Top Ten Simple Steps to Perfect Health & Wellness

We are kicking off our Simple Steps to Perfect Health & Wellness Series with a short list of basics that will be expanded on throughout the program. We recognize the benefit of increased energy from making simple healthy choices every day. This list can be used as a guide for those decisions.

1. Consume Only Nourishing Whole Food
This is first in the list because it is so critical. Your body is an energy generator, and food is the fuel. High quality fuel is essential for overall health. Check out 8 Most Nourishing Foods.

2. Avoid Toxins in Your Food & Environment
This suggestion goes hand and hand with the first, because the quality of your food/fuel depends equally on the healthy ingredients you want to include in your diet, as well as the toxic ingredients you want to avoid. We also  provide a list of the most prevalent toxins in your environment that are relatively easy to control.

3. Get a Minimum of 7 Hours of Sleep Everyday
According to sleep experts, seven hours is the minimum amount needed for healthy adults; less than that and you may start to show signs of sleep deprivation, including a greater likelihood of obesity, depression and other chronic illnesses(1).

4. Engage in Regular, Enjoyable Physical Activity
Every health expert agrees; regular physical activity is essential for optimal health. We suggest choosing an enjoyable activity so you will actually do it. How often is regular? We interviewed health expert Shawn Stevenson who works out only 45 minutes, 3 – 4 days per week. We also provide a review of several popular exercise programs.

5. Focus on Increased Energy, Positive Attitude, and Future Goals
We all know that Health and Wellness are about more than just body measurements and test results. Real improvement involves the ability to let go of past failures and focus on doing a little better today and tomorrow.

6. Listen to Your Body
Eat nourishing food when you are hungry, drink water and other nourishing beverages when you are thirsty, and sleep when you are tired. Be kind to your energy generator, because you cannot operate at peak performance if your fuel tank is empty.

7. Stress Reduction
Stress is a killer for Health and Wellness. We wrap up this series with 11 tips for reducing stress in your life.

8. Simple Steps to Improve Mental and Emotional Health
Since Health and Wellness involve more than measurements and test results, this series will also provide simple suggestions for improving mental and emotional health; so you can feel good on the inside, too. Our wrap up article includes many recommended resources for personal growth.

9. Enjoy Nature
There are many reported benefits from getting out in nature, including, fresh air for detoxing lungs, sunshine manufactures vitamin D, uplifting mood, and eye muscles are strengthened when we look at long distances.

10. Find Your Passion
Do you have a hobby…art, music, sport, collection? Something that gets you excited and energized…gets you in the flow, when hours of time fly by? A good hobby also has the added emotional perk of sharing the activity with like-minded individuals.

Starting today, let’s be a little kinder and gentler to our energy-generating body and soul. Consume nourishing food/fuel, avoid toxins, move our bodies a little, and get enough rest. Vitality is the reward for taking care of ourselves.

Stay-tuned for the next article in the series…our List of the Most Nourishing Foods.

1. www.sleepfoundation.org