Healthy Habits

Here Are Healthy Habits Your Body Loves
1. First thing in the morning, drink 2 to 3 cups water.
• Drink warm or hot water. It’s gentler on an empty stomach.
• It is important that the water has nothing in it so that it passes through right away. If it contains anything at all (even lemon juice), it will stay in your stomach up to one hour not going into cleansing mode.
• The water will flush your kidneys and bladder, clean out fasting debris from your stomach and colon.


2. Get Enough Sleep and Rest
This is a very important healthy habit that easily gets missed.
It is important to be getting 7 – 8 hours of sleep every night. If you are still feeling tired it is recommended to take short naps of 15–30 minutes.
What happens when we do not get enough sleep?
• Your immune system is taxed, making you vulnerable to viruses. Your immune system rebuilds while you sleep.


• You are therefore more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as the common cold.
• The brain needs to clean itself of toxins. Brain cells shrink during sleep, opening the gaps between neurons that allow fluid to wash the brain clean, according to study in the Journal Science.
People gain weight when not getting enough sleep. Even just a few nights of sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain. – Research from the University of Pennsylvania found.

3. Breathe Deeply
Few of us breathe deeply. Do you remember the last time you took a long, slow, deep breath, and slowly let it out again?
• Deep breathing can help reduce stress. We often eat more when stressed.
• Breathing exercises will help strengthen your lungs.
• Breathing mindfully increases energy, stills the mind and lifts the spirits.


4. Eat Lots of Vegetables (no, potatoes don’t count!) Every Day
Fill your plate three-quarters full of vegetables.
Why?
• Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients
• On average, there are only 50 calories (or less) per cup in most of the most nutritious vegetables.
(what I call PowerFoods)
• Powerfoods are high fiber foods that help cleanse your bowels, and thus your whole body.
• For a healthy Acid/Alkaline balance, your plate needs to be three quarters full of vegetables.

5. Control the Salt Habit
• Adults worldwide consume almost double the daily amount of salt recommended.
• This leads to weight gain, bloating, and the inability to lose those stubborn pounds.
• Salt can make you feel hungrier and thirstier.
• A belly will go down quickly just by cutting back on your sodium intake and eating more vegetables.
Note: A little salt is good for your body. Don’t eliminate salt entirely. Choose a salt that has nutrients in it, like Pink Himalayan and Celtic Sea Salt. Table salt has 2 nutrients in it.....Himalayan and Celtic Sea Salt have 80 plus trace minerals.




6. Make Time for Relaxation and Meditation
• If you have a meditation technique, try doing it in the morning before getting out of bed, for ten or fifteen minutes.
• If you don’t meditate, simply put on relaxing music, close your eyes and breathe, trying not to get caught up in your thoughts, watch them. Here is where you can incorporate your deep breathing, two birds, one stone (oh that wasn't a very relaxing thought, sorry).

7. Keep Fit

To start, go for a walk of 20 – 30 minutes every day is a great healthy habit.

• A regular exercise program of at least 30 minutes several days a week will help build a strong immune system and help weight drop off, too.
• Being fit will help you recover quicker if you do get sick.

8. Keep Sugar Highs and Lows in Check
Sugar Cravings can rule you because they are an addiction. You will need to develop some new habits to overcome them.

Why do we need to keep the sugar out?

 Sugar: Makes you fat, nervous, contributes to diabetes, kidney and heart problems, suppresses the immune system and causes wrinkles!
Sugar cravings are often due to lack of nutrients creating an undernourished, hungry body. Keep your body nourished with lots of real food and extra nutritional supplements.
Things to do to help reduce sugar:
• Eat fresh and dried fruit instead of sugary sweets.
• Keep fully hydrated.
• Don’t skip meals.  When you miss regular meals; you create a starving situation in your body and you will eat anything to bring your blood sugar level back to normal — and you know what that means.
• No sweets in your cupboards or fridge. It is too tempting to have them available.
• When craving strikes, go for a walk.

Conclusion:
All these healthy habits are pretty obvious and simple to start. The trick is doing them long enough so they are an established part of your routine. This will take time and attention. Don't try to change everything at once (unless you are in crisis and it is a must), but add a new change regularly. As you feel better you will want to continue.