5 Simple Health Tips

 

As this year comes to a close, and we embark on a new year, a lot of people tend to get all jacked up on New Year resolutions, with aspirations of trying a trending diet or exercise routine, while I tend to do something more simple and innate. I bring myself back to the basics.

Here are 5 simple health seeds to plant, or not, to water, or not, or to just keep in your back pocket for when you're ready to take good care of you.

 

1. Drink More Water

If you only have the capacity to make one healthful change, this would be the #1 healthy habit to adopt. Our adult bodies are comprised of 65% water, and even more in children and babies. Water helps with the natural detoxification process to keep our cells and bodies working in fine form. I recommend consuming filtered or spring water; these will contain less toxic load than regular tap water. I always keep a glass of water beside my bed in case mid-night sips are needed, and to crush the rest when I wake up in the morning. Keep hydration and gentle detoxification simple by carrying a big stainless steel, glass or copper bottle with you and filling multiple times per day. Sipping on yummy herbal teas, elixirs, and eating more fruit and veg will all also help increase intake. If you're wondering just how much water YOUR body needs, simply take your weight in pounds and divide by two. Voila! This is how many ounces to aim for per day. More will be required with heavy exercise and with the use of diuretics like coffee.

 

2. Count Chemicals Not Calories

When it comes to nourishing your body, choosing whole foods in their natural state will yield the greatest benefit. Calories don’t matter as much as the crap found in packaged, processed, preservative laden, sprayed, dyed, MSG, and refined sodium-filled foods. Our cells have a very hard time releasing these chemicals, so if we cannot detox them, they build up, filling the cell, until our bodies have no other option but to create more fat cells, which creates more toxicity in the body, which in return will create more inflammation. Whenever possible, get nutrients from eating clean, whole, and organic foods.

 

3. Include Bone Broth in your Diet

Whether it’s once a day or once a week, including some bone broth in your diet is better than none. Let’s talk Minerals. Minerals are the most underrated nutrients; 100 years ago, humans got 63 micro-minerals through the food we ate because our soil was incredibly nutrient-rich! Today, conventionally grown food is often grown from soil containing only 3 minerals. This means we’re potentially missing out on 60 micronutrients that we need to carry out every single chemical reaction in the body. When I think of people feeling sluggish, and not living vibrant, healthy lives, I think of mineral deficiency & depletion. When you consume bone broth, you're getting the benefits of mineral-replenishment (because bones are made up of minerals), with an added bonus of natural whole food collagen for tissue formation and glow, as well as other easily absorbable amino acids and nutrients like L-glutamine to support gut health, and glycine for stress reduction. It doesn’t matter if you drink your bone broth, use it to make treats or smoothies, or cook with it, just get it in yah!

 

4. Go Refined Sugar-Free

You've heard it, and research & science has proven it to be true: Sugar is more addictive than crack. One of my most profound take-aways from nutrition school was also one of the simplest and relatable concepts: Sugar is the #1 cause of inflammation in the body, inflammation is the #1 cause of dis-ease in the body, and dis-ease is the #1 cause of death. Simply put, sugar = death. Now that may sound extreme to some folks, but it was enough to keep me from buying almost anything with refined sugar in it. Instead, to get our sweet fixes, we snack on fresh fruit, dried fruit, smoothies, dark chocolate, we bake with ripe bananas, pear & apple sauce, local, raw honey, maple syrup, organic coconut sugar, stevia leaf, and monk fruit, and of course, we crush Chocobroth & High-Vibe bone broth gluten-free cookies & brownies. We are not extremists by any means, but we do a good job of staying away from the white stuff because it's void of nutritional value, will cause more harm than good, and with so many amazing natural sweeteners out there (even if you don't want to make your own treats, you can find them at your local natural health food store), it's actually an easy thing to do. I suggest giving it a try and seeing how you feel.

 

5. Practice Gratitude

When I feel stress and anxiety creeping in, I take a few deep breaths and remind myself how lucky I am to be alive, because the truth is, we're all going to die. A bit morbid, but the darkness in that knowing is enough to pull me back to the light and be grateful for being here now. I remind myself that I don't HAVE to work or write this blog post, but I GET to, and how lucky am I to do something that I love so much. Finding gratitude and small wins in every situation keeps me grounded and from feeling like a victim in this life that I have created for myself. I get to ask for what I want, and in showing up for me, it gives others permission to do the same. Gratitude doesn't come easily to everyone, but if you can make it a daily practice, for being grateful for anything, for 1 thing, or for simply getting to be here and now, my bet is that you'll greet each new day, situation, experience and person with more love than the day before. And that kind of self work and love, my friends, is the kind of energy that has the capacity to change the world.

 

Wishing you all the health, abundance & love.

-Chrystal