How to Gain Better Health in 12 Easy Steps

By just changing or adding a few simple things you can get big results in your overall health & wellness. There are twelve steps in this eHow article, but even doing just one or two can yield big results, if they are the right ones for you. I encourage you to become a good listener when it comes to what your body is trying to tell you. Learning to listen to your body's unique signals is the biggest piece to sustaining good health.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Patience with yourself
• Quiet time to reflect on which changes will yield you the most results

1. Drink more water. Our bodies are comprised of more than 70% water. Our brains more than 80%. A drop of a percentage or two can affect your bodies overall health, because your body will keep the ratio of water in your brain at safe levels at all costs and thus steals water from other body parts. This affects overall cell health and function.

2. Cook. Eating home cooked food is healthier for a variety of reasons. The ingredients are healthy and fresh compared to prepackaged, convenience food. You know exactly what is in it and can adapt and control ingredients as necessary. Plus you put your love and energy in it! Do not underestimate this powerful piece of the puzzle. In addition, cooking is often cheaper than eating out or buying pre-packaged food.

3. 
   There's more to whol grains than wheat

   Eat whole grains. Whole grains are an excellent source of nutrition, as they contain essential enzymes, iron, dietary fiber, vitamin E, and the B-complex vitamins. Because the body absorbs grain slowly, they provide sustained and high quality energy.

4. 
   squash

   Eat more sweet vegetables. Because many of these vegetables are root vegetables, they are energetically grounding, which helps to balance out the spaciness people often feel after eating other kinds of sweet foods. Sweet vegetables help crowd out less healthy foods in the diet and can assist you in the goal of mastering your sugar cravings. Try sweet potatoes, yams, squash, pumpkins, carrots, parsnips etc.

5. 
   lettuce

   Eat more leafy greens vegetables. Green vegetables are the foods most missing in modern diets. Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E and K. They are crammed with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phyto-chemicals.

6. Experiment with protein. You may be getting too much or too little protein in your diet. Most people in our society eating the Standard American Diet are getting too much. But being a vegetarian isn't for everyone either. Some can do it and some can't. Check out these symptoms to see if you are getting too little or too much. Too little – Common symptoms include: sugar and sweet cravings, feeling spacey and jittery, fatigue, weight loss, loss of healthy color on facial area, feeling weak, anemia, change in hair color & texture, skin inflammation (in severe cases), pot belly (in severe cases). Too much – Common symptoms include: low energy, constipation, dehydration, lethargy, heavy feeling, weight gain, sweet cravings, feeling “tight” or stiff joints, body becomes overly acidic, kidney function declines (stress required to process excess proteins—the kidney faces increased pressure to filter toxins and waste), foul body odor, halitosis and calcium loss to compensate for acidic status in body.

7. Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and chemicalized, artificial junk foods. If any of these items appear in your diet, I encourage you to experiment by reducing or eliminating one for a month. Keep a food diary and notice if anything changes. Consume less coffee, alcohol and tobacco. Once the withdrawals wear-off you will notice how much better you feel! And remember, if you have withdrawals that is telling you that it is an addictive substance. It is okay if it is difficult and it is okay to ask for help!

8. Develop easy and reliable habits to nurture your body. Develop a relaxing ritual. Write in your journal. Take a bath. Give yourself some attention. Only you know what will make you feel truly loved and nurtured. You are an incredible person and deserve it!

9. Have healthy relationships that support you. Try and surround yourself with positive people. If you can’t control some of the negative people you are around, try and become the most positive person you know! You will attract more healthy relationships into your life and you may have a positive impact on the grump with which you live or work!

10. Find physical activity you enjoy and do it regularly. We all know that exercise is good for our health, so find ways to make it fun, easy and convenient so that you will do it! Get an exercise buddy. Use a pedometer and try to get 10,000 steps a day. Buy a bike or a personal trampoline. Swim. Dance. Garden. Laugh! It all counts as exercise.

11. Find work you love or a way to love the work you have. What is your passion? What did you love as a kid? What are you good at? If you can’t switch jobs, find a way to enjoy what you are doing. Work at being grounded and present. Find a way to change your perspective. What would you job be like if you did love it? What would you do differently? Fake it ‘till you make it!
    Point of View + Thought/Belief = Emotion & Behavior

12. Develop and sustain a spiritual practice. I don't mean religion per say. Spirituality gives depth and meaning to our lives. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to discover what spirituality means to you. What feeds your soul? What gives your life meaning? This can be found in traditional religious beliefs, nature or your mind. Discover what makes you feel connected.

Tips & Warnings

• Learning to listen to your body's unique signals is the biggest piece to sustaining good health.
• Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and chemicalized, artificial junk foods.

Resources

• Changing your perspective
• Info & assistance on health, wellness & lifestyle changes

[ACGaughen]

on 8/1/2008 Wow, great tips! And none of them seem overwhelming or really all that difficult--which is what great health is about, right?