Hydrate your cells! With Water!
Wherever you are with your water intake per day, we could probably all stand to increase that amount. We do not recommend a certain amount because we understand that everyone is different and we don’t want you to run to the bathroom every hour.- A good rule of thumb is that water should be the primary drink of your day, the main liquid you consume over the day. So, if you drink 2 cups of coffee every day then drink more than 2 cups of water every day.
- Start off by drinking a couple glasses in the morning to start your day with hydrated cells.
- We also recommend adding a pinch of sea salt or himalayan salt for electrolyte balance, or if you prefer, a slice of lemon. This added salt and/or lemon will actually help the water to get into the cells.
- Also, filtered water is a must these days. Tap water can contain many toxins, chemicals and even pharmaceutical drugs that are not able to be filtered out of the water.
Spend time outdoors, in the sun.
Weather permitting, we suggest everyone go outside for at least 10-15 minutes a day for sunshine.- When you expose your skin to sunlight your body synthesizes vitamin D, boosting your immune system.
- When our skin is exposed to sunlight the brain increases a hormone called serotonin which improves mood and brings a sense of calm and focus, as well as more easily producing melatonin later in the night when it is time for us to sleep.
Move your body.
- While you are outside in the sunlight go ahead and exercise.
- Walk, bicycle, hike, swim, play with your kids or grandkids.
Even if you cannot go outside try to adopt an exercise program of 20-30 minutes per day three times a week. Start with one day a week and progress.- Exercising regularly is said to decrease a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease and slow down brain aging significantly.
- In one research review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers examined 39 studies that looked at the link between exercise and cognitive abilities among people over age 50. They found that aerobic exercise appears to improve a person’s cognitive function and resistance training can enhance a person’s executive function and memory.
- It is much easier to be sedentary, focusing on work, sitting down all day and then coming home to watch TV, but once you begin to feel the effects of regular, intentional exercise your body will feel energized overall so you can be more productive in all areas of life.
- HIIT, “High Intensity Interval Training” is a new concept in the fitness world that is showing great promise. Research is showing that you can achieve more benefit from a once or twice a week (much shorter) sessions of working out if you really push your limits and fully fatigue the muscles.
Food is your fuel –
- So feeding your body poor nutrient food is going to give you poor results like fatigue, digestive problems, brain fog and over time even contribute to serious chronic diseases like diabetes and chronic heart disease.
- Focus on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Try to make sure that half of your plate consists of plants (mainly veggies).
- Eat a variety of green and yellow vegetables, roots, legumes, and grains (Going grain free or gluten free is also a very healthy move, but don’t stress yourself. You may want to adopt this after everything else on this list is achieved.)
Avoid soda
Many people enjoy the quick boost from the sugar and caffeine in sodas, but if you are eating a diet with a variety of plants, your energy will be improved anyway.- Drinking tea, especially green tea, has been shown to have great benefits and high antioxidants. If you prefer it sweet then add a small amount of raw sugar, agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey.
- There are also carbonated water drinks with the fizz but not the buzz. Check ingredient label for sugar and artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin.
- It is very easy to become addicted to sugar. A can of coke has over 9 teaspoons or 39 grams of sugar in it.
- Diet drinks are not any better and studies have shown that over time diet drinks make you gain weight. Artificial sweeteners have been scrutinized and many are suspected to cause cancer.
- Recent studies have shown a correlation that regular consumption of diet and regular sodas are linked to memory problems and possibly even stroke and dementia.
Eat Organic when possible
Reducing the amount of chemicals, heavy metals and pesticides more commonly found in depleted soils and plants using conventional farming methods will help your body to be healthier and will reduce the toxic stress load that the body has to deal with, allowing it to have more energy for living.
Reduce or Eliminate GMO foods
- GMO stands for Genetically Modified Foods.
Foods that have been altered in a lab to be resistant to pesticides so farmers can apply even more harmful chemicals directly onto the plant without killing it or that will cause insect pests to die when ingesting the plant.- These plants are deemed “safe” but many studies have come out to the contrary.
- Even the studies that show they are safe point to the fact that they may not observe short-term changes in health to human cells, but neglect to point out that these chemicals that are deadly to insects also disrupt our natural gut flora healthy bacteria disturbing our gut health and therefore our brain health.
- There are no mandates for labeling at this time, so you have to assume that everything is GMO unless listed as “non-gmo” or “organic”. USDA labeled “Organic” food is also non-GMO and is free of pesticides, so is a very good choice.