Top 10 List of Holistic Health Tips...

What you can do for yourself
The following tips can help you make smart health choices and improve your well-being. You don't have to do everything at once. Do what you reasonably can manage and slowly work your way through the list. We'd love to help you on your journey-- contact us. Scroll down to read more!  

10. Cleanse your systems

9. Take a multi-vitamin

8. Watch less television

7. Relax and have some fun

6. Drink filtered water

5. Sleep

4. Practice Mindful Breathing

3. Eat Better

2. Buy organic

....and drum roll please...

1. Exercise*                     

10. Cleanse your systems. Once a year purchase an herbal cleansing product to clean out the toxins you’ve accumulated in your intestines (most people carry around 10 pounds of old fecal matter in there), your lymphatic system, kidneys, liver, blood, lungs and skin. Most regimes are two to four weeks. It might be rough going at first, but take it as a sign that you needed to do some spring cleaning. You’ll feel lighter and more energized. 

9.  Take a multi-vitamin. Even if you get the nine recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day—and most people don’t—it’s not likely your getting enough vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other healthful substances in your diet. Soil depletion is one reason. Some people may not absorb these substances as efficiently as they might. If you drink or smoke or are stressed you probably will need to supplement. Another good reason: some supplements can help alleviate certain conditions. Niacin, for example, helps keep high cholesterol in check, chromium stabilizes blood sugar and zinc can enhance immunity in low doses. It’s important that you check with a health professional before adding any supplements to your diet to be sure your taking the proper doses for your specific health needs.  

8. Watch less television. Although there are interesting, educational and funny shows to watch, surveys are clear that most people spend way too much time in front of the television. It’s one of the reasons people don’t get enough sleep, claim they have no time to exercise, don’t interact more with family and friends and overeat—who doesn’t snack on the couch watching television? Be selective about the programming you do watch. Avoid "shout shows," excessive violence, gossip and other negative-reinforcement television. Allow yourself one hour of quality programming sometime after dinner but at least two hours before bedtime, and then do something else. Talk, read, sleep, meditate, take a walk, listen to music, dance in your living room. Don’t let life pass you by!

7. Relax and have some fun. When you’re in a constant state of stress your sympathetic nervous system, responsible for “fight or flight,” is always on alert preparing for some event that never actually materializes. This constant state of arousal can lead to a host of health problems including high blood pressure, poor circulation, digestive problems and heart irregularities. Commit to down time everyday; schedule it if you have to. Go out one evening a week. Watch a funny movie. Walk in the park. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in awhile. Plan a reunion with old friends. Buy yourself flowers. Take a bath. Get a massage. Make a list of fun and relaxing things you’d like to do and make your way down the list. 

6. Drink filtered water. A recent study by the Environmental Working Group found more than 140 unregulated contaminants in drinking water consumed by more than 195 million Americans. Get a filter for your drinking water and your shower—your skin is like a giant sponge absorbing contaminants. Try to slowly eliminate unhealthful soda and high-sugar fruit drinks from your diet and limit coffee to one cup a day. If you’re going to drink alcohol, red wine is best for its cardio-protective benefits—no more than two drinks per day for a man and one for a woman.  

5. Sleep. Most of us need eight hours of sleep but never get it. We drag ourselves through the day, drinking coffee and snacking to keep our blood sugar and energy up. And then comes the afternoon crash. Get out of this rut by developing healthy sleep habits. Work backwards from the time you need to be at work to determine when you have to get up and then subtract eight—this is when you need to be asleep, not finishing up the dishes. Try to be in bed at least 30 minutes before your desired sleep time, although one hour is better if you can manage it. Lower the lights, read a book, listen to relaxing music or a book on CD, talk to your partner or just close your eyes and be still. Try not to watch the television—it tends to keep us alert when we want to be winding down.  

4. Practice mindful breathing. Most people are "shallow breathers," meaning that breathing is concentrated in the upper portion of the lungs and is rapid. Proper breathing is slow on the inhalation, inflating the lungs fully and expanding into the belly. The exhalation is similarly slow and squeezes out all of the stale air in the lungs. Breathing in such a way not only oxygenates the entire body, allowing all of the body's systems to operate at peak efficiency, but it also calms and quiets the mind. Commit to being mindful of how you breathe throughout your day. Spend a few minutes every morning and evening enjoying your breath (which happens to be a form of meditation) or anytime you feel unwell, worn out or frazzled. Start now: as you continue reading this page practice slowly filling your lungs and belly with air and exhale. 

3. Eat better. If you have a gasoline-powered car you would never think to fill it with diesel, yet that’s exactly what many people do everyday to their bodies—they fill them with the wrong kind of fuel. Educate yourself so that you can make smart, healthy food choices everyday. Eat fruit with every meal and have a salad with lunch and dinner. Order brown rice instead of white, veggie sandwiches instead of a burger, a side salad instead of fries and skip dessert. Use “first cold-pressed” organic olive oil to cook and sprinkle it on salads with some balsamic vinegar. Eat as much garlic and onions as you can—garlic-stuffed olives are a good choice. Bring your lunch to work so you’re not tempted to eat junk.    

2. Buy organic. Pesticides, growth hormones, artificial flavors and colorings, chemical preservatives and antibiotics are commonly used in conventional farming and food production and traces of them can pass on to you when you eat the offending food. You can easily ingest small amounts of more than 30 pesticides a day, many of which can be passed on from mother to child in the womb. Avoid worrying about it by purchasing organic fruits, vegetables and meat as often as you can and sticking with organic versions of prepared foods. And since toxic chemicals—there are more than 75,000 of them—are used to produce many of the household products we buy, including household cleaners and bedding, make an effort to buy organic products whenever you can. You will also be saving the environment in the process.  

1. Exercise.* Life has become very sedentary. Most people spend the majority of their working day sitting in a car, at a computer and in front of the television, often snacking their way through the day. The weight creeps on, the stress piles up and poor health follows. Studies have consistently shown that moderate exercise a few times a week reaps innumerable physical and mental benefits. You don’t have to run a triathalon, just get moving for at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week. Take the stairs. Park farther away. Walk after dinner. Walk at lunch. Bicycle to work or on weekends. Join a gym with a friend. Practice yoga (and you’ll reap relaxation benefits too).

Other helpful tips 

• Get rid of mercury dental fillings. Avoid worrying that the metals in your fillings slowly seep out over time and into your system, possibly causing neurological or gastrointestinal problems. Replace them with newer, non-toxic alternatives. Look for a holistic dentist in your area.
• Be kind to the environment. This is the only planet we get so it’s important that we treat it with respect and care. After all, we will drink the water, breathe the air and eat food from the soil so let’s do what we can to make sure it’s clean. Buy recycled products, use biodegradable household cleaners, buy organic food and products, use natural methods for greening your lawn and growing your garden, install energy-saving light bulbs.
• Practice kindness and gratitude. Smile. Let other drivers merge ahead of you. Hold the door for someone. Say hello to strangers passing you on the street. Leave an extra tip for a frazzled waiter. Help someone carry their groceries. Being nice is free, doesn’t take much time and will make both giver and receiver feel good.
• Clean out the clutter. If you’re like most people you’re hanging on to stuff you don’t even know you have. Over the next few months decide to clean it out once and for all—it will give you a feeling of control over your life that will empower you to make healthy choices from here on out. You will also be amazed at how it changes the energy in your house for the better. Clean out small drawers the next time you go in there looking for something. Clean out your closet when you’re switching from winter to summer clothes. Schedule a weekend to tackle the attic, basement and garage. Pile your unwanted but usable stuff into garbage or shopping bags and donate them. 
• Count your blessings.  Most of us are so busy running around cramming an unrealistic amount of work and chores into our day and complaining about everything going wrong that we forget to focus on all the positive things we enjoy. Make a list—you can write it down if you wish—of all of the things you are thankful for and when you’re feeling frazzled or down, remember your list. 

*Consult with your physician before you begin an exercise program.