Spring into a healthy new you

Your life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change.

~ Jim Rohn

Now that spring has sprung, I thought I’d share seven healthy habits to help elevate your health and well-being.

1) Allow your body to adapt to the current season.

The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.

~ Napoleon Hill

Exposure increases resilience.

Intolerance to extreme temperatures is partly related to lack of exposure.

Cold exposure helps the body adapt to winter conditions.

Heat exposure helps it adapt to summer warmth.

We need to embrace discomfort to increase resilience.

Wellness influencers are touting the countless health benefits associated with cold water immersion and sauna therapy.

For those who can, cold plunges in the winter and saunas in the summer can turbo-charge seasonal adaptation.

But no need to have access to a body of water or a sauna. Bundle up on a cold winter day and spend time outdoors. You may be shedding layers with increased exposure.

Do some yard work or exercise outdoors on a hot summer day. Perspiration helps detoxify and cool us down. Make sure to hydrate.

2) Fuel your activity.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

~ Adelle Davis

We have the most digestive power earlier in the day, meaning we can absorb more nutrients to help create and maintain a healthy mind and body.

Eating earlier not only helps fuel what should be the most active part of our day but will reduce hunger later when we are more prone to storing extra calories and interfere with the natural detoxification processes that happen when we sleep.

Yes, there are times when a morning fast can be helpful. We spare the digestive enzymes needed to break down food to continue the overnight detoxification process. A fast after a previous late-night feast makes sense for those who do not have blood sugar issues.

Other than some water or herbal tea, eat and drink nothing for at least three hours before bed.

The 2017 Nobel Prize went to researchers that found that circadian clocks in our body help to regulate sleep patterns, feeding behaviour, hormone release, blood pressure, and body temperature.

Eating at regular times during the day helps prevent metabolic jet lag.

3) Heed the body’s many cries for water.

You may be dehydrated if you suffer from headaches, ulcers, asthma, frequent urinary tract infections, joint pain, muscle cramps, and spasms.

Water helps lubricate and cushion joints. It dissolves more substances than any other liquid transporting many valuable chemicals, minerals, and nutrients throughout the body.

We need water for healthy mucous linings that prevent acidity from burning a hole in the intestinal barrier.

Water keeps the respiratory tract and lung tissue moist, facilitating air exchange and helping to prevent infection.

Water and salt help lower histamine production, reducing our need for many medications, including antihistamines, steroids, and painkillers.

Drink half your body weight, measured in pounds, in ounces of water. Aim for a glass per hour during the first 8-10 hours after awakening.

When working out, drink in ounces, your body weight measured in pounds divided by 30, every fifteen minutes.

4) Rehabilitate your taste buds.

The notion that some foods behave like narcotics goes back at least twenty years in scientific circles.

~ Michael Moss, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

A lot of time, money, and science has gone into creating highly palatable foods.

To increase cravings and sell more products an optimal bliss point of salt, sugar, and fat has been engineered into our food supply. But we can rehabilitate our taste buds.

Our son, who had a sweet tooth, is ten months into not eating desserts and avoiding foods with added sweeteners. He intends to do this for a year but will likely only enjoy sweet treats again on special occasions.

Natural foods can taste delicious when we rehabilitate our taste buds.

The use of fresh, clean herbs and spices is not only medicinal but a great way to enhance the flavour of food.

5) Move throughout the day.

[The] general trend is that people who frequently carry heavy loads and do other “back-breaking” work get fewer back injuries than those who sit in chairs for hours bent over a machine.

~ Daniel E. Lieberman

Get up from a sitting position every half hour during the day. Prolonged sitting is harmful to health.

The lymphatic system takes out the trash. Lymphatic tissue does not have a pump. Stagnation of the lymph is a root cause of many disease conditions. Movement is needed to promote flow and drainage.

Muscle activity improves circulation and reduces the burden on the heart. It also reduces the need for insulin, preventing insulin resistance and diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and cancer.

When drained from physical activity, incoming fuel is more likely to be used to replenish the muscle and less likely to be added to fat stores.

6) Count your blessings, not your grievances.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not but rejoices for those which he has.

~ Epictetus

To avoid feeling like a victim count blessings, not grievances.

Keeping a gratitude journal is a wise practice.

Before long, the glass that appeared half empty will appear half full.

7) Honour natural light-dark cycles.

A well-spent day brings happy sleep.

~ Leonardo da Vinci

A good night’s sleep starts when we get out of bed in the morning.

Exposure to morning light sets the rhythm to align us with 24-hour sleep/wake cycles.

It produces hormones that increase energy (cortisol) upon awakening, improve mood (serotonin) throughout the day, and create drowsiness (melatonin and adenosine) when the sun sets.

Early in the night, we experience more deep sleep, producing more anti-aging growth hormone, which helps repair tissue, regulate blood sugar, and prevent cravings.

There is some truth to the adage, an hour before midnight is worth two after midnight.

Exposure to artificial light from electronics and overhead lighting after sunset interferes with the natural production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

If you are a night owl, one week of camping outdoors in nature, with no artificial light, can reset your body clock and your natural sleep/wake cycles.

Consistency with bedtime and awakening routines helps avoid social jet lag, a term used to describe the discrepancy between biological time, determined by our internal body clock, and social obligations such as school, or work.

To produce the right chemical messengers (hormones and neurotransmitters) consider the following:

Align sleep with natural light-dark cycles.

Keep your room cool and dark to improve sleep quality.

Greet the day outdoors by 10 AM (if possible, barefoot for grounding, no matter what the weather).

Avoid caffeine after midday.

Watch the sunset.

Avoid eating or drinking, other than a little drink of water or herbal tea, after 7:00 PM.

If awakened in the middle of the night with trouble falling back asleep, wonder why the excitement. Occasionally we get a brilliant idea or think of a solution to a perceived problem. If nothing comes to mind, meditate. For me, meditation is better than medication. The body can produce its own medicine with the right mindset.