Like many of us, I have been on a personal journey toward a healthier, more natural
lifestyle for many years.
As I studied, experimented and learned more about wellness and disease prevention from
my own experiences–as well as the teachings and advice of experts–I have been amazed at
our body’s almost miraculous natural healing power.
Despite our numerous unhealthy transgressions–the body has an incredible ability to
heal itself.
It can correct health problems–from illnesses to injury.
It has the ability to recover from a hard day of work and help us get back into shape.
When we cut a finger or get sick, our body’s natural healing process kicks in.
Within a few days we can see cuts healing and symptoms of illness start to dissipate.
Unfortunately, disease usually occurs when the body has been neglected for a long
period of time.
A point has been reached when it simply does not have the ability to heal itself.
Our Natural Healing Process
Healing has been described as “the process of the restoration of health to an unbalanced,
diseased or damaged organism”.
Wondering how this process works?
The human body is made up of cells.
These cells have the ability to regenerate and renew themselves.
As cells become damaged or destroyed, the surrounding cells work to create new cells.
When bleeding occurs in our bodies the blood vessels close to the area contract to slow
bleeding.
A blood clot then forms at the injury site.
White blood cells accumulate here and destroy the dead cells while new cells almost
immediately begin to form.
When this process is stops, healing has been completed.
The healing process happens daily, not just when an injury occurs.
Every day, throughout our body, cells are damaged and die off while new cells are formed
to replace them.
Now that we understand the body’s natural healing process in it’s most simplistic form,
it’s time to take a look at how living a healthy lifestyle contributes to a healthy
body.
Living A Naturally Healthy Lifestyle
When our body is working at peak performance, it can heal itself from injury
and disease.
Living a healthy lifestyle means we are actively pursuing the highest level of health possible
for our body.
This includes balancing our physical, mental, social, environmental and spiritual
well-being.
While the body can heal itself naturally, it cannot do it properly if we are constantly
flooding it with unhealthy choices and overwhelming it with toxins.
Living a naturally healthy lifestyle means not only is our body in shape and we are free
from disease, but we also have a positive mind-set, happy relationships and an
overall feeling of well-being.
Transitioning to a healthy lifestyle allows us to transform from a couch potato with aches and
pains or someone who is just not as healthy and active as they should be into a person with
vitality, energy, a healthy body and a happy mind.
Most importantly, living a healthy, natural lifestyle allows us to take a proactive approach to health
rather than a reactive one, once a problem arises–which, unfortunately, is sometimes too late.
“If you are tired of being a couch potato
and dealing with aches and pains,
consider restoring your body’s good health
by making the right changes to your life.”
So what does it take to live a naturally healthy lifestyle? Let’s take a look.
To live a healthy, healing, natural lifestyle we need to “do the right things” including:
*Eat the Right Nourishing Foods
Choose organic foods as much as possible.
Many of today’s foods contain toxins such as synthetic hormones, antibiotics and pesticides.
Pesticides, growth hormones and other toxins found in non-organic foods can lead to
illness and disease.
Recent research suggests that organic fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than their
non-organic counterparts.
Consuming a healthy, nutrient rich diet improves the body’s natural
healing process.
Avoid processed foods, preservatives, artificial additives and anything that doesn’t
come in its natural form.
Eating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables as well as raw nuts and seeds allows the body
to process them easily.
As often as possible, eat raw or lightly steamed vegetables to preserve the nutrients.
A diet rich in fresh, whole foods is essential in a healthy lifestyle.
When available, always choose “real food” found in its natural state.
Fruits and vegetables have high vitamin and mineral content as as fiber.
Capture and optimize their nutritional benefits by making fresh, organic salads, juices
and smoothies.
Whole grains like quinoa and brown rice should be consumed instead of less nutritious
white varieties.
Be aware of food allergies and sensitivities–and adjust your diet to meet your needs.
Support digestive health with whole foods, fermented foods and probiotics.
Reduce or eliminate meat consumption.
Choose healthy non-meat sources of protein.
*Add Essential Herbs, Oils & Healing foods
Most food in today’s society lacks the needed minerals and vitamins needed
to ward off diseases.
A well-balanced diet is almost impossible to achieve from today’s food sources.
And if you have dieted for any number of years, your body has most likely been deprived of a
large number of vitamins and minerals it needs.
Carefully-chosen herbs, essential oils and natural supplements will speed up the process of
increasing your positive health benefits since they help the body detoxify and strengthen
the immune system.
Do your homework and choose high-quality, food-based sources for nutrients and their healing
properties.
For example, garlic has been shown to help reduce the risk of many health problems.
Cinnamon, peppermint, ginger and many other herbs have been used for thousands of years to
treat problems and maintain good health.
*Make The Right Moves
Regular exercise helps the body become stronger.
It conditions the cardiovascular system to pump stronger.
It improves stamina, promotes balance and strengthens the body’s core.
Exercise also aids in reducing emotional stress and improving sleep.
Just 15 minutes a day of movement can benefit our health by improving joint stability, increase our
range of movement and flexibility, help prevent osteoporosis and fractures and improve our mood
while reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean joining a gym.
It can be simple things like turning off the TV for an hour and playing outdoors with your kids or
taking your dog for a walk.
If you already exercise regularly, add an extra lap in the pool, walk an extra turn around the block,
do one more set of reps before quitting.
Practice yoga or tai chi.
Run, rebound, do pilates or dance.
Small increases in exercise can make a big difference.
Women who suffer from PMS, menopausal symptoms and chronic backaches among other health
problems often can’t find the relief from conventional health care.
However many find that regular exercise reduces the pain and in some cases stops it completely.
Chores like shoveling snow, gardening, raking leaves or vacuuming and sweeping the floor are all
considered a form of exercise.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park a little farther from the door of the mall.
No one said exercise had to be vigorous all the time.
Pace while talking on the phone, do lunges or jumping jacks during TV commercials.
Take a moment to fit in fitness while you work!
*Support Your Emotional Health
Your emotional health plays a big part in a healthy lifestyle.
Tune into your body to learn what causes you stress.
Prevent emotional toxins from building up.
Practice journaling, forgiveness, mindfulness, and emotional release
techniques regularly.
Have a healthy social life by avoiding negative people and situations.
Relaxation and meditation help release negative emotions.
Listen to soothing music, meditate, breathe deep to help reduce stress.
*Hydrate Properly
Drink plenty of good quality, clean water–not cases of canned soda and sugary beverages like many
people I know.
The old suggestion of 8 glasses as day is outdated.
Studies done in recent years suggest men should be consuming 11+ cups and
women 15+ cups of water per day.
*Sleep Well
Sleep is the best way to rejuvenate the body’s detoxification capacity on both a mental and
physical level.
Getting a full nights rest every day can prevent many diseases.
Our body expends very little energy when we sleep so it can focus on healing and cell
regeneration.
The average adult needs 8 hours of sleep while kids need 11 to 12 hours per day.
*Reduce & Avoid Exposure to Toxins
Whether you know it or not, your body is exposed to thousands of toxins daily–from our
food, water, air, the environment, and the products we use and consume-which put a heavy
burden on our liver and our health.
It is critically important to reduce our exposure to toxins by choosing safer foods, products
and implementing safer practices for the sake of our health by living a “detox” lifestyle:
*Avoid Food-Related Toxins
Buy organic produce or grow your own.
Say no to toxic, pesticide-laden, denatured, genetically modified and processed “dead” foods.
Avoid canned food even if it’s organic.
Cans are lined with BPA, known as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) which can linger in the
body for up to a century.
Eat foods that aid liver detoxification such as grapefruit, onions, garlic, cruciferous veggies,
cilantro and parsley, among others.
If you eat seafood choose those containing low mercury content.
And if you consume meat and dairy products, choose organic.
Also, avoid cooking with non-stick cookware that contain a hormone-mimicking chemical
called PFOA.
*Maintain Proper Elimination
Constipation leads to re-circulation of toxins in the body, increasing toxic exposure, thus increasing
the risk for cancers and other chronic diseases, so try to avoid it.
*Avoid Toxic Cleaning Products & Practices
Use safe, eco-friendly household cleaning products or make your own natural cleaning products.
Clean the dust from your house using a vacuum with a HEPA filter regularly, to reduce exposure
to fire retardant chemicals present in electronics and furniture.
Add plants to help improve your home’s indoor air quality.
*Avoid Plastics & Thermal Receipts
Limit or avoid the use of plastics –especially no. 5 and no. 7 (polycarbonate plastics).
Most plastics leach endocrine disrupting chemicals into your water and other beverages.
Don’t drink water out of plastic bottles because they also contain BPA.
Avoid touching your cash register or ATM receipts with your hands because of the BPA
residue on them.
*Avoid Toxins in Home Furnishings and Building Materials
Avoid fabric protectant chemicals, flame-retardants and other harmful toxins that are built into
sofas, chairs, carpeting and other furnishings and building materials which are known
carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
Minimize toxic exposure by choosing safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly furnishngs, shower curtains,
flooring, as well as fabrics, decor and other materials in your home.
*Avoid Toxic Cosmetics, Personal Care Products & Fabrics:
Use eco-friendly cosmetics, body care products and clothing fabrics.
Make it a habit to use fewer cosmetics and personal care products and buy products containing
less chemicals.
Learn to make your own homemade, natural body treatments.
Learn how to read labels, do your homework and avoid ingredients known to be especially harmful.
Visit EWG.org for extensive reports on toxins in beauty, body care and cleaning products as
well as their safe product databases.
*Avoid Medical/Dental/Chemical Toxins
Although we may feel that we need them to treat medical conditions, often pharmaceutical drugs can
be the biggest burden for your body to try to detoxify.
Explore safer options with your medical professionals and be aware of their side effects
Avoid silver-mercury fillings and find a dentist who will safely remove any silver-mercury fillings
you already have.
Shun over-the-counter or recreational drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and even stimulants like caffeine!
*Natural Health for Women
As you know, natural health is the natural approach to healing and maintaining good health.
It’s the practice that operates on the premise that when the body is cared for and
nourished naturally, it can heal itself and possibly prevent some illnesses.
For women this means taking care of our health in natural ways including: eating right,
exercising, practicing holistic medicine and maintaining a healthy emotional
and spiritual state.
*Balancing Our Hormones
Balanced hormones will have you looking and feeling your best.
Consume a hormone balancing diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, complex
carbohydrates like brown rice and oats.
Add healthy fats like avocado, coconut and nuts to your diet.
Cut back on the saturated fats found in dairy products.
Drink plenty of water and avoid refined sugar and starches.
Look out for more articles on natural hormone balancing….
*Embrace Holistic Medicine
Alternative medicine is also known as natural or holistic medicine.
This form of healing therapy looks at the mind, body and spirit of the individual to detect
imbalances that may cause disease.
Those who practice natural medicine believe that the body has the ability to restore itself
and in many cases, it does.
Natural medicine is meant to be a preventative form of health care.
However, there are times when even the body’s natural defenses are not enough and disease
such as cancer or chronic pain still occurs.
Alternative medicine treatments are natural, and generally, non-invasive.
The idea is to nurture a well-balanced and well-nourished body that can fight infections,
resist disease and heal itself while aging gracefully.
Women in particular tend enjoy the benefits of natural health.
We find living a naturally healthy lifestyle helps reduce symptoms of PMS, menopause,
chronic migraines and stress allowing them to live a more comfortable life.
Women often integrate natural remedies, herbs, oils and supplements into their diet to create
a healthy balance.
Many of these remedies promote a healthy reproductive system and can improve breast health.
Natural treatments are non-invasive–a plus for many women.
These treatments might include an exercise program, getting more sleep, yoga and
meditation or turning to acupuncture, acupressure, massage or any other form
of alternative medicine.
In addition to an overall good feeling, a healthy lifestyle has many benefits.
It can help lower hypertension, improve sleep, and reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.
It improves the survival rate of people with head and neck cancer.
Nutritious food from a naturally healthy diet can help menopause symptoms.
A naturally healthy lifestyle can lead to a longer more productive life.
You’ll feel less pain, ward off diseases and have energy like you did when you were young.
Exactly what is alternative/holistic medicine?
There are many types of alternative/wholistic medicine used throughout the world today that have
been practiced by man for centuries.
Holistic medicine generally looks at the whole person including their mind, body, and spirit, to find the
underlying imbalance that might be causing disease.
In truth, these practices are much deeper and require extensive training and experience to become an
expert practictioner.
These alternative treatments are less invasive and operate on the belief that a well-balanced, well-nourished
body will resist disease, fight infections, and heal itself faster.
Alternative approaches like homeopathy, Chinese medicine, and naturopathy have been practiced
in some form for over a thousand years.
Common alternative treatments include:
Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Chiropractic
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Guided imagery
Herbal remedies
Hydrotherapy
Hypnosis/self-hypnosis
Massage
Meditation/visualization
Movement and exercise therapy
Nutrition therapy
Osteopathy
Reiki/energy medicine
Spiritual healing/healing through prayer
Therapeutic touch
More and more people are moving towards a more natural way of living and taking care of
themselves.
If you’re considering using alternative medicines for your health, be sure to talk to your doctor
before dropping any treatments you currently use.
Also, do your homework and research the alternative treatment, its benefits, and any potential side
affects you might experience.
Of course, these are just some of the many ways we can adjust our lives to live a healthier, more
natural lifestyle.
Stay tuned for more in depth posts about natural health, holistic medicine and alternative therapies…
Living a healthy lifestyle is the foundation of natural health.
By balancing your mind and body naturally, you not only look great, but you’ll feel
great too.
I’d love to hear from you!
What else do you suggest?
What healthy, natural lifestyle tips would you like to add?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
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