Healthy Living 101!

So you want and need to live a healthy life, but there is sooooo much information out there, where does anyone begin?

No worries! That is what this site was created for: simplifying life down to the important and basics of living simply....healthy...balanced....and sustainably! So let's dive in!

First, understand I have a specific perspective and bend and if you are here, you must have the same ideas on how you want to live your life as well. If you completely disagree with my ideas or research or opinions, no problem. Do your own research and reading and add to your own knowledge base to come up with your best plan specific to your lifestyle and values! But let's also be honest. The basics, which I will share here, are a must if you truly want to live a healthy life.

In the States, we have completely lost our perspective on healthy living. Simply, look around you. Unhealthy people and habits and choices are rampant! You can see obese adults and children any where you go. Not to mention the number of people who choose to smoke. It simply amazes me! Especially in the current times we are in with a pandemic which seems to be screaming at us to get healthy and pay attention! America is failing in this pandemic and with obesity, smoking and lowered immunity added to the "preexisting condition" list, we should be rethinking our lifestyles and making changes immediately. Every street corner promises a fast food option and every grocery store aisle is full of pre-packaged garbage "food". It seems as if our food choices are only unhealthy options. According to recent WHO studies, the U.S. has 70 million obese adults and 99 million overweight adults. It doesn't stop there. As for our children (2-19 years old), 13.7 million are considered obese in the U.S. That is both shocking and unacceptable and demonstrates the extreme need for a new perspective and way of living!

The good news is that we actually have control of this one! We can choose what we buy, where we eat, what we eat, and how we exercise and move our bodies. You wouldn't put sugar in your gas tank and expect it to work so why do we keep eating junk and expect our bodies to work and be healthy? Insanity!!

So let's start with the basics and keep it simple! I am doing bullet points so you can view these easily and cut and paste and print if you want to refer to them. I will also have a recording below that will go into greater detail for you! Let's begin:

1. Buy Organic. Yep, it costs more, but the more we buy and support it, the lower the prices will come and the more variety we will see. Nope, I don't believe the organic soil patch down the road from the non-organic soil patch is toxin free, but it is A LOT better. If you can not buy organic in all things remember this tip, if there is a protective layer you don't eat (think orange or banana) this is a better non-organic option. Things like roots, potatoes, apples and especially berries should always be organic. Frozen is an option for organic off-season as well.

2. Eat Seasonal. It is actually fresher, can be bought local to support your local farmer, easier to find as organic and fun! I like the Autumn veggies since I have to experiment with some of them to discover new delicious recipes. For non-seasonal items you just have to have, consider picking and freezing or canning your own organic fruits and veggies or again, buy frozen organic.

3. Go Vegetarian. So much research has gone into this from how our teeth are shaped to animal cruelty to how our intestinal system digests meat to what diseases come from being carnivores (especially if you eat meat that eats meat---think about it!!) that being Vegetarian makes sense and is the healthy sustainable way of living! It is good for you and for the Earth and the animals we are supposed to cherish and protect (senseless horrible treatment of animals for food which I will only touch on here and rant about later!). You can always start by eliminating beef, pork and chicken and then work towards eliminating seafood all together to make the slower change to Vegetarianism.

4. Go Beyond Vegetarian. This is an option really, but once you are a Vegetarian you may find there are still foods your body doesn't like or process very efficiently or you may just want to get even healthier! Several years ago, I found I was gluten intolerant and so dumped all wheat products. I felt a lot better, lost those last 5 pounds around my mommy belly and gained immense energy. My body wasn't working so hard to digest and process what it considered crap inside my body and could now use all that energy for me! So I read and researched and decided instead of just replacing the products (say pasta) I left them out and went to a Whole Foods Plant Based Lifestyle. It is amazing, healthy, cheaper (lots of fruits and veggies and homemade cooking) and very sustainable. It also helps with fighting off disease (good thing!), adding healthy life to your years (great thing!) and supporting the Earth (fantastic thing!).

5. Quit Unhealthy Foods & Habits. Again, basic and the only way to stop is to choose to stop and to do it for you. No gimmicks, no gum, no patches, no costly program, no nagging, just you choosing to stop. It is the most effective way to change a habit and the only way you will actually do it! A healthy lifestyle does not include: smoking of any kind, alcohol, drugs, caffeine in large amounts, processed foods, fast food, sugary foods and drinks, sugar, and soda. I know, we like these but they are killing us and making us unhealthy. It affects every part of you including your weight, your skin, your lungs, your brain, your heart, your digestion, your chemical makeup, your hormones, everything. If you de-tox and clean up your foods and habits you will be amazed at how great you will feel and all the energy you will have, not to mention all the money you will save! It is well worth the effort!

6. Exercise & Meditation. I have heard it said that a healthy body is 80% diet and 20% exercise. If that is true than the above is really important and if you're going to get your 20% exercise than it needs to be effective and beneficial. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there on exercise and if you already have a healthy routine you love, great! Stick to it! If however, you are still seeking a balanced routine or if you want to simplify your current crazy hectic workout routine (been there done that!) than here are the tips. Yoga is a must. It does so much and is more that just "exercise" I don't know if I can do it justice and put all of its benefits down here! Yoga is body awareness, breath awareness and control, lung capacity, movement with breath and body, physical poses & stretching, mental fitness, calming, relaxation, body & muscle control, tuning in, letting go, acceptance, to name a few. For me, it is the dance between breath and body, stretching me beyond and then acknowledging and accepting where I am at once I get there. It is being in the moment aware of everything and then nothing. I love it! I usually meditate (see my voice recordings on this too) after doing Yoga anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on my schedule. I also like meditating at night to calm me down from the day, let it all go, and release into sleep gratefully and peacefully. Meditation is not complicated! It is not weird and religious and full of bells, chimes, incense (all though this does smell nice!) or oils. It is also not a gateway to hell. It is simply sitting down comfortably, being still (sooooo hard!), quieting your mind, and allowing your body, mind and soul to exhale. Lovely! And in today's crazy, hectic, out-of-touch with our true selves, soulless, over-complicated world, it is necessary! Once you try it and make both Yoga and Meditation a daily part of your life, you will discover how your life changes for the slower and the better and the simpler! You will soon find that your are craving this new slow and simple pace, adding it to your life in every area, and seeking simplicity in all you are and all you do!

Welcome to living simply! Enjoy!