We see a lot of very complex and often times extreme cases at The Natural Path Health Center; many of our in-house clients need a complete overhaul of their health and lifestyle to achieve their health goals. However, a good number of our clients simply need to make some targeted changes in their lifestyle or dietary habits in order for them to achieve the health and vitality they desire. No matter your current state of health, there are a few things we all need to do everyday to establish a firm foundation for optimal health. Let’s look at the most important things everyone can do to dramatically improve their health.

Keep the Body (Chemistry) in Balance
We talk a lot about body chemistry (refer back to one of your first newsletters on Body Chemistry). What we are really talking about is balancing the acid forming foods and lifestyle habits we have with alkaline forming foods and habits.  The three most acid forming foods are coffee, soda/pop and sugar; the most acid forming lifestyle habits are smoking and drinking alcohol regularly. Almost no amount of alkaline forming foods can make up for these habits (especially since the average American consumes 175 lbs. of sugar every year!), so you should limit or eliminate these as much as possible.

Even when you minimize or eliminate these extremely acid forming foods and behaviors, you still need to incorporate plenty of alkaline forming foods, drinks and practices to counteract the hustle-and-bustle of everyday life. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and consuming fresh vegetable juices regularly is a great start. Go for as many colors as possible and change what you eat on a daily or at least weekly basis. Variety is the spice of life! Deep breathing is also very important, as is regular (aerobic) exercise.

Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the most important lifestyle habits everyone can benefit from. There are several Deep Breathing and Stress Management Exercises you can do. You can also do something as simple as taking 10 deep breaths first thing in the morning and last thing at night before bed. I really like to use Post-It® notes or other reminders to help me remember to breathe deeply. For example, if you’re at your computer a lot, put a Post-It® note on your screen that says “Breathe” or use the word “Breathe” as your screensaver; if you’re on the phone a lot, every time you take a call, take a deep breath; every time you hang up the phone take a deep breath; every time you get into your car (as long as you don’t work in a polluted area) take a deep breath – get the picture. Find something that is repetitive in your day and use it to remind you to breathe deeply.

Get Moving
Another way to dramatically improve your health is through regular aerobic exercise – we all know this, but only 10-15% of Americans exercise regularly. We can change that, but motivation is the key. Don’t do something you don’t like – you’re pretty much guaranteed to quit at some point. The flip side of this is that you have to keep looking for things you do like (and hopefully find some things that you love) to do. You don’t have to run a marathon to enjoy the health benefits of regular exercise – 20-30 minutes a day is all you need.

Perform a variety of exercises that excite and invigorate you – have fun!!! Do one exercise for the entire time, or do a variety. If you don’t have 30 minutes, do something for 10 minutes three times a day. Many things count towards exercise, including:

Find a friend and catch up while you take a walk, or take a yoga class together. Make exercise fun and a regular part of your daily routine.

Chew Your Food
What? Did he say chew your food?? Doesn’t everybody chew their food??? The answer is yes, but most people do not chew their food nearly enough. For optimal digestion to take place, we need to chew our food 30-50 times per mouthful; that means the food should be a liquid before we swallow! How many people do you know that take a bite of food, chew it once or twice and then swallow? These are the same people that need antacids, get bloated, tired and/or irritable after eating and usually have gas. We need to slow down, relax while eating and chew our food so the body can digest it and absorb the nutrients correctly.

Here’s why: the simple act of chewing your food helps with digestion in three ways. First, chewing breaks up the food into smaller and smaller particles. This provides more surface area for your digestive enzymes to work on, so digestion is more efficient and takes less energy. Second, the act of chewing stimulates the stomach to produce more stomach acid, which will help digest foods more easily (note: most people that need to take antacids actually produce too little stomach acid or eat too quickly which causes the upset). Third, the act of chewing also stimulates the pancreas to produce more digestive enzymes, so we can get more nutrients out of the foods we eat. Think of digestion like buttoning a button-down shirt. Digestion starts in the mouth, so chewing is just like the first button. If the first button is not done correctly, you cannot button the rest of the shirt properly. In the same way, if we do not chew our food thoroughly, the rest of the digestive process cannot proceed correctly, and we will have problems.

Drink Water
Everybody knows that we are supposed to drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water (= 64 oz.) everyday. What most people don’t know is that the body can only utilize about 2-4 oz. of water every 20-30 minutes. That means that if you slam down four 16 oz. glasses of water throughout the day, you think you consumed the requisite 64 oz. (4 x 16 oz. = 64 oz.) but you really only got 16 oz. (4 x 4 oz. absorbed = 16 oz.) of water and at least four trips to the bathroom. Therefore, ideally you would drink about 4 oz. (or ½ cup) of water every half-hour. I like to have a water bottle on hand throughout the day and take sips from it every chance I get. Make it easy on yourself and have a water bottle at work, at home and in your car. Carry one with you when you travel so you can stay hydrated. Proper hydration is absolutely essential for optimal health.

I should note that most non-caffeinated herbal teas also count as water. In addition, you need to drink (and can absorb) more water during and after exercise. Need another reason to drop coffee and soda? Both are diuretics, which mean they cause you to lose more water. The more coffee and soda you drink, the more water you need to drink and the more time you will spend in the bathroom. Do yourself a favor and substitute water or tea for coffee and soda – your bladder will thank you!

Remember the 80/20 Rule
Rules, rules, rules! Relax. When it comes down to it, it is what you do a majority of the time that counts. That’s where the 80/20 Rule comes in – it states that it’s what you do 80% of the time that counts. That means you can (and should) indulge yourself in your favorite foods and drinks from time-to-time, even if they aren’t the most healthy thing for you. Literally speaking, this would translate into 3 meals a week or one entire day every week where you could stray from your normally healthy eating and living habits without much change in your overall health. Said differently, you can have your cake and eat it too, just make sure you have humble-pie most of the time and live as though you will be alive and vital for a good, long time.

Key Points

• Minimize/eliminate soda/pop, coffee and sugar
• Eat many vegetables, fruits, and vegetable juices
  • Eat as many colors as possible
  • Eat a variety of foods
• Breathe deeply throughout the day and/or perform deep breathing exercises
• Get 20-30 minutes of exercise daily – do something you love!
• Chew, chew, chew your food (until it is a liquid)
• Drink water throughout the day (shoot for ½ cup every ½ hour)
• Keep it in perspective and follow the 80/20 Rule

Illness and disease can be very complex with multiple symptoms and underlying root causes. Restoring health is a process that often requires professional guidance. Maintaining health is easy, as long as we follow some simple ground-rules. Heading into 2012, use these basics to set the foundation for lasting, life-long vitality and optimal health!