There is no magic recipe for living a healthy lifestyle. Rather, it is a series of daily choices. Additionally, the term “health” can be understood as a holistic word that encompasses all parts of your being including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Below are some helpful idea to get you started on your journey to better health.

Mental Health

Your mental health can greatly affect the way you think, feel and behave.  It’s no small coincidence that mental health is strongly linked to physical health. Most medical professionals unanimously agree about the importance of keeping the mind and body harmoniously aligned.  If you want to keep your mental health in sync with the rest of your body, here are a few basic steps to help get you started.

1. Put together a jigsaw puzzle
2. Complete a crossword puzzle or word game such as Scrabble
3. Solve a number puzzle such as Sudoku
4. Read a book and discuss it with a friend
5. Learn to play a musical instrument
6. Take up a new hobby
7. Try a new recipe
8. Build something with your hands
9. Make a craft or art project
10. Try to learn and use a new word each day
11. Learn a new game such as Chess
12. Memorize a poem
13. Learn to play a new sport – The skills you acquire when playing sports will benefit you both mentally and physically
14. Eat for your brain health – Brain food includes fish, nuts, seeds, and food sources with monounsaturated fats (most people recognize these as Omega 3-Fatty Acids)
15. Turn off your TV – Studies have shown that a shockingly high percentage of the brain is inactive when you are watching TV. (studies have also shown that children and adults learn more from experience than from what they watch on television)
16. De-clutter your home – Getting rid of clutter and organizing your life helps you to function better by allowing your mind to relax and helping you stay on top of deadlines and projects (If you find it hard to throw things away, ask yourself this question “have I used this in the last year”, if you haven’t toss it! Not only will it help you get rid of uneeded “excess”, but it will revitalize you.

Whether your keeping your synapses firing by putting together a jigsaw puzzle or working on an art project, you’re building an important bridge along the barrier of your body and mind.

Spiritual Health:

Before modern medicine was born, people turned to divine intervention for help and guidance.  You don’t have to be a religions person, to be spiritual.  Although it might seem like these two things follow one another, it is possible to find spirituality in a random act of kindness, or in the smile of a small child.  The simple truth is, you don’t have to look far, spirituality is all around you. [or spiritual health is all around us]

Regardless of your system of beliefs, you cannot neglect the nurturing and growth of your spirit. These helpful suggestions can be integrated into any faith or belief system.

17. Read an inspiring book to get you inspired to plot a plan to live out your dreams.
18. Practice loving kindness – on yourself and watch how much it boosts your self esteem.
19. Engage in a meaningful conversation with someone of a different faith (practicing and living a “tolerant” life will bring amazing benefits.)
20. Keep a journal of your reflections on life each day
21. Spend time each day in prayer or meditation or other really cool ways to boost your vibe without breaking a sweat!
22. Help a random stranger – This could be as simple as holding the door open for someone or paying for the order behind you in the drive-thru line. Awesomeness!
23. Get outdoors and enjoy nature (subscribe to your city magazine for fun excursions in your community, these are often free, and will continue to be mailed to you each year)
24. Let go of an old grudge
25. Send a card to a friend to let them know that you were thinking about him or her
26. Apologize to someone you have wronged
27. Make a list of 50 thinks you love about yourself or are grateful for.
28. Send a Thank-You card to someone who has helped you recently

Emotional Health:

Closely tied to your spiritual and mental health, your emotional health deals with issues of the heart. If your mother spent a lot of time telling you that happy people live longer, she knew what she was talking about.  Emotional health plays an important part in the foundation of our physical and mental health.  Our emotions are closely regulated by hormones in the body that act, and react to how we are feeling.  Have you ever been in an intense situation, where your fear, exitement, or anxiety caused your heart to beat faster?  Our adrenal glands release hormones that react to just about everything, including old memories that we may hold on to, that still facilitate an emotional response from us.  Your emotional health sits on a balance that interacts with the body, mind, and spirit- so make sure you give it a little extra attention.

29. Manage your debt and budget your living costs – money plays a significant role in emotional health, especially during a financial crisis.
30. Get a massage  – Massage not only helps to you relax and de-stress, but has physical benefits as well, such as reducing muscle tension and improving circulation.
31. Watch a sunrise and sunset
32. Plant a tree or garden
33. Take a healing detox bath – with lots of epsom salts and some lavender essential oil, my favorite.

Physical Health:

Keeping your body healthy goes hand in hand with the other aspects of your health. Obviously, diet and exercise play a critical role in a healthy lifestyle, plus, have you checked out the price of liposuction? That is enough motivation alone for me to commit to a healthy active lifestyle!  You don’t have to work out 3 hours a day to get the body you want, or to maintain your health.  Medical professionals recommend working out at least 20 minutes a day, at a rate that gets your heart pumping above your normal rate.  This amount of exercise will set you on the path to a healthy and happy heart.  It may also break the ice, if you are not a fan of working out.

34. Exercise 3 to 5 times per week
35. Exercise for at least 20 minutes per session
36. Use resistance training
37. Engage in a variety of exercise modalities
38. Swim
39. Walk
40. Run
41. Cycle
42. Row
43. Climb stairs
44. Group Fitness Class
45. Dance
46. Yoga
47. Pilates
48. Drink plenty of water
49. Complete a seasonal detox – nothing boost your energy like detoxing. I detox for each season to ward off the effects of the toxins in our environment.
50. Fast occasionally
51. Eat cold water fish
52. Drink green tea
53. Drink red wine
54. Drink cranberry juice diluted with water
55. Eat grass fed meats
56. Buy organic produce
57. Consume free range eggs and poultry
58. Take a multivitamin
59. Get adequate sleep each night
60. Eat small meals throughout the day
61. Watch your portion size
62. Get 30 minutes of sunlight each day
63. Drink filtered water
64. Eat fermented foods
65. Eat cultured foods
66. Avoid preservatives
67. Avoid processed flour
68. Avoid processed sugar
69. Limit dairy intake
70. Wash fruits and vegetables
71. Grow your own fruits
72. Grow your own vegetables – Delicious for your health and budget!
73. Use a body brush
74. Exfoliate your skin
75. Moisturize your skin
76. Wear sunscreen
77. Use natural cosmetic products
78. Avoid harsh chemicals
79. Practice deep breathing
80. Eat protein at every meal – this does not necessarily mean meat – there are plenty of vegetarian protein sources.
81. Build meals around protein and produce
82. Eat lean meats
83. Go Gluten FREE!  – When I  eliminated dairy & gluten, I was surprised at how much bloating disappeared in my body.
84. Avoid packaged foods
85. Limit sodium intake
86. Avoid canned foods
87. Quit using plastic bottles
88. Use aromatherapy scents and oils
89. Stretch everyday
90. Maintain oral hygiene
91. Keep up with doctor and alternative health practitioner visits
92. Schedule age appropriate health screenings
93. Wash your hands with warm water
94. Don’t share cosmetics
95. Don’t share beverages
96. Limit alcohol intake – unless it’s summer and there are mint mojito’s on the menu.
97. Avoid tobacco products
98. Buy local produce
99. Eat a variety of foods
100. Aim for colorful meals
101. Enjoy each moment

Spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health all play an important role in our daily lives.  When one is out of sync, they all become affected in different ways.  We all find working on these aspects of our life, difficult, and some areas may be harder to work on than others. The key is to love yourself enough to make healthy choices, without going overboard on obsessing about your health.

The bottom line in achieving a healthy lifestyle is to choose FUN OVER STRESS!

You can do everything “right” but if you are stressed out, you will find that stress will bite you in the ass with burnout, fatigue, depression or even a lowered immune system.

So nurture yourself – have fun, play…..LOVE

Monica

xo

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101 Ideas For A Healthy Lifestyle

When we adults think of children there is a simple truth which we ignore:

Childhood is not preparation for life. Childhood IS life.

A child isn’t getting ready to live, a child is living. The child is constantly confronted with the nagging question, “What are you going to be?” Courageous would be the youngster who, looking the adult square in the face, would say, “I’m not going to be anything; I already am.”

We adults would be shocked by such an insolent remark for we have forgotten, if indeed we ever knew, that a child is an active participating and contributing member of society from the time he is born.

Childhood isn’t a time when he is molded into a human who will then live life; he is a human who is living life.

No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied her by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation.

How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize the child as a partner with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing her as an apprentice.

How much we would teach each other…adults with the experience and children with the freshness.

How full both our lives could be.

A little child may not lead us, but at least we ought to discuss the trip with him, after all, life is his and her journey, too.

Professor T. Ripaldi

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Notes on an Unhurried Journey

Food prices have risen. I sound like my mother now, talking about the days when I could buy a dozen eggs for $3.50. This last month I have been trimming the fat in our budget to be sure we are ahead of the game in the next few years of uncertain economic times. If you are following the markets and have a critical mind, you’ve already realized that the US’s governments addiction to printing money is going to be a painful blow to all of us in the coming years.

I’m hesitant to say how much I spend on groceries. It’s easily been over $1000/month….?!*&^%

As a champion for health, I feel quality food is vital but as I look at my budget I am beginning to feel how challenging eating healthy on a budget can be when, especially when we are talking about a budget of $500 or less each month.

But I am always up for a challenge.

Here are some of my tips for reigning in your food costs without sacrificing your health or quality of meals.

1. Get a binder with sleeves. Put an envelope into each sleeve with your allocated budget in each department in cash.When you shop, take cash, no more debit or credit cards! I have a sleeve for food, clothing, personal care, gas, gifts…etc. Only my recurring bills for essential home operation get automatically debited from my account. The rest is organized into my binder.

2. Budget for each week of meals. I was notorious for buying up 7 cans of beans when they were on sale. This month, we’ve simply been eating up stored food to get back to a TRUE EAT and USE UP philosophy. I do have an emergency kit though, filled with about two weeks of food stored. I will leave this alone for now.

3. Eliminate junk food If you have family members who love to snack, start doing shopping on your own. Choose your vice and stick to it. We love bean chips. They are about $3.50/bag. So instead of eating 2-3/week, we opt for 1/week as long as the budget allows. We save $14/month on “snacks” alone. Eat frozen blueberries or other fruits in the evenings if the craving strikes. Make home made apple crisp anytime by freezing chopped peeled apples now that they are in season. Get creative so that the ice cream and treats are slowly eliminated for more healthy treats.

4.  Buy food in quantity when they are end of season

Heading into winter, we have budget for some end of season tomatoes and fruit for canning that will take us through the winter. This means I will be spending half of what I would normally spend on imported fruit that has been picked to early. Organic tomatoes are a healthy option when used from glass jars rather than buying cans from the store.

5. Quinoa and Brown Rice

Most people think that quinoa is expensive, but I have been getting large bags for about $7 that easily last one month. We make tabouleh, bean salads, mix into miso soup, puree quinoa with other soups or eat plain with olive oil and Sea Salt.

6. BeansBeans…

…The magical fruit….never mind. Beans are one of the best sources for protein and go a long way on a budget. I LOVE beans and we eat them often. I only buy one brand and I would gladly give up other items on my list for Eden Beans. They are packed with sea veggie that breaks down the exterior coating on the beans which helps us digest them easily. We never have “bean issues” from these beans. They also have put in place  “NO BPA” practices. I’ve tried soaking and sprouting many times now, but life as a stay at home mom and entrepreneur? Something had to give.  Eden is my best choice. Eat a large variety of beans. Add then to rice, pasta sauce, soups, salad’s etc.

7.  More Salads

A general practice in my family since I was a child is to have a salad with every meal, or at the very least, with dinner. Most health issues stem from being overly acidic. Our bodies increase in acidity when we consume processed foods, drinks, meat, alcohol etc. Even stress and negativity in our life creates acidity in our bodies. All disease is born an acidic environment. On the flip side, even raw vegans can have issues with being too alkaline, as I was a few years back. The point is to strive for balance and for most people today, eat more alkaline foods. Salads boost your health and your meals without taxing your budget. Sorry, iceberg lettuce does not qualify as a real salad!

8.  Drop Take Out and Restaurants

If you do take out or restaurants, have a look at your monthly bank statement and tally it up. Starbucks here, Macdonald’s there…it really adds up the food costs and unfortunately adds nothing to your health. But I know, when we are out for the day and the kids get hungry, it’s always a dilemma about what to do? I look at nearly all food establishments with disdain since we switched to a wheat free lifestyle. There are very few places that provide a “home meal away from home” so over time I have lost my affinity with feeling that Restaurants are “special”. On occasion we do eat out, but we carefully select where we go. I always take food snacks with me in a cooler when we had out so that we can avoid being in a hunger craze with the children.

9. Choose to drink MORE WATER!

Milk is highly overrated. Juice as well. Let’s not discuss soda because there are no health benefits from adding this to your budget. The fact is that we are chronically dehydrated. Water, from the purest source available is the best choice. It’s all we drink now. My latest passion is learning about REAL WATER and the effects it has on our blood. WOW, how many of us even realize that the water we drink is actually processed? Milk is not the best choice for calcium, and it causes more problems that it solves. This week we will be heading up to a local spring to collect pure water in glass bottles to hydrate ourselves on a cellular level. Check if you have a spring near you?

10.  Set Eating Times

There are times when I have felt like a short order cook for my family. It does not help when I cook 3 meals a day either plus snacks! This particular advice is really most beneficial for stay at home mom’s or dad’s. I have set times with my children for food. The know that at 8am the breakfast table is cleared and that a snack will not appear until 10am. This has eliminated (almost!) the whining and provides them with the responsibility and power to manage their own hunger. This also helps us with eating constantly and draining and dipping into the food budget by eating up things I have allocated for meals. The other option is to set plates of fruit and veggies out for your children to snack on. Once it is gone, they must wait until meal time.

11. Build a garden!

I have been canning up a storm this year, compliments of the bounty from our garden. If you wait till the end of the season, even organic foods like tomatoes are quite cheap. This is the only exception I make with my budget. I won’t drop $4 for a can of tomatoes, organic or not when BPA is still an issue. I prefer mine in hoe canned glass jars.

These are some of the ways we have been able to cut our food budget in half while eating healthy.

Other special recommendations would be eating towards a more vegetarian diet and meal planning.

How do you eat healthy on a budget?

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11 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

All right, I know I’m going to get a few looks today because when I first heard about this natural health remedy, it struck me as a little odd? I have long known the benefits of using baking soda for natural cleaning, but drinking it?

Also known as ‘sodium bicarbonate’ or ‘bicarbonate of soda,’ baking soda has dozens of uses. It can be used for indigestion and upset stomach, as a cleaning product, and as a fire extinguisher, to name only a few. Drinking baking soda mixed in water also apparently has a number of health advantages.Who knew?

Ailments like the flu, common colds, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer flourish in a body that is acidic. Baking soda reduces the acidity of the body’s internal environment. The first time I saw this was from a guy on Youtube that said his cancer tumor was shrinking because he was able to change his body PH through baking soda. I wish I would have had this knowledge for my father in law who passed last December from Prostate cancer.

A study published in 2009 by the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology showed that patients with chronic kidney disease experienced a decrease in symptoms after consuming baking soda every day. In fact, these patients eliminated their dependency on dialysis.

Sodium bicarbonate is also very effective at fighting urinary tract infections, since it must interact with the urinary tract prior to being expelled from the body. The bicarbonate drink you prepare must be transformed into urine and goes directly through the urinary tract, interacting with the affected area in the process. Bicarbonate is a very potent substance, and its effects are not diminished as it progresses through the body. The alkaline nature of the baking soda reduces the acidity of your urine, helping to fight infection.

Perhaps one of the most convincing reasons for me to drink baking soda is because of it’s ability to bind with and cleanse toxins from the body. You already know I am a big promoter of yearly cleansing for health. I now feel that each family should have a few large boxes on hand, as a precaution for possible Nuclear disasters on our Continent and to cleanse from fallout exposure, such as what we are subjected to now from Fukushima. It can be used in detox baths and and taken orally in a crisis when you need something on hand to protect and neutralize the effects of radiation exposure. I have added it to our weekly bathing routine since Fukushima for sure.

You should always use 100%, aluminum-free bicarbonate. To raise the body’s pH level, mix a teaspoon of bicarbonate in a glass of water. Drink it without food after waking up and just before bed each night. The pH scale indicates the acidity of a medium, and is scaled from 0 to 14. Seven indicates a neutral environment. Above 7 indicates alkaline conditions and below 7 represents acidity. Baking soda is incredibly alkaline, with a pH of 14. The body’s internal environment should optimally be between 7.1 and 7.5. In therapeutic circumstances, you will want to grab yourself some PH test strips so that your body’s PH does not go over 8. Either too acidic or too alkaline is poor health and disease. Most people are naturally too acidic. I was actually a little alkaline when I was a raw vegan a few years back.

Savoring a baking soda drink as you start to feel colds coming on can help ward off seasonal bugs. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables also promotes a more alkaline environment. I have to say, knock wood, we are feeling great right although the kids have both already been sick this fall. I felt a little tickle coming on, but after 2 days of Baking Soda, I was able to fight it off. Now I drink it every other day. Even a few sparkling water brands contain some baking soda as well as magnesium, another major deficiency in our diet . More on that to come soon!

The other funny remedy for Baking Soda? Preventing or curing a hangover. Yep, after you and hubby indulge in a bottle of fine wine only to realize the kids will be up at 6am, swig a glass of Baking Soda down before going to bed. Better yet, drink it during the evening. But that would be gross, right? I assure you though, you’ll be better off in the morning.

Athletes can also benefit from baking soda by taking bicarbonate with water to prevent accumulation of acid in the muscles. This can greatly boost athletic performance. One third of a gram of baking soda for every 2.2. pounds of body weight is the typical standard. Along with plenty of water, drinking baking soda before exercise can work wonders.

So, still think baking soda is a crazy idea? Try it once and see what you think.

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The Awesome Health Benefits Of Drinking What?!?

One of the detox methods I use in addition to internal body cleansing is detox bathing. It is possible, using the right procedures, to be able to help eliminate heavy metals, toxins and radiation from the skin by using baths.  This is the kind of procedure often performed after cancer treatment to help detoxify the body, and it also is a beneficial way to manage concerns of exposure after a nuclear power plant accident.

Here are a few different recipes for detox baths:

The first one involves Ginger and Epsom salt. This type of soak can relax pores and flush out chemicals and can even reduce pain and discomfort. First, mix 2 tablespoons of ginger in a glass of tap water along with 1 cup of Epsom salt. Next, combine them with your bath water. It is important to soak for less than half an hour.

My favorite bath, because it is so easy is using sea salt and soda. This type of wash negates the harmful effects of radiation, which can result from X-ray machines, cancer treating devices, consumer electronics, or natural sources. Add a few cups of sea salt (not table salt!) to a hot bath along with one cup of baking soda. Soak until the bath cools, generally about 20 minutes. I usually submerge as much as my body as possible and drink lots if purified water. My skin always feels amazing after this bath.

A great Winter bath involves mixing sesame oil, sea salt, and Epsom salt. This wash can remedy dry, leathery, or cracking skin and can reduce stress levels. One cup of each ingredient in a hot bath should do the trick. Try not to stay in for more than twenty minutes, and gently dry yourself afterwards.

A fast and easy technique involves using vinegar. Sometimes, acid can build up in the body and must be neutralized. Acting as a base, vinegar can do exactly that. Obtain a healthy portion of pure apple cider vinegar and pour anywhere from one cup to 2 quarts into a warm bath. The amount of vinegar you use is up to you. Relax in the bath for up to 45 minutes. Uric acid can be easily flushed using this technique, and can bring relief to all of the body’s joints and many other ailments related to acidic edema.

Bentonite is another quick detox bath which can work wonders. Moisten a few pounds of Bentonite clay and let it dissolve for about 12 hours, at which point you can mix it into your bath. Two pounds of ingredients equates to an hour of bath time. Four pounds requires only about half an hour. Keep in mind that Bentonite can stop up drains, so don’t use it too often.

Right now, I have about one detox bath each week. I also give the kids a nice soak each week using epsom & baking soda, or apple cider vinegar. Their skin is responding really well and I feel this would be very helpful in treating baby & child  eczema. As you go through detoxification, switch up your daily baths. Once you have gone through the entire rotation, stick with the soak that you like the best.

Let me know your favorite bath?

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Several Methods Of De-toxing Using Baths