A doctor or a Fool

My grandmother said “By the time you are 40 you are either your own doctor or a fool.”  Start practicing these five simple health habits today and find a healthier you, soon.

1.  Keep a Health Journal.  This one habit can fundamentally change the relationship that you have with your body, mind and energy.  If you hold yourself accountable to writing everything that you eat down, you are more likely to monitor more closely what goes in your mouth.  If you start writing down your water intake, chances are you will start to drink more water.  Start by purchasing a journal that can easily fit into the bag or purse you keep with you at all times.  Write food down directly after you eat it.  Do not try to remember your entire day at once.  This allows for errors and selective memory to kick in.  Remember that everything counts.  That after dinner mint?  Write it down.  You will start to see patterns.  My health journal also serves as my water, sleep, exercise, energy, weight, and waking heart rate journal.  Because I track my energy, emotions and nutrients,  I can see the effects of my daily activities on my overall attitude and health.    
2. Eat Clean.  Reading food labels is confusing.  Don’t bother.  You have started a journal and most likely found that it is much simpler to eat clean.  One of the ways to eat clean is to eat foods with as few ingredients as possible.  My personal grocery rule is that if there are more than six ingredients on the back of a food, I don’t purchase.  Eating clean means eating fresh and this means changing up your diet with the seasons.  Shop for vegetables at your local farmer’s market as this practice not only supports your local economy, but it also provides you with the freshest and most nutrient rich vegetables available.  If you have to eat out, make sure you order items that are steamed, broiled, or grilled.  Ask for no butter or oil and no sauce.  This will save you from needless sugar, salt and fat. 
3. Drink More Water.  Like to the tune of a gallon. A hydrated body is a happy body.  Also, by committing to drinking more water, you may find that you end up eating less!  Your brain doesn’t really know the difference between full from water or food.  Your brain just turns on to being “satiated”.  Sometimes people eat food when really they need to rehydrate.  Staying hydrated will also have a desirable effect on the appearance of your skin.  I recently trained and competed in my first bodybuilding competition and part of the training included drinking large volumes of water, sometimes two gallons per day!  The more water you drink, the more efficient your body becomes in using the water for hydration and flushing out your body!  You will feel wonderful!
4. Be Present.  Being present is part of the journey to optimal health.  Multi tasking can actually be a counterproductive action.  Do you check emails while being on the phone?  Do you “mind talk” when you should be listening?  Staying in the moment with people will create deeper connections with them and deepen trust.  Try breathing consciously to bring you back into the moment.  In fact, if you can develop a habit of daily breath work (think simple: take ten slow deep breaths) you can start to “listen” to your body and focus your presence.  My father, who recently survived a pulmonary embolism, only realized there was something wrong when he sat to take his daily “meditation breaths” and felt a tightness and shortness in what he was used to experiencing.  Learn to “listen” to your body.  Close your eyes and take a “self scan.”  It could save your life.
5. Sleep More.  Your body needs rest to restore and replenish.  Give yourself permission to sleep.  Sleeping is the time that your body produces human growth hormone which supports vitality.  Operating on too little sleep can affect your ability to concentrate, make you depressed and cause more stress in the body.  Commit to powering down your tv, phone, laptop or any other electronic device at least two hours before bed.  Use your bedroom as a sleep room.  Reading, watching TV, working on your laptop, surfing the internet should all be activities for outside of the bedroom.

With a little discipline and a consistent commitment you can improve your overall health.

By:  Ilana Alberico, Chief Operating Officer of Innovative Spa Management, a Spa Design, Consulting and Management Firm and Founding Partner of Privai Academy which offers licensure programs and advanced training for Estheticians, Massage Therapists and Spa Managers.  To open a spa or learn about education, visit www.ismspa.com. Ilana may be reached at ilana@ismspa.com or 828-713-5240.