No surprise, I used to be pretty nonchalant about my health.  When I was teaching, my daily diet started out with a Starbucks latte and a bowl of cheese-its…  A couple of tootsie-rolls would hold me over till lunch.  Lunch consisted of a “lean” pizza pocket, and dinner wasn’t much better. I used to be a terrible eater.  But I’ve found making replacements—like fruit instead of crackers, or green tea instead of coffee, those small changes help me to keep making better choices for my health and my family’s. 

Getting healthy, sounds, like, well not much fun…  In America we have convenience at every turn.  Did you know that in some states you can drive-through vote?  AYKM? 

So, what are some little things that you can do that can have big pay-off health-wise… Here’s a short-list of simple things you can do to improve your well-being!

#1 easy-to-do/big payoff:  Get some sunshine—just 15 minutes a day will help you to get your recommended dose of vitamin D.  If you can’t get outside, take a D3 supplement.  There have been several studies recently that correlate vitamin D deficiencies with cancer.  Up your odds to fight cancer and get enough vitamin D.

#2  Have a glass of red wine—NOT a bottle, a glass or two.  Red wine contains reservatrol—which researchers have found to have anti-tumor effects.  If you drink more than 3 alcoholic drinks a day, well then you cancel out the healthy.  If you don’t drink, have a small square or two of dark chocolate—not much though, once you surpass an average sized candy bar in a week, you cancel the healthy.  No milk chocolate—the dairy cancels out the healthy here, too.

#3 Serve up some green tea.  Green tea is packed with antioxidants, and researchers say it lowers your cancer risk.  Shop around—you may want to find a blend—green tea alone can take some getting used to… 

#4 Meditate wherever.  Just take a few minutes to concentrate on your breathing—slow your breathing and take deep breaths.  This will help lower your blood pressure and again, reduce some of that stress!  Relax.  If you have more than a minute, visualize all the unhealthy cells leaving your body when you exhale and all the healthy good oxygen filling up your healthy cells when you breathe in… 

#5 Pinch your butt cheeks and pull in your belly button.  You can do this anywhere!  A little core building exercise—helping to tighten the back end and improve your posture.  You will sit up straighter and relieve strain on your back—also helps those tension headaches!

#6 Snack on almonds…  Buy some raw almonds from Costco—cheap! Almonds provide cholesterol-lowering effects… When you eat almonds, you reduce your risk of heart disease, among other benefits.  It has been suggested that daily nut eaters can increase their coronary disease-free like by 6 years, and their longevity easily by 2. Almonds are a great weight-loss food—they help you to feel full, and there is evidence that you lose more weight when you eat almonds.   

#7 Eat fruit, but eat a variety of fruits together!  Synergy!  By eating a mix of oranges, apples, strawberries, grapes, and cranberries for instance, boosts antioxidant load by 5 times.   

#8  Go to sleep a half-an-hour or more earlier.  We are sleep deprived in America—and if you don’t get enough melatonin production when you sleep, you may be increasing your risk for cancer.  Make sure you are sleeping in a dark room—too much light can also affect melatonin production.  If you have trouble falling to sleep easily, buy melatonin in supplement form—it’s a great natural sleep aid (be careful if you are taking anti-depressants or medicine for auto-immune disease.)

#9 Use lavender lotion or lavender bath oil—smelling lavender can reduce your stress hormone cortisol…  By now we all know that getting healthy means getting rid of stress…  Let the lavender take you away—even if it’s for just a few minutes, it really helps! 

#10  Blend a green drink.  Antioxidant bonanza! You don’t have to put in a thousand ingredients, just choose a few that you have on hand, like spinach, avocado, strawberries and a banana.  You can certainly add more, but if you’re just starting the smoothie thing, experiment and find out what you like.  You will get a boost of energy, and your digestive track will thank you for doing a little of the work for it…

 

 

And if you want to get all crazy and buy some supplements, here is a starter list…

Grape Seed with Reservetrol
Bilberry with Lutein
Ginger
Turmeric (curcumin)
Maitake Mushroom
CoQ10
Don’t wait, start making choices today that will help you to live a longer, healthier life!  It’s not so hard—just choose a few things and get started.