Top 5 Tips that Anyone can do to become healthier!

There are more challenges to staying healthy than ever before. Not only are we bombarded with a constant flow of information on health, but our environment can threaten us as well from super bugs to climate-related illnesses. Unbelievably, some health experts have even predicted that our life expectancy will decrease unless we make serious lifestyle changes.

The good news is that we still have a lot of control over our health; for example, an estimated 95% of cancer cases are related to lifestyle – and can thus be prevented. In particular, there are 5 actions that we can take to ensure we are in the best health possible.

1. Hydrate 

An estimated 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, making them vulnerable to a range of chronic health conditions such as arthritis and constipation. Amazingly, people often try to mask the effects of dehydration – lack of focus, lack of energy – by drinking coffee, which worsens dehydration in the long run.

Dehydration and hydration is often a matter of habit. Drinking a liter of water every morning, along with an 8-oz. glass every couple of hours, is an excellent one.

2. Eat a healthy, varied diet with adequate minerals and vitamins

Statistics show 92% of Americans to be deficient in either vitamins or minerals, vital parts of the biochemical reactions that occur in our bodies. People who consume their recommended amount of these nutrients are even rarer in the population as lefties!

Since there are 16 different minerals and 13 vitamins found in various quantities in various foods, the easiest way to stay mineralized is to eat a healthy, yet varied diet with fruits, vegetables, meats (or meat replacements), grains, seeds; most unprocessed foods will help to keep you mineralized.

3. Pay attention to Nutrition

As the saying goes, you are what you eat.

Your primary concern in building a nutritious diet should be ensuring you are getting enough of all your macro-nutrients. The three macro-nutrients – called so because they are the most important determinants of health – are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Another important concern is the acidity/alkalinity balance of your diet; the Standard American Diet, filled with animal and processed foods, tilts toward acidic.

We suggest that you eat a healthy, varied diet that gives you all your macro-nutrients while keeping a balance of acidic and alkaline foods. For most of us, this means adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole/alkaline grains to our diet while cutting down on sugar, coffee, processed foods and alcohol.

4. Learn how to de-stress

Medical research has found stress, which decreases immunity, to be directly linked to a mind-boggling range of mental and physical illnesses, including:

• Headaches
• Infections
• Cardiovascular disease
• Asthma
• Gastric Ulcers
• Obesity
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Accelerated aging and premature death

Thus, it is extremely important to be able to de-stress. Some activities that you might be able to use to de-stress include:

• Deep breathing
• Cardiovascular exercise, such as walking outside
• Reframing stressful situations to seem less intimidating
• Repetitive, concentration-demanding activities such as knitting
• Using relaxation techniques, meditation, or yoga

5. Follow a balanced exercise regime

At the Daily Grind Fitness different types of exercise offer different health benefits. For example, cardiovascular exercise, such as long-runs, track sprinter/middle distance workouts or functional strength interval training, improves the efficacy of your heart. Resistance training, often done with weights or resistance bands, builds your muscles, increases your strength, raises your resting calorie burn and helps prevent injuries.

We suggest that you find a mix of exercise activities – including cardio, resistance training, and sports – that you enjoy and can perform frequently. Following your exercise regime consistently over time will ensure you results.

The world that we live in offers many challenges to remaining healthy. Fortunately, we are equipped with the technologies and tools we need to meet the needs of these challenges.

Keep Grind’N!