News Flash: Food, Exercise & Calmness Can Improve Your Health

News Flash: How many articles & studies do we need to read before we start improving our health?

If we chase after the one food, the one exercise or the one relaxation technique, we will be fooling ourselves.

Everything is connected and the more consistent we are with the basics, the quicker we will see improvements in our health.

Food: Eat more plants - Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains, Legumes (Beans, Lentils, Chick Peas), Seeds & Nuts.

When most of your plate is filled with whole plant-foods, you are eating a plant-forward meal.

Slowly add more whole plant-foods to your daily meals.

Eat a variety of types & colors.

Choose raw, roasted, steamed, boiled or sauté plant-foods and avoid/eliminate deep-fried or processed plant-foods.

Yup. It’s that simple.

Exercise: Incorporate an exercise routine into your weekly schedule.

Stretching, Resistance Training & Cardio are needed to strengthen muscles, ligaments, tendons & bones.

Slowly add more movement to your day.

Walk around the block before or after leaving for work. 22-minutes per day (or 150-minutes per week) is a good goal to get you started.

Choose an activity that you enjoy or used to enjoy. Make moving fun.

Yup. It’s that simple.

Calmness: If you want to get better at being calm, you have to practice.

There are many relaxation techniques from which you can choose.

Some examples are Mindfulness, Meditation, Deep Breathing, Gratitude Reflections, Prayer, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Visualization, Journaling, Positive Social Connections & Yoga.

Try one that suites your needs and take the time to practice it daily.

It’s better to practice calmness a little every day than not at all.

Find a family member or friend to share your daily practice. Whether in-person, over the phone or through an app, find a calmness companion to support your calmness goals.

Yup. It’s that simple.

Health Choices: When you improve your food choices, physical activities & calmness practices, your body will be in a better position to heal &/or prevent illnesses.

Living with daily ongoing poor food choices, inactivity & stress will negatively impact your mind, body, spirit & social connections.

Work with your healthcare providers to find foods, physical activities & relaxation techniques that meet your health goals.

Yup. It’s up to you. It’s that simple.