Ten simple things to increase your health and vitality

We all know not to smoke, wear our seat belts and avoid fried foods. What' next - what can we do to provide optimal health for a long life?

Here are some amazingly simple things you can do - step by step!

All current studies on health and longevity show us that what we used to know is all backwards. We used to think that the genes we were born with pretty much programmed how long we would live and how healthy we will be.

The actual facts tell quite a different story. In fact 80% of what makes us sick and eventually what kills us is determined by our lifestyle, not our genes. That means we are free from the old notions of programmed health and death. We can now decide how long we want to live and how healthy we want to be.

According to recent research the human body is believed to be designed to last to a maximum of 120 years old. The current life expectancy in America is between 55 and 95 depending on a number of lifestyle factors.

There' a huge gap between the top end of 95 and 120! Also when we consider the health most people live with in their last 5-10 years of life, living to be 120 years old seems like a fantasy.

Well it' not. But to get there we need to start with the basics and follow a disciplined path, the right path.

1. Quit poisoning yourself.

We live in a world that has created a lot of chemicals to make our lives easier. They do help but at a high cost. They create a huge toxic load on our bodies to both get rid of them and still function in top form. That simply will not happen for long. Over time the poisons will wear down our body' abilities to cleanse themselves and our health suffers. These poisons can come from a lot of sources, both things we willingly put into our bodies and those we are exposed to from the environment we are in.

Food poisons include: excess alcohol; caffeine; recreational, over the counter, or prescription drugs; processes meets; refined flowers; processed flowers; artificial sweeteners; artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives; processed foods.

Environmental poisons include: household cleaners; laundry cleaners; garden chemicals and fertilizers; hair and skin products; most sunscreens; most bug sprays; most toothpastes; antiperspirants; most deodorants; paint fumes and lead based paints; chemicals used in the manufacture of household furniture, carpets, and most building products.

Take Action:

• Understand the chemicals around you and those you choose to put in and on your body.
• Make a plan to reduce and then eliminate them, starting with the worst
• Perform our Detoxification Support Program using UltraClear Plus and AdvaClear once a quarter to help eliminate the accumulated toxins.

2. Eat foods that are as close to the natural plants as possible.

Fresh, raw, live, organic foods provide the best source of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that have not been destroyed by heat or stripped away in the processing procedure. Evidence is mounting that the enzymes contained in fresh foods (which are destroyed by heating above 116oF) perform benefit to the body in addition to making digestion easier and taking a load off the pancreas. In addition, many nutrients work in groups rather than single vitamins. Eating a whole food source insures you will get the complete nutrient family rather than a food stripped of it' nutrients and then "fortified" with a selected group of vitamins and minerals.

Take Action:

• Eat fresh organic foods with each meal, either in a salad form or as a main part of the meal.
• Eat foods that are as close to the original foods as possible, steam rather than boil vegetables where needed.
• Avoid taking excessive amounts of vitamins; instead focus on getting your nutrients from whole natural foods.

3. Eat foods that contain complex carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates break down into sugar in our bodies. Sugar is the energy source our bodies use to run on. We need a clean constant source of energy to perform at our best. The more refined (processed) the carbo' are the faster they will turn to sugar, requiring our systems to produce insulin to transport the sugar into the cells. Sugar makes us feel great while insulin makes us feel bad as well as causing perhaps the most devastating amount of free radical damage to our cells that occur on a regular basis (very bad). A diet high in simple carbohydrates also increases the risks of Obesity, Diabetes, hypoglycemic, Syndrome X, and many other diseases.

One of the tricks to stabilizing blood sugar levels is to eat carbohydrates that will break down into sugar slowly. These are called complex carbohydrates. A Glycemic Index Chart will give you good information on the glycemic level of many foods.

Take Action:

• Reduce or eliminate your consumption of simple (refined) sugars
• Eat more complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables) with each meal

4. Drink plenty of clean water.

Our bodies use a lot of water to move nutrients around and flush wastes out. A normal adult will use between 2 and 4 quarts a day to do this job. If we do not supply this daily our bodies will first dehydrate themselves trying to perform their necessary functions and second, reduce its performance of delivery of nutrients and cleansing of wastes. A small amount of dehydration (5%) can have a huge (20%) reduction in performance. In addition or bodies can absorb only small amounts of water (4 oz) at a time so it is important to drink small amounts often.

We all know by now that the water on our planet is getting more and more contaminated all the time. Here in America our water "purification" plants focus on removing or disabling disease-producing microbes present in the water. The chemicals used to do this, fluoride and chlorine will compete for the iodine necessary for proper thyroid function.

Take Action:

• Carry a water bottle with you and drink regularlary during the day.
• Consider investing in a Reverse Osmosis filtration system or water distiller for your house. In the long run it will pay for itself, compared with the cost of buying bottled water.

5. Get daily exercise.

Our bodies need to get exercise on a daily basis. There are three kinds of exercise that are essential to get on a weekly basis. Aerobic, Strength, and Flexibility. Aerobic means keeping your heart rate between 70 and 80% of your maximum heart rate (220-your age). This will both burn fat and help your heart strengthen. If this is new to you, start slowly and stop if you feel any pain or if your form is suffering. You can always start another time, but it is very hard to unlearn bad form or recover from an injury. You will want to start slow and build up both your heart rate and training times. Strength or resistance training is perhaps as close to the fountain of youth as we can get. You grow lean and toned, and your body actually produces human growth hormone as a result (while you sleep). The lean muscle mass you grow will in turn consume more of the excess food you eat, keeping you lean.Flexibility training will help keep you limber, pain free, and reduce your risk of injury. Stretching, Yoga, or slow body movement exercises are great ways to start.

The best time to exercise is in the morning, but it will be beneficial any time of the day.

Take Action:

• Start doing some kind of exercise each day of the week.
• Rotate between the three kinds of exercise (aerobic, strength and flexibility) during the week and vary your workouts to keep them interesting.

6. Eat as little saturated and hydrogenated fats as possible

Both of these fats are very detrimental to your health. They are used in the manufacture of a lot of processed foods to provide a very long life on the grocer' shelf. That doesn't make them healthy, so you will need to learn to read the ingredients labels carefully to avoid these. A great book to read more is "Fats that Heal - Fats that Kill".

Take Action:

• Start reading the ingredients labels on the food you buy.
• Avoid foods with "hydrogenated" and "partially hydrogenated" fats listed.

7. Rest

Get enough sleep at night. This is the time your immune system works it' magic to keep you healthy, you don't really want to cut yourself short on healing and recovery do you? Rest also means getting enough recovery time between workouts so your body can rebuild.

Take Action:

• Get 8 hours of sleep a night for a week. Convince yourself to keep it up by how much better you feel.
• See Getting a Good Nights Sleep Naturally for some easy ways to get some ZZZs.

8. Breathe

Breath with your whole body, deeply pulling from the bottom of your belly. Deep breathing supplies oxygen to your tissues and organs and in addition helps to pump cerebral spinal fluid out from the brain through the nerves, allowing them to be supplied with life-giving nutrients. Breathing deeply, along with a diet rich in whole organic vegetables will also reduce the acid levels of your body allowing healing to occur at a faster pace.

Take Action:

• Practice deep breathing during your day. Start with a few minutes at first until it becomes a habit.

9. Get outside every day

Fresh air and sunshine have been known to be essential to good health for thousands of years. When you are cooped up inside with low light levels it will depress your metabolism, including your amount of energy production and in addition will depress your mood.

Take Action:

• Get outside each day for 15 minutes. Walk the dog, stretch your own legs. Get to know nature a bit better.

10. Work to integrate your mind and body

We now know that our "brain" is not just located inside our skulls. It is located throughout your body. The "Global Brain" concept is supported by a number of research breakthroughs in neuroscience and brain imaging technology. We create the world we live in to a very great degree with our thoughts and attitudes, both conscious and unconscious. Try it yourself.

Take Action:

• Start your day with positive thoughts, commit yourself to keeping yourself there throughout the day.
• Learn to process your emotions and release them rather than keeping them bottled up inside.