Sunday, June 12, 2016

Men's Health Month

As we progress through the month of June we take a moment to focus on Men's health by shining the spotlight on the importance of a healthy lifestyle through awareness of preventable health problems and tips to living a full healthy lifestyle. This includes the health of the Body, Mind, and Spirit.

Basic Tips for a Healthy Body

Eat a Whole Foods Based Diet. With the convenience of prepackaged foods in this day and age, it's easy to overlook the nutrition, or lack there of, in what we  eat.  By making sure to read labels and look for as high a percentage of whole foods you can assure you are giving your body the nutrients it needs. Try preparing more meals yourself using nutritious vegetables, healthy grains, healthy oils, and incorporating whole fruits. 

Make Some Healthy Food Switches such as using coconut oil instead of canola oil for cooking, Ghee instead of butter, Almond milk instead of dairy milk, honey instead of processed white sugar, sparkling water or fresh squeezed juice to substitute for pop, and eliminate processed white foods such as rice, sugar and bread for whole grain unprocessed alternatives. With simple switches like these your body will greatly benefit.

Snack Smart. It's tempting to grab unhealthy snacks throughout the day, but when we make smart snack choices our body doesn't crave those unhealthy snacks as desperately. Some great choices include snacks that are nutritionally dense, filled with vitamins and minerals, taste good, and fuel your body throughout the day. You can find a wide variety of convenient Healthy Snacks at nuts.com by clicking HERE, that include custom trail mixes, energy squares & bars, granola, popcorn, kale chips, crackers, nuts, and many more.  Some of the High Protein Snacks they offer include a Vegetarian protein mix, sesame peanuts, roasted white chickpeas, Cici Fava mix, honey roasted peanuts, raw sprouted granola and many more. These snacks are great to have after a workout to feed your muscles or before to give you that energy you need. 

Stay Hydrated! It is so important to keep your body hydrated for proper organ function and to eliminate toxins from your body. Our body can go longer with out food than it can without water. It's most important to stay hydrated in hot weather and while exerting yourself as our bodies dehydrate faster during those times. The rule of thumb is to drink as many ounces of water as the number of half your weight in pounds. A 120 lbs person should there for drink 60 ounces of water a day (7.5 cups of water). 

Maintain Good Hygiene! Another easy preventative tip to keeping the body healthy is keeping it clean and using products that don't fill your body with toxins, as your skin is your biggest organ and absorbs what you put on it.  Wear a healthy deodorant that isn't filled with toxic chemicals, wash your face twice a day with a cleanser that normalized your pH and restores moisture balance, brush your teeth with preferably a tooth powder that doesn't contain toxic ingredients like many toothpastes and be sure to floss daily, wear clean cloths, especial undergarments, shower with cleansers that are gentle on your skin, keep nails short and dirt free

Get Daily Exercise. Get your body moving every day! It does not have to include hitting the gym every day, but keeping your body moving throughout the day or at least half an hour or elevated heart rate exercises will do wonders for your overall health. A morning jog or evening walk has added benefits with fresh air and sunshine, or enjoy a sports game will make working out effortless and enjoyable. Incorporating weight training is also an excellent way to keep your body lean, your metabolism going, even after you sleep. It will keep you limber, energetic, control your weight by keeping your metabolism high, keep your heart, lungs & bones strong, lower cholesterol, lower risk of high blood pressure, reduce inflammation, lower risk of diabetes, a hedge against colon cancer (one of the leading causes of cancer death in men), and lastly give you better sleep

Speaking of better sleep, it is essential to Get Enough Sleep. Everyone's body is different, so the number of quality sleep hours required will differ from person to person. Make note of how many hours of sleep leaves you waking up fully rested and energetic to maintain your energy throughout your daily routine. Lack of sleep not only will weigh on your body but will affect your mind by diminishing alertness and mental clarityIt is important to get at least 15-20 minutes of time in the sun to get the daily amount of vitamin D that your body needs to produce melanin needed for sleep. If you have trouble sleeping speak to your doctor about healthy remedies, trying to avoid pills with negative side effects. Some natural aids include camomile tea, passion flower tea, an active day with adequate exercise, setting a sleep schedule you stick to daily, and not eating too close to bedtime so your body can rest instead of work hard in digesting food or causing heartburn.   

Basic Tips for a Healthy Mind

Reduce Stress. The physical problems related to chronic stress include the lowering of the immune response, chronic muscle tension, and increased blood pressure. These problems can eventually lead to serious life-threatening illnesses such as heart attacks, kidney disease, and cancer. There for it's important to reduce stress in your day to day life. One quick way to reduce stress on the spot is to take a moment when overwhelmed to do some deep breathing. This slows down your heart rate and calms your nerves, balancing your stress hormones. For prolonged stress management it's a good idea to manage your time well, and get adequate amount of sleep nightly. Eating right also has an effect on your stress levels. A daily meditation routine and daily exercise also helps to reduce the stress hormones in your body. Identify stressors in your life and choose healthy ways of coping. Some unhealthy ways of coping that should be avoided include, smoking, excessive alcohol use, drug use, binging on junk food, lashing out on friends and family or extreme withdrawal from them.  More healthy alternatives to managing stress includes doing something you enjoy daily that is just for your pure pleasure such as a hobby sports, building projects, playing with kids or pets, get a massage, spend social time with friends and family, listening to music and dancing. Another important tip is to keep a healthy and positive outlook on life, to remind yourself that hardships shall pass, and accept the things you can't change. 

Basic Tips for a Healthy Spirit

Know They Self and Love They Self. Each of our spiritual lives are an individual choice and a personal way of life. Whether we believe in a certain religion, or have our unique spiritual beliefs not related to a religious doctrine, or focus on science as our core believe for why the things are how they are, it is important to get in touch with ourselves and be aware of, and comfortable with our beliefs, this keeps us in good spirits with a positive outlook on life. Basic tips to keeping a health spirit is thriving to live a joyful, healthy and happy life that include meaningful bonds with others and most importantly a loving and accepting bond with ourselves.