Three Things You Can Do NOW for Better Health

We all know that part of being healthy is eating the right foods and moving our bodies every day. Here are three lesser-known ways to improve our health right away.

1. Complete the stress cycle

We’ve all heard that managing our stress is important for our mental health, but science has proven that just managing our stress or removing a stressor isn’t enough. The concept of completing the stress cycle goes back to our primitive days and is more powerful than just managing stress or removing the stressor. The fact is: we encountered the stressor, and our bodies have a physiologic need to convert from our fight-or-flight response (the stress) to the rest, digest, and restore response. By removing the stressor or deep breathing through a stressful time, we are missing the crucial step of moving from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic keeping the stress trapped in the tissues, quite literally. The best way to complete the stress cycle is to move your body. Imagine thousands of years ago, foraging for food and you stumble upon a bear (stressor). What would you think to do? Run away! The flight part of your fight or flight response would kick in to save your tushy, and when you escaped unscathed, you would have burned off the excess stress hormones that gave you the power to run faster than a bear.

Exercise is the #1 way complete the stress cycle, but it’s not the only way. Science has proven that a 20-second, heart-to-heart hug, or a 6-second kiss can also complete the stress cycle by releasing dopamine and oxytocin, our feel good and love hormones.

2. Drink enough water

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse with this one, but the fact is that I meet people every day who don’t know how much water they should be drinking each day, and they think that other beverages work just like water. I like to joke that our bodies are made of roughly 70% water, not 70% soda, tea, coffee, or anything else you like to drink. I suggest that you take how much you weight or your ideal body weight…I’ll use the example of a 140-pound person. Next, you divide your body weight by two (140/2 = 70). A 140-pound person should drink 70 ounces of water per day. If you’re very active, the number of ounces should increase. Once you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

3. Intermittent fasting

Studies have shown that fasting and intermittent fasting can combat insulin resistance (the precursor to diabetes) and aging even when no other attention to healthy habits are paid. I personally like intermittent fasting because I still get to enjoy food every day. The changes I’ve noticed since I’ve started fasting for longer periods each day is increased energy, better sleep, clearer focus, and improved digestion. It’s simple: take a minimum of 12 hours between the end of your last meal for the day until the start of your first meal the next day. Increase the fasting window as much as you’d like. Personally, I like to have a 16-hour fasting window and an 8-hour eating window. If you’d like to learn more about fasting and intermittent fasting, I suggest you check out the book Fast This Way by Dave Asprey.

Be well, friends!