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Today’s post I thought I’d share some habits that I’ve observed in those people who one might consider “healthy”. My definition of healthy is as follows: someone who is physically fit and strong enough to do the activities they love, eats a clean and balanced diet for their dietary needs, manages their mental and emotional stress well.
Health is something that to many seems elusive. For example, think of the paradigm of those who spend thousands annually on healthcare or health insurance, only to continue eating processed foods or not getting the right amount of movement for their body.
After so many months or years, people call me up to train because they have found that they “let things slip up,” their diets probably lost all structure completely, and they probably don’t get much movement except minimal walking or movement around the house.
True health does not come from one superfood, a 21-day cleanse, or even joining a boot-camp to beat the crap out of you to “BURN THE FAT BABY!”.
TRUE health comes from our HABITS. Day in and day out, compounded over time. But also health originates from our beliefs surrounding ourselves, food, exercise, and how they shape our vision of ourselves and our lives.
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.-Mahatma Ghandi
So the first step to becoming truly healthy is maping out what true health means to YOU. What are you going to do when you are eating high quality organic food? What will your body look like? Who will you be hanging out with? Will you start moving and exercising in new ways? Having a vision and belief system firmly in place is extremely vital and important to securing your good health.
So now that you’ve made the decision to get healthy, here are 5 habits of highly successful and healthy people, many of which I try my best to adhere to myself.
1.Healthy people have a night-time ritual and they get enough sleep.
Matching the natural circadian rythym is paramount for good health, there is no energy in all of the universe that is as restorative and healing as proper deep sleep. It is recommended to fall asleep by 10PM each night and rise with the sun, typically around 6-7 AM.
There are many reasons why people do not get sleep, and I struggle with this one the most myself, but it is easy to remedy. You need to create a RITUAL for falling asleep. Here are some of my tips for getting to sleep and creating a good night-time ritual to wind down.
I come home from training very late sometimes around 9PM even, the first thing I do is foam roll and stretch deeply for 30 minutes. Many of us spend our days sitting, driving, and doing computer work. This makes the hips and shoulder area in particular very tight. This ends up making the muscles wound up with tension. This tension prevents us from releasing fully and falling into a deep restful sleep.
I also make sure to shut off all electronic light and start dimming the lights by 8-830PM. Electronic lights delay the release of melatonin and disrupt sleep patterns.
Next I make sure to NEVER eat any sugar, besides maybe a few pieces of fruit after dinner, as I have found nothing ruins my sleep pattern like sugar. Sometimes I’ll even fall asleep fine but wake up in the middle of the night unable to fall back asleep if I had sugar.
And lastly, a simple sleep technique is to throw your legs up against the wall for 20 minutes, this drains blood down to the organs from the legs and greatly relaxes the body. Breathing deeply here for 20 minutes will help you melt into sleep!
After all of this have a cup of restorative tea, I Use chamomile or licorice and usually, read a book for 15-20minutes, and I have no trouble falling asleep quickly and deeply!
Sleep is the foundation of good health. It allows our subconscious to process the previous day of work; it heals our mental and physical bodies, and is the best medicine. It is also FREE.
2. Healthy people eat high quality organic food and balanced meals.
True health comes from eating foods that provide proper sustenance, nutrition, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, phytonutrients (plant nutrients}, fiber, protein, fats, etc.
Those who have true vitality and strong health are not afraid to invest in their diet; they often treat their body like a temple that deserves the best. By buying high quality organic food, having a vegetable garden, visiting farmer’s markets, these people cut down the contamination to their bodies by pesticides and other toxins.
Healthy people realize that processed foods such as vegetable oils (corn, soy, canola), and white flour and sugar make them feel like crap. They do not rationalize with themselves and go to the doctor to get medications until they adjust their diets FIRST.
An unhealthy person gets IBS from processed flour and then goes to the doctor wondering why they feel like crap to get drugs. They do not look to change themselves or their habits. A healthy person switches to organic vegetables and high quality organic animal products in the right balance for their body.
Every 2 years your cells regenerate completely to form a new you if you will, the food you eat determines what you recreate yourself with every day. You can literally destroy cancer, reduce inflammation, build muscle and burn fat, by eating the right diet of organic foods for your body.
3.They move on a daily basis.
To truly be healthy and happy we need to MOVE. The human body is designed to be moving at a low level all day long, with occasional bursts of energy such as running, lifting, or sprinting.
Notice that I said move and not “workout” or “exercise”. Not all movement must be draining, movement can be healing and restorative as well.
The minimum amount of movement I recommend is walking for 45minutes-1 hour daily, or doing an hour of deep yoga type stretching. A few days per week you can mix in more intense exercise such as weight training or sprinting.
A vigorous walk and hike out in nature has healing effects on the mind and body and produces a vital organism, healthy people often spend plenty of time outdoors!
4. They drink plenty of WATER.
Healthy people always make sure that they are adequately hydrated. In a culture that seems to only appreciate hard work, coffee, sugar, red meat, and other junk foods, it is very easy for the body to become acidic and inflamed.
The most basic need for humans, second only to oxygen, is the need for water! We can only go a mere 3 days without water, but nearly a month or more without food!
Even a slight decrease in hydration levels can lead to brain fog, muscle tears, fatigue, negative thoughts, etc. I recommend drinking at least half your body-weight in oz. of water per day!
5. Healthy people are always learning, and they aren’t afraid to invest in themselves.
Healthy people are always researching and learning new ways to better themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. They try new movement practices and often do a variety of movement.
I personally may do yoga one day, lift heavy the next, walk the next day, and just stretch the day after that!
Healthy people are always learning about new healthy foods, they cook for themselves, and they MAKE TIME for their practices!
The number one reason I’d say most people fail at achieving their health goals before they even start is that they are not truly willing to CREATE the time to achieve their goals and practice new habits.
If you are not willing to take time for your bodie’s unique needs and creative practices, no one else will give it to you.
The best time to start improving your health is now.
Healthy people also are not afraid to invest in themselves! Whether it be hiring a professional trainer or coach, or buying new books on diet, or spending money on organic food, healthy people realize that these expenses have more value than the money that they spend on them.
You cannot be cheap when it comes to your health! Maybe processed food is cheaper on your wallet, but what if that is the difference that causes cancer? The true cost of eating processed junk food could be in the thousands of even millions!
Do not be afraid to truly invest in your good health.
So there you have it! 5 habits that I do my best to adhere to myself and have noticed in physically and mentally happy and healthy people all over. They are basic principles but when adhered to it will produce drastic improvements and changes in your health for the better.
Remember that when it comes to your health it is not about that detox program or that one superfood, it is about evaluating your day-to-day habits, and improving them one at a time! These habits will compound and ultimately sculpt a stronger and healthier you.
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