1. You are stressed out.
Stress has been called the “silent killer.” That said, it screams at you every day. Unless you tame and eliminate stress, it will permeate your mind, body, and soul. In turn, this will manifest disease by altering your epigenome and triggering predispositions that may have otherwise stayed dormant. One of the greatest ways to start to combat stress is to quiet the mind. This is no easy feat, but like all things with practice comes habit. You must tap into your conscious self and recognize the stress triggers. They can be as small as a noise, or as big as your job or spouse. Take stock at the end of each day of things that are stressing you. Release the little ones that you do not control. Do not waste energy there. Take the other areas, and manage them by taking small steps to lower their impact on your life bit by bit. Perhaps, you need to address someone that you continually put off. It is time to take action. Perhaps, your job is unhealthy. Take steps to either fix or change it. A little action forward has a domino effect. The guru of quieting the mind is Deepak Chopra. Here is a good article to the principles behind it.
2. Your diet does not nourish you.
Next to stress, this is one of the most impactful areas that can resurrect your health – and quickly. Even more interesting is the fact that if you feed and nourish your body, you will have overall lower stress and be able to handle things a lot better. It is truly a win/win. What can you do without thinking too much about your day-to-day nutrition? Easy! Follow these little rules as a first step: A first step to a better diet is simply doubling the amount of vegetables you eat, and take that amount away from all the white and meat things you usually eat. This simple advice can add years to your life and life to your years. Here is a true life story to inspire diet change, although it does not have to be this dramatic to make an impact.
3. You sleep poorly.
I have only ever had 2 patients who slept well. Both were athletes. Both were children. Sleep is the gateway to well-being. However, to get to the gateway, you need nutrition and a balanced lifestyle that does not have a whooping dose of daily stress. What can one do to get a better night’s sleep today? Easy. I promise, if you do these simple little steps you will be well on your way to improved sleep quality. Need more convincing? Check out this research article.
4. Your environment is toxic.
When was the last time you gave thought to your home – your inner sanctum? Here are some great things to do to “detox” the environment: By doing the above steps to your home you will dramatically lower the allergan levels in your home. In turn, this lowers your body’s histamine levels – which will keep you stronger and healthier. Notice how many of these items also affect sleep.
5. You fix your problems with pills (medication and supplements).
In our “fix it now” society we treat both traditional and alternative medicine the same way. Pop a pill. Get an injection. Drink something. Here is something to consider: It took you a long time to get to the point of requiring a pill, supplement, or magic potion, should it not take some time to fix it? Make a list of everything you take. Get a physical and go over these lists with your doctor. Are they all necessary? If you doctor or alternative practitioner is not open to this discussion – fire them and get new ones. Start shifting your mindset to eating and nourishing your body. Make a plan to prioritize the items in this article and then (god-willing) you can eliminate some (if not all) of your prescriptions. You can also eat your vitamins and minerals the way Mother Nature intended. Millions of people take cholesterol lowering medication. Read this article to learn more about how nutrition can help change that.
6. You Smoke.
Quit. It is not only killing you, but those around you.
7. You drink alcohol too much.
Let’s go back to drinking on special occasions and on the weekend. We all know we overdo it. There are over 3.3 million deaths from alcohol annually in the world. It is related to over 200 diseases and injury conditions including many cancers. In persons 24-39, it accounts for 1/4 of all deaths. Millions and millions of people cope with the affects of alcoholism daily.
Conclusion
There is no need to go on. We all know these things, but choose to make short-term decisions. Let’s be smarter this year. Save that hard-earned money for a trip instead! Featured photo credit: freestocks via unsplash.com
