A holistic, wellness lifestyle means paying attention to all aspects of your life that affect your Health. Living a healthy lifestyle means that you eat well, drink enough water, exercise regularly, and pay attention to all aspects of your health.

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What is wellness? According to the World Health Organization, wellness is “a state of total physical, mental and social well-being.” Your physical, mental and emotional health, as well as your relationships with others, are all part of wellness. To live a healthy lifestyle, you must pay attention to all aspects.

What is Holistic? Holistic refers to looking at the entire health of an individual.

Wellness is hard – we are not made to think about it

We don’t get enough education about the importance and benefits of health and wellness. This is evident in the fact that 45% of Americans don’t meet federal guidelines for physical activity, 50% of Americans don’t drink enough water and the fact that most people consume 3x as much sugar than is recommended.

Our healthcare system is reactive and not proactive. It is focused on wellness and not health.

It’s not easy! It is not easy. As I mentioned in my Flaws in Healthcare blogs it isn’t. We are taught as children to think preventatively about our health. However, there are exceptions. As children we were taught to brush our teeth to prevent future problems. For example, as children, we weren’t taught to drink water every day. This is probably as important as brushing your teeth every day.

Dehydration can lead to kidney problems, urinary tract infections, and kidney stones (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Dehydration can lead to kidney damage, heart problems and fainting. It can also cause difficulty seeing, loss of balance, seizures, and heart problems. Levy 2021.

Our Healthcare is reactive and not proactive

It is common to wait until you are in severe pain before seeking treatment. We are often then given pills to help us. It is not uncommon for healthcare professionals to overlook the factors that could have contributed to this pain or illness. Our healthcare system is reactive and not proactive. This is why many people are afraid of alternative treatments. They are also not well-known, as I discuss in the flaws in healthcare section. They are generally safer than medication.

Imagine growing up in a state of wellness.

Imagine how much better our health would look if there was a class that taught us how we can manage Stress, eat healthier, exercise more, how to build positive relationships, and how to hydrate properly. It’s unlikely that we would have the same number of chronic illnesses as today. It would be easier to get along with others. Being mentally and physically well will make us feel better and allow us to care more for others.

Benefits of a Holistic Lifestyle

We need wellness to prevent chronic health conditions

You can do almost everything right for your health but if one thing goes wrong, you could have chronic health problems. Although there’s no way to know for sure, lifestyle choices can have a major impact on our health. They can influence which genes are turned on or off. This is Epigenetics. It is super cool.

Let’s assume that you have terrible posture and have ignored your back pain for too long. If you ignore your back pain for too long, it can cause nerve irritation. Curavi 2020 Yikes! This is just an example. Too much sugar can lead to many health conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disease and cancer.

You need to get enough Sleep, water and exercise. This is just a small list of things that I believe are important for wellness.

There are many things to be aware of

This is why I write a blog about how everyone can achieve them. This advice is applicable to anyone. It’s based not only on my research (which you can find anywhere), but also my own experience with these issues and how I got pretty good at them. It is difficult to live a healthy, happy lifestyle. My goal is to make your life as enjoyable and fulfilling as mine.

It’s not easy for me to be healthy – which is why I have a lot to share

After years of trying to get enough water, I finally found a way that worked. Hate exercise? That was me. Are you addicted to sugar? Do you love eating? Yes, I’m there with you. I have been there. I’ve been suffering from back pain for many years. Not sure if chiropractic is right for you or if there are better options. Yes, I have been there.
For a long time, I was unable to be healthy. The advice I offer in my blogs is not based on random research or a personal struggle. This is a wealth of information that I have accumulated over years from reading thousands of articles and learning from natural health practitioners. It also includes a lot of health challenges.

Here are 10 essential holistic health habits

1. Clean eating

Your health is directly affected by your diet. Your health can be affected by what you eat. Your cells are made up of food and junk. We don’t get enough nutrition from our food today, and most people eat too many processed foods and sugars vs. whole food and organic. This is why I won’t go into detail, but I do have a section on my blog dedicated to clean eating.

This is a summary of 10 blogs I wrote about living a well-being lifestyle.

2. Water

As I said, I struggled for years to drink enough water. In my teens, thirsty water was not something I sought out. I preferred juice, soda, and gatorade to water. Even as an adult, I wasn’t able to drink as much water as I should have. It was like I had to swallow it.

My body responds better when I drink enough water. It has become a habit. I almost always take a water bottle with me when I leave the house, and keep it close at hand. According to one source, you should drink a glass of water every 15 minutes. Although I don’t believe that is a good idea, I prefer big gulps when I drink water. Drinking enough water is vital. Water makes up between 60-75% of our bodies.

You are likely already dehydrated if you feel thirsty. Drink water until you feel thirsty.

One of the most common misconceptions about drinking enough water is that you should only drink water if you feel dehydrated. You can already tell if you are getting dehydrated. You are already past the point if your urine color is already dark yellow.

It is not a good idea to wait until you feel thirsty before drinking water. You should not get dehydrated if you drink enough water. This is not to say it’s easy. My husband and I have failed at it. Life gets in the way. It shouldn’t happen every day.

Drinking clean water is important

Clean drinking water is more important than just having any water. Your water quality will depend on where you live. However, tap water may contain lead from pipes, fluoride (linked with brain development issues), heavy metallics, pharmaceutical drugs and waste from treatment plants. Learn how to make sure you have clean drinking water. I also share my tips on drinking enough water.

How to increase water intake and choose clean drinking water

3. Sleep

According to the CDC, 30% of Americans don’t get enough sleep. We all know the importance sleep but we may not be aware of the importance sleep schedules. Did you know there’s a time when your body receives the greatest benefits, both mentally and physically? Dr Ramlakhan states that the 90-minute period before midnight is the most beneficial because it is the time when the body gets replenished. (Davis 2020). Even if you do get 8 hours sleep, going to bed at 3am will not give you the same benefits as going to bed at 10 or 11pm. You won’t get deep sleep no matter how many times you try to train your body.

Are you able to tell if you’re getting enough REM or deep sleep? In my blog on sleep, I’ve included warning signs, the health effects of not getting enough sleep, and the amount of sleep that is necessary for both adults and children. You can also find out more about napping and whether or not it is beneficial.

Sleep Stages, Schedules and Naps.

Ideas to Improve Your Sleep

There are many things that can help those who struggle with sleep. This blog is unique and is not like any other. Here is a checklist to help you understand why you are having trouble sleeping. The categories for the checklist are: your comfort at bedtime, before bedtime, stress, health issues, and your comfort at night. After you have determined which of these things you are struggling with, you can see my sleep remedies and remedies. If I haven’t addressed your problem, I will mention at the bottom of this blog the types of professionals who can help.

How to Get Better Sleep & What to Do When You Aren’t Sleeping Well

4. Supplements

Two Important Things to Know About Supplements!

First, 92% of people are low in vitamin or mineral intake. Our bodies require 13 essential vitamins, and 16 minerals. We don’t get enough nutrients from our food. In my blog on supplements, I discuss some of the most common vitamin deficiencies. Although it is difficult to determine what vitamins we need, most experts agree that certain supplements are essential.

The second misconception is that supplements can be purchased from any place and will work the exact same regardless of brand. Actually, no. All supplements are not created equal. It doesn’t matter where you buy them, which brand you choose, or what they contain. Supplements are not subject to any regulations. FDA, 2017) The FDA has no authority to evaluate dietary supplement products for safety or effectiveness before they are sold (FDA). Learn why whole food vitamins are better than synthetic ones, how to choose a quality brand and why you shouldn’t buy supplements in big-box stores.

All You Need to Know about Supplements

5. Nature

Nature is more beneficial than we realize for our health! In Winter, I feel like nature is being deprived. I think I am one of those people who needs nature to feel mentally and emotionally balanced. It makes sense even more to me after I wrote this blog about nature. My blogs can sometimes bring me huge benefits because I not only research the things I already know but also dive deeper into their understanding.

Nature gives us the feeling that there is something bigger than ourselves. It can help us reflect on our lives, and see the important things. You can reap mental, physical and spiritual benefits. A mere 20-30 minute of nature time can result in a reduction in cortisol levels.

Spending time in nature can help lower blood pressure, regulate heart rate, reduce tension, improve your immune system, and even aid you in sleeping better. When they feel stressed, more than two-thirds will go to nature. It has been proven that nature can reduce stress and psychological distress. Spending time in nature can make people feel less anxious and depressed.

The concept of grounding is another fascinating aspect of our need to connect with nature. The overly positive electric charges in our bodies can cause health problems. Grounding balances the body’s negative and positive electrical charges. My blog will explain how grounding works and show you how to reap the benefits of nature.

Nature Calms the Soul, Calms The Mind, and Restores the Body

6. Exercise

Making Exercise Fun

For the most part, exercise should be fun. Once it was a chore, but now it’s a joy. I love being active! I love being in nature. I love to go hiking, biking, skiing, frisbee golfing, kayaking and snowshoeing. Find out my amazing tips for finding exercises you love and making exercise easier. Also, I discuss the importance of exercise and the benefits that we might not consider. You can also have problems sitting for too long!

Strength Training

Strength training is still something I am trying to make fun of. Although I do feel great afterward, I don’t enjoy the exercise. If you find it enjoyable, I’d love to know why.

Strength training is often overlooked. One, strength training is something that everyone should be doing, not just men who want to bulk up their muscles. Women don’t have to gain bulky muscles. However, they do need to maintain a healthy ratio of muscle to fat.

Strength training can also help prevent future illnesses, ease pain management, increase your metabolism, improve your strength (obviously), improve flexibility, balance, posture and strength, strengthen the heart, slow down aging, improve mood, increase bone density, and improve your performance in everyday activities.

There is a big difference between being strong or being bulky. There are many methods to strengthen your muscles, which I briefly discuss in this blog.

Exercise can be natural and fun.

Cardio & The Benefits Of HIIT

A blog I wrote about HIIT as a cardio exercise. Although I am far from an expert and did more research than I enjoyed, it is because I struggled with cardio until I found HIIT. HIIT is a great way to exercise cardio. Researchers refer to HIIT as a workout that alternates hard-charging intervals. During these intervals, a person’s heart beat reaches at least 80 per cent of its maximum rate, usually for one to five minute, with periods of rest or less intense exercise Belluz 2019.

HIIT training is more effective than cardio exercises and offers more benefits in a shorter time. Multiple research studies have shown that HIIT routines lasting nearly 20 minutes do not burn the same calories as regular exercise of 50 minutes duration. Learn how to do HIIT and the importance of cardio in my blog.

Find out the benefits of HIIT and cardio!

7. Mental Health – Stress

Mental health is not just about managing stress. I will be writing more about mental health in future blogs. Stress is a key concept in mental health. My blog about stress shares my personal concept of three stages of stress. There are three stages to stress management.

First, you need to manage stress when it starts. The second is taking action to prevent it from becoming too much. Second, managing stress once it has taken control. This is not long-term stress. Next, you will need to manage long-term, chronic stress. Chronic stress is something that all of us will experience at one time or another in our lives. It is therefore vital to learn how to manage it. Chronic stress is the most difficult to manage, but it is also the most important.

You will find great tips and tricks to help you stop stress, recognize it as a problem, how to reduce stress using your own stress toolbox (I offer ideas for your toolbox), or what to do if you are suffering from chronic stress.

Manage 3 Stages of Stress

8. Relationships

If you are surrounded with negative people or have unhealthy relationships, you can’t lead a healthy lifestyle. Your health can be affected by people more than any other thing. How we view ourselves and how we feel about ourselves can have a profound impact on how we perceive ourselves. It can also influence how we think of ourselves, what we believe, how we value our health, how concerned we are about it, and whether we support our goals or hinder them. You don’t have to exclude anyone from your life, except if they are toxic. But it is a good idea to surround yourself with positive people.

Healthy boundaries are essential for all of us. While there is much to say about boundaries, I only focused on the basics of what it means to have them. This article also provides an overview of toxic relationships, how to deal with them, what to forgive and how they can cause health problems. There is much more information available on toxic relationships. However, this overview is sufficient.

How relationships influence our health (in multiple ways) and our success

9. Spine Health

This is definitely something I believe we take for granted and ignore the importance of. My story about back and neck pain and how chiropractic helped me is what I blog about. I also discuss how it prevented future arthritis and possible hip problems. Chiropractic isn’t the only thing that helped me have a healthier spine. I also share other things that helped.

Based on my experience as a chiropractor’s marketing manager, I speak a lot about the general health of the spine. This blog will cover the importance of having an ergonomic, high-quality chair if you work in an office. You must also ensure that your monitors and computers are at the right height.

Learn about the importance of good posture and how to avoid health problems caused by poor posture. Also, learn more about using a chiropractor, osteopath or physical therapist. And, my best tips for your spine health.

A Spine that isn’t healthy can lead to many problems

10. Avoiding Toxins

This is a major problem so many people are not familiar with it. It will get its own section. This should not be ignored.

Spiritual Health. I believe spiritual health is very important. However, I have not felt the need to write a blog about spiritual health. I will definitely be writing about it in the future.

I hope you are living a wellness lifestyle!

My efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle are something that I take great pride. I hope you will feel great about your efforts. Look at the things that you are struggling with most and pick those areas to work on. Or, you can choose little things that you don’t need to do. You can be proud of the positive changes in your life, and you should feel great about them. It is essential to take every step towards a healthy lifestyle.

View all Wellness Lifestyle Blog Posts

A Spine that isn’t healthy can lead to many problems
How relationships influence our health (in multiple ways) and our success
Management of 3 Stages (Conscious, Hidden Stress and Preventing it)
Cardio vs. HIIT – Discover the benefits of both!
How exercise can be natural and fun
Nature Calms the Soul, Calms The Mind, and Restores the Body
All You Need to Know about Supplements
How to Get Better Sleep & What to Do When You Aren’t Sleeping Well
Important importance of each sleep stage, sleep schedules and more
How to increase water intake and choose clean drinking water

Resources:

Mayo Clinic Staff. MAYO CLINIC/Dehydration. (2021, 14 October). Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086

Curavi/6 The Consequences Untreated Back Pain. (2020, May 3,). Retrieved from: https://www.curavi.com/blogs/all/6-consequences-of-untreated-back-pain

FDA/What You Should Know About Dietary Supplements. Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-dietary-supplements

Belluz, Julia. (2019, Dec 26). Vox/How science can help you get the most from your exercise time. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/1/10/18148463/high-intensity-interval-training-hiit-orangetheory

Davis, Jessica. (2020, May 11,). BAZAAR/Why it is important to sleep before midnight. Retrieved from: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/mind-body/a32430882/sleeping-before-midnightimportant/

Levy, Jillian. (2021, April 24,). Dr. Axe/5 Natural Dehydration Treatments. Retrieved from: https://draxe.com/health/dehydration-symptoms/

What it means to live a wellness lifestyle and why it matters.

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