How to Be Healthy

According to the Commonwealth Report, the U.S. ranks last for health care performance and healthy lives compared to six other industrialized nations despite spending more money is spent per capita in health care.

Why is this?

It may be tempting to blame the health care system, but the true cause of many illnesses is lifestyle.

For most of us, convenience and what we want outweighs our motivation to be healthy. We do know how to stay healthy. We just don't do it.

The top causes of preventable death in the U.S. by far are tobacco, poor diet and lack of exercise. These lead to nutritional deficiencies, accumulations of toxins, and inadequate circulation.

Sometimes, the ill effects of modern technology aren't discovered for many years. It could take 20 years to determine if regular cell phone use causes brain cancer. Genetically modified foods are fed to the masses without researching consequences. Worse yet, damaging effects may be denied, ignored, or covered up.

How to Be Healthy Tips

An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.

Giving in to poor lifestyle choices may be the easiest road in the short run, but it really easier and more beneficial to establish healthy habits while you are well. You'll feel better and greatly reduce your risks of degenerative lifestyle diseases like arthritis, heart, disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

It's easier to prevent damage than fix it. But don't dismay if you are already experiencing poor health.

Your body is designed to be in balance, to heal itself, and to function well. Your mind, body know how to be healthy and how to get healthy,

This balance is strongly influenced by what goes into your body and what goes out.

These 'inflows and outgos' strongly influence the environment that your cells live in. Quite simply, the healthier the environment, the healthier the cells. The healthier the cells, the healthier the tissues, organs and systems in your body.

When you consistently support and nourish those systems, you are likely be rewarded with graceful aging and good health.

Quit smoking.

This advice tops most wellness lists, and for good reason. If you are a smoker, do what it takes to quit. Make this your number one goal for how to be healthy.

Second-hand smoke is almost as dangerous as smoking yourself. Avoid places where your risks of this exposure is high.

You will greatly reduce your risk of life-threatening heart disease and cancers once you quit smoking.

Your cells will begin renewing themselves almost immediately if the damage is not too advanced. Over a period of ten years your lungs will rejuvenate themselves. Your circulation will improve and your toxic load will decrease.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Obesity is an underlying cause of many serious diseases and shorter life spans. As obesity rates rise, so does the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Oz suggests that a good indicator of healthy weight is to have a waist measurement that is no more than half your height. That means if your height is 64 inches, your waist should be 32 inches or smaller.

Reduce your toxic exposure.

Toxins take many forms: chemicals in air, food and water, heavy metals, stress, radiation, and natural metabolic processes. Our bodies are designed to handle some toxins, but not the amount supplied by modern living.

You can greatly help your body out by supporting natural detoxification processes and avoiding chemicals and EMF waves whenever possible.

Practice Healthy Habits.

Consume healthy foods and beverages. Get enough quality sleep. Move your body often and exercise regularly.

The Healthy Living Guide contains much information for how to be healthy, including tips for detoxifying and easily incorporating healthy habits into your life.

Breathe.

Cultivate the healthy habit of breathing deeply into your abdomen just like a sleeping baby does. Practice while you're laying down if you need to. No shoulder lifting! You want to bring in lots of fresh oxygen and get rid of stale air and its accompanying toxins with every deep, relaxed breath you take.

Reduce stress.

Taking care of physical health will reduce the amount of stress your body has to deal with because of inadequate nutrients, toxic overload and poor circulation. It will also help reduce the effects of mental stress.

Unfortunately, most of us live in a state of chronic mental stress, often without even realizing it. That stress is very hard on your body. It will eventually catch up with you in how you age and fight off illness, not to mention quality of life.

It is really in the best interest of your mental, emotional and physical health to keep dis-stress to a minimum. The Natural Stress Relief Primer is a comprehensive source of information about how stress affects your health and what you can do about it.

Nurture your soul and spirit.

It's great to take care for your body. It's equally important, if not moreso, to take care of your mind and spirit.

That popular quote, "Live, Love, Laugh", contains a lot of wisdom. Take time every day to nurture your spirit for whole self wellness.

Let go of old emotional garbage, limiting beliefs and grudges. Nourish yourself by doing what you love and making time for healthy play and fun alone and with loved ones. Learn to be mindful and present. Cultivate this state of mind.

The Emotional and Mental Healing Guide and the Spiritual Wellness Primer offer many suggestions and techniques for how to do this.

Now that you know the basics of how to be healthy, spend some time looking over the suggested pages. Choose tips that you can implement easily and make part of your life. Don't underestimate the importance of any of them.

Building a healthy lifestyle is a process. Experiment with techniques and suggestions until you find what works for you and they become well established healthy habits.