any illnesses and injuries. Afternoon naps are great for a "recharge" as well as a daily meditation practice. TURN OFF WIFI... Studies have shown that we are more sensitive to the EMF that our wireless devices give off. People that have made that "switch" are surprised to notice the difference in their sleep when they shut off their wifi and cell phones(or airplane mode). There are people that are so sensitive to these frequencies that they have to move to an area that doesnt have these harmful frequencies near by. You don't use electronics when you sleep anyways, and you shouldn't be exposing yourself to that blue light so soon before sleep as it throws off your bodies natural circadian rhythm.
9. Train Your Brain
I'm sure you can "THINK" of the reasons why this is an important Pillar to health and longevity. Studies show reading is so good for brain health. Not only does it take you away from electronic screens, but it strengthens creativity, boosts knowledge, alleviates stress, expands your vocabulary, improves memory, ...etc. Other things you can do is play "thinking games" like a sudoku puzzle or puzzles in general. Play card games with friends is a great stress reliever. One of the best things to do to train your brain and keep you "all-world-brainy" is learning a new language.(something I am working on) Not only will it help you in your career but there's tons of studies showing that it 100% improves brain function in every way you can think of!
10. Relationship Building
Naturally, we all love to be with people that we can trust, share our thoughts with, can count on and be people that are like-minded to have fun with. Having friends and family that you geniunely love to be around and share great memories and laughs totally enhances lifes experiences and extends your life spand. It makes total sense to try and develop as many of these relationships as possible. Talk about Pillar number 3! Stress Management. If you got a circle of people you can be around to "take the edge off" nothing is a better cure. There's always room to find more love and joy! Improve on what you got, make time! ...and get involved with activities/sports to expand that circle should be an important goal to have!