A wellness, preventative care doctor told me recently that the more you do for your body when it is well may help you immeasurably during periods of it becoming unwell. He said if you treat your body right, treat its cells right, they will remember and will try with all might to course correct. I believe this. I haven't always cared, but I do now. It is not until you become ill or someone close to you becomes ill that you truly appreciate how ultra fragile the body is. And yet there are so many things we can do to show it we care. That we respect it as our temple. My respect is simple. Walking, water, waste.
Although I am a long way from being a health nut, these three have provided me relatively good health and a regimen I can adhere to without much guilt or more stress.
Walking helps me maintain calorie count, maintain muscle mass, and provides me a comfortable dose of cardio stimulation. I walk about 3-5 miles per day, mostly everyday. Among these, muscle mass is really important as we age. Muscle mass helps if and when restorative healing is needed within the body. I am told I need to boost my upper muscle mass a bit more.
Second, water. Lots and lots of water. I drink 1/2 my body weight in ounces each day. That is about 9-10 eight ounce glasses. The trick to drinking this much water? Keep it near you. I place it all around my house, car and office. I drink akaline water at room temperature. When I travel, getting water I like is my first order of business. Water is the cheapest and among the best things your body can benefit from. It is the very best for maintaining healthy cells. Those healthy cells you will rely on when God forbid, nasty unhealthy cells come out to play. My body's water level is 65%. That, I was told is excellent. I don't even drink juices anymore unless in a smoothie. Water is QUEEN!
Third is waste. Getting toxins out consistently. I strive for twice per day. My strategy is ruffage, healthy snacking, water, and bad for me things in moderation. If I said anything more here, I would be straight up lying. Truth is, I love to eat. I repeat. I love to eat. I have iearned to push that plate back before over-endulging.
My one non-negotiable is no salt. I do not cook with it and I do not add it to anything, ever. I have found ways to make food taste good using herbs and seasonings. My favorite go to is lemon pepper. I use lemon pepper a lot!
Last thing before I let you go. Don't beat yourself up over what you are or are not doing regarding your health. Think of it this way. Your body is yours to do what you want. If you want to live in it longer with energy and vitality then behave like it. It is your gift. Your temple. Take baby steps toward better health.
#happyliving