lifestyle

Thinking of 3 things you’re grateful for 😊 I love The 6 Minute Diary – it does wonders for your mental health! I've gone through a few of these with periods of time in between, and every time I restart, I can just feel my mindset becoming more positive and thankful. If you can start one habit from this page, let it be this!

Inflammation is the root cause of disease. Most Americans are seriously inflamed due to poor diet, lack of exercise, substance abuse, bad sleep and overall an unhealthy lifestyle. When you take the steps to greatly reduce it, you will see dramatic improvements in your health. Weight will come down to a healthier level, you'll sleep better, have better energy, your skin will be clearer, your auto immune diseases can go away or be greatly reduced, your heart will be healthier, and your cancer can slow down. Start with an anti-inflammatory diet coupled with intermittent fasting and daily walks after meals (start to sweat!), and you will notice results within the first week. 

I try to fast at least 16 hours a day, usually eating from 11-7. This promotes heart health, metabolic health, insulin resistance, and the effects of aging. Additionally, its good to stop eating at least 3 hours before bed so that your body has time to digest. It also can enhance cognitive function, improve memory, and protect against neurodegenerative diseases.

Fasting for 24 hours once a week is great for cellular clean-up (autophagy). If you can go 72 hours (1x per month or so), you're way ahead of the game in protecting your body against disease through detox, reduced oxidative stress, and enhanced immune function. I use the Zero App daily to track my fasting times.

Make time for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 4-5 times per week. Incorporate both cardio and weight training for strength. Even if you hate the gym, you can find classes that make it more fun. Even taking a walk or bike ride outside to enjoy the sun will help you improve your health.  

Drink at least 64 oz a day, but ideally half your weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces. Add fruits or something for flavor if that helps. It is also really beneficial to add a high quality iodized salt for electrolytes, which helps keep the water from flushing out vital nutrients in your food. Green tea has fantastic anti-cancer properties! (Source: Dr. Stegall ) 

Drink warm or hot lemon water first thing in the morning for multiple health benefits, including hydration, digestion aid, and preventing kidney stones. Even more beneficial is to eat the lemon wedge with a bit of the pith and rind, according to Dr. Gundry. (Source: Cleveland Clinic)

Natural sunlight/ getting in nature for 15-30 minutes per day (ideally in the morning or late afternoon to set your circadian rhythm and not get burned) is so important for vitamin D, improved sleep, and mood-boosting/ stress-relief effects. Amplify these benefits by taking a 10 minute walk outside after each meal to aid digestion. 

Friendly reminder to be selective with your SPF, as only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide ingredients are truly safe for you and the ocean, if you're in there. Most non-mineral SPFs contain ingredients that disrupt your endocrine system, and some are even linked to causing cancer! 

Stop drinking. It sucks because it is such a big part of our social culture, but it is one of the most impactful things your can do for your health. Alcohol causes so much inflammation in the body, not to mention the crappy food you eat after a night out. Inflammation causes disease - it is as simple as that. And tempting as it is, do not replace cocktails with sugary mocktails, because sugar is a massive source of inflammation and disease as well. The bright side includes less bloating and more money in your wallet!

Avoid high-stress people/ environments/ etc. whenever possible. Make time for yourself to relax, clear your head, and destress.

Try 10 min or more of meditation per day to improve the mind-body connection. The Balance app on apple is free for the first year!

This includes heavy metals, synthetic fibers, plastics, harmful chemicals in your hygiene and beauty products (especially deodorant)... you can really go down the rabbit hole on this one. I check my products on Yuka when in doubt.

I don’t use wifi on my phone unless absolutely necessary and do not sleep with the phone super close to the bed. There are studies stating that the extra waves are harmful to the body, and Dr. Stegall even reports that in nearly all of his brain cancer patients, the tumors are on the side of the head that they talk on the phone with. Seems silly but doesn’t hurt considering how they’re always near us. 5G is bad too, but unavoidable for the most part.

If possible, upgrade your home filter for alkaline ionized water. Your body is about 60% water, so give it the best you can! The Kangen machine in particular is incredible but expensive, so try to have your Dr prescribe it as a medical device. See more info on it below.

For the time being, I’m drinking only filtered water that is pH balanced of at least 7 but typically 8.8. (Cancer thrives in acidic environments.) I found pH 9 or higher gave me dry mouth. Multiple Drs and sites recommend alkalizing your water with aluminum-free baking soda or pH powder. That being said, there is conflicting information that your digestive system will do that on its own. However, this is something that everyone can benefit from as you never know what’s coming in your tap unless you test it. Often the pH of tap water is below a 5.5 and full of junk! From Joe Cross: "Tap water has been shown to contain heavy metals, additives, chlorination by-products, pesticides, arsenic, radon and rocket fuel to name a few. Water may also travel through decaying pipes that may be eroding and leaching harmful chemicals into the water long before it reaches your kitchen." 

I'm a firm believer that if you think it, you can be it. So think positively. Expect the best. See the good  in everything, the silver linings. Don't dwell on the bad. Make your mind a happy place to be. Visualize what you want in great detail. Journal it, pinterest it, whatever works. 

There are days when I'd go down a negative rabbit hole of emotions, but you have to get out of there and focus on all the good happening around you, no matter how small it may seem. That's another reason why I love using a gratitude journal daily!

An interesting tactic proven to work in order to motivate yourself, is to count down from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It helps to reset your mind and give a mental push to take on whatever task is at hand. Sounds silly but it works!