The path to health.
I want to start with reminding you that the path to health is different for every single one of us, yes there are some things that are beneficial for all, but your only guide on this path to healing should be your own intuition. That being said, below are some tools that I have found to be beneficial to me. I'm sharing my experience with you because you might find practices in here that are useful for you as well.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are a unique group of herbal ingredients used to improve the health of your adrenal system, the system that’s in charge of managing your body’s hormonal response to stress. They help strengthen the body’s response to stress and enhance its ability to cope with anxiety and fight fatigue. They’re called adaptogens because of their unique ability to “adapt” their function according to your body’s specific needs. Though the effects may initially be subtle and take time to make themselves felt, they’re real and undeniable. The adaptogen herbs I consider most important include Chaga, Reishi, Astragalus Ginseng, Eleuthero, Ashwaghanda and Schizandra.
Magnesium
Did you know that magnesium is essential for over 300 different chemical reactions in the body, including maintaining your energy level, helping you relax, and sustaining the health of your heart and blood vessels. Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is probably the most common nutritional deficiency. Because it has so many crucial functions, and because it appears to protect us from serious conditions magnesium can really be the “miracle mineral” for some, it sure was for me. I take a magnesium supplement before I go to bed to help relax my body and I make sure that I get enough magnesium through my food. As with all minerals in foods, the mineral has to be present in the soil where the food is grown. My favourite food sources of magnesium is raw cocoa powder, and thus dark chocolate.
Sunlight.
Your body produces vitamin D naturally when it is directly exposed to sunlight. A little can go a long way. All you need is 10 minutes a day of midday. Besides getting vitamin D through sunlight, you can also get it through certain foods, mushrooms and mushrooms to ensure adequate levels of the vitamin in your blood. Vitamin D has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorous, and facilitating normal immune system function. Getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil not only tops the list of anti-inflammatory foods. Its health benefits go much further. Just two tablespoons a day of this superfood can help protect you from disease and infection, and keep your body healthy and happy.
Anti-bacterial – stops harmful bacteria and infections dead in their tracks
Anti-carcinogenic – boosts immunity and keeps cancer cells from spreading
Anti-fungal – destroys fungus and yeast that lead to infections
Anti-inflammatory – repairs tissue while suppressing inflammation
Anti-microbial – fights infection and inactivates harmful microbes
Anti-oxidant – protects against damage from free radicals
Anti-retroviral/parasitic/protozoa/viral – rids the body of parasites; kills infection in the gut, destroys viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis and more.
Minerals
What are minerals anyway? Minerals are nothing more than elements—the very same elements that grace the periodic table inside a high school chemistry text book like chromium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and so on. They are the elements that comprise the entire universe, this earth, and everything on it, including you. Your body is truly a masterpiece formed from these same elements. As such, it is important to constantly replenish your body with the elements it expends on a daily basis. Keep in mind that to detoxify, your body needs energy and to produce energy, your body needs minerals. Minerals nourish your adrenals and thyroid, your chief organs of energy production.
Herbs
Why take herbs? I will do a whole blog post on the herbal allies I love to work with. I have so much love for herbal medicine and herbal lore. The way I see it is that herbs are what we humans have been consuming for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. Our bodies are made of the plants and animals that we have eaten since time memorial. It makes sense that when the body is imbalanced we would take those things that our body is best adapted to.
Food
Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full. Don’t see food as “good” or “bad.” Eat what you want, when you want, but be smart about it and eat from a place of self love. It’s truly a way of life — an intuitive eating way of life. I eat organic, raw & cooked, fresh & in season and local. I listen to my body when it tells me that certain foods don't sit well with me. I also add juices, smoothies and superfood elixirs to my diet. I sometimes detox and I sometimes indulge. Food should make us happy and healthy!
Probiotics
No matter how healthy your diet is, our food is not what it used to be. Taking a probiotic supplement and boosting your good bacteria is one of the best things you can do for your body. The special microorganisms that we call beneficial bacteria dwell in your gut where they help maintain a healthful, balanced environment that is critical for overall health.
Ferments
The best method of replenishing bacterial flora is the use of fermented foods like homemade sauerkraut and yogurt. Ideally you would include a small amount of naturally fermented food in your diet each day. So enjoy fermented foods such as homemade yogurt, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchee regularly!
Water
Spring water is naturally clean, pure, and balanced with the ideal minerals important to whole body health. Most springs are also protected from the dangerous chemicals. This protected, clean water is the perfect beverage for hydration and health. We already know that the body is made up primarily of water. And you can only be as healthy as the source of that water. Water utilities are required to test their water. You can easily ask for a report of the water in your area. But I can almost guarantee there are at least a handful of dangerous chemicals in your water. They are usually invisible and tasteless, but they are still there. You can take the shortcut and just start drinking spring water instead of tap water.
Earthing
Do you recall walking barefoot along wet sand at the beach or on a field of dew-moistened grass? Do you recall feeling some tingling in your feet or legs, or a sense of warmth or well-being rising up into your body? That sensation is the result of direct barefoot contact with the surface of the Earth, which brims with natural, subtle energy. Modern lifestyle, has disconnected most people from the Earth’s surface energy. Most of us don’t walk barefoot nor do we sleep on the ground as we did in times past. This physical disconnect from the Earth may be a totally overlooked cause of abnormal physiology and may actually contribute to inflammation, pain, fatigue, stress, and poor sleep. By reconnecting to the Earth, many common symptoms are often relieved and even eliminated. People tend to sleep better and have more energy.
Rest
Rest is the regular rhythm of taking a break from the usual demands and stresses of life. Rest includes all of these components: mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical. Ideal rest would be restful in each area, but that’s difficult to find in our pace of life. So I will suggest that you think about an activity (or lack of activity) that is restful for you in each area. Sleep is not enough, you have to have moments of nothing, or relaxation and of silence.
Self - Love
Self-love is all about identifying your needs and making them a priority in your life. It’s about doing what truly feels right for you. Stop seeking happiness outside of you. You won’t find it. You may find temporary happy moments, but you won’t find long-lasting happiness. You are in charge of your happiness, and self-love is the key to finding it. Self-love is not selfish. Self-love is about connecting to your innermost needs, celebrating the freedom of being you, and honoring who you truly are while dropping your destructive patterns. Loving yourself is magical—it’s a divine relationship that will help you radically improve every single aspect of your life.
Laughter
It’s true: laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. By seeking out more opportunities for humor and laughter, though, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness—and even add years to your life.
Manifestation
We all manifest. Every second of every day. Our thoughts turn into our reality, and that’s exactly what manifestation is. But the result of your thinking is up to you. Visualization Is Manifestation. And manifesting a dream life is a possibility for everyone. From scientists to spiritual leaders, from multi million company owners to badass moms who run their own businesses from home. Why is this proven to be so difficult then? Because you actually have to believe in the possibility before it becomes one. See, feel, believe, receive.
I hope these tips inspired you. The most important thing is that you move towards a life that brings you joy and that is as stress free as possible. You can do all the good things but if stress is a constant in your life then those good habits might not be enough. So find out what makes you happy, what brings you joy, what gives you peace, and follow that.
