I thought it would be interesting to share some of my best health tips in a fun and playful way.

Add seeds to soups & salads; one to two tablespoons of seeds per day like crushed flax, chia, sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds can help you get in your daily dose of essential fats.

Bake, grill, steam, and boil – don’t fry.

Cut out sugar and anything that turns into sugar very quickly like white rice and foods made from flour.

Ditch your shoes once in a while and walk barefoot.  Walking on dewy grass, the beach, or by the water has been shown to be the best locations to transfer positive and heeling energy from the Earth to your body.

Eat real food.  My golden rule is to “eat only what the sun touches, what the rain and water nourish, and what the earth naturally provides.  Avoid anything man-made.”  Eat this way and you’ll never have to worry about calories again!

Fresh and frozen foods are better than canned foods.  Frozen vegetables can be useful when you’re running low on groceries and frozen berries are great for making smoothies and smoothie pops for kids.

Get outdoors more often.  Sunlight is extremely beneficial to our existence and helps our bodies produce the vital hormone-like vitamin D which helps our bodies function optimally.  Start out with 5 minutes per day (without sun block) and build your tolerance up to 30 minutes per day.

Have 2 to 3 fruits per day.  Although fruits have fructose, they are also loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that we need.  Vary them to gain the most benefits.

Ignore the claims on the front of products.  They often lie and stretch the truth.  Instead, read the list of ingredients and nutrition facts, and avoid anything that has words you can’t understand.

Juicing a variety of raw vegetables can aid in digestion if you consume predominately cooked foods.  The process of cooking kills vital enzymes that aid in digestion and reduces the nutrient contents in food.  If you don’t like to eat raw vegetables, juicing is a good option.

K is for kefir; fermented milk and one of the best kept secrets for your gut!  Follow my journey as I learn to experiment with kefir for the best results. (video will be posted soon!)

Laugh often.  Surround yourself with positive people and enjoy the simple things in life.

Move more.  Make exercise and physical activity a priority.  You’ll never find the time if you don’t make the time!

Nap! Although it’s still taboo in many workplaces, a 15-20 minute power nap in the office can help you concentrate better, make better decisions, and make you far more productive than someone who is sleep-deprived, running on coffee, and trying to keep their eyes opened with paper clips!

Organic is the way to go.  As much as possible, choose locally grown organic produce, organic grass-fed animals and ocean or fresh water fish instead of conventional produce, corn-fed animals and farm-raised fish.

Plan your meals for the week ahead and get organized.  This makes it easier to prepare your grocery list and ensures that you’re eating healthy all week long.

Question diets, supplements, exercise devices, and systems that eliminate any of the macro-nutrients (i.e. protein, carbohydrate & fat), claim quick and easy results, and seem too good to be true.  There is no ONE thing that is the all end all solution.  If it really worked, the whole world would be using it.   

Rest and recuperate.  Downtime is just as important as being physically active.  Listen to your body and don’t stress it out when all it needs is a bit of rest and TLC.    

Stretch on a daily basis.  Flexibility is a fitness component that is often overlooked but is so important.  Not only does it help prevent injuries and increase strength gains, it also helps slow down the physiological effects of aging.

Train your mind to see possibilities.  Catch yourself using self-limiting words like “can’t”, “but” and “don’t”.  I don’t have time to exercise.  I can’t cook. I want to eat healthy, but…  You probably CAN do these things – you just choose not to.   

Use “before” pictures and body measurements to monitor progress – ditch the scale. 

Vary your proteins.  To keep your diet varied, rotate your proteins on a daily basis; chicken, meat, fish, lentils, beans & legumes.

Walk more.  Pedometers are optional but this inexpensive tool can help you keep track of your activity level.  Begin with 6,000 steps per day and progress to 10,000 steps per day in addition to your daily exercise.

eXtra water.  As a general rule, for every kilogram of weight, drink 30ml of water.  The best measure is to check the color of your urine.  It should be a very light yellow.

You are in control!  You choose the foods you eat, how much you move, what time you get to bed, and how you spend your spare time.  It’s all in your control so choose wisely.

Zzzz.  Get enough quality sleep!  The body is synchronized with the sun so as the sun sets, the repair hormones begin to rise.  Get to sleep by 10:30pm to reap the full health benefits and wake up refreshed and ready to conquer the day.    

Over to you now. How many of these tips do you follow already? Which ones will you add? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

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