Wellness On A Budget: 10 Free Ways To Boost Your Health

Om and welcome to this audio.

My name is Debbie.

I'm a holistic nutritionist and today I want to share just 10 simple ways that you can enhance your overall health without breaking the bank.

I'm really excited to share this audio because sometimes we get a little too focused on the diet and the supplements and we forget the fundamentals,

The everyday habits that have a huge impact on our well-being.

So just a reminder that this audio is intended for educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice.

Feel free to pause the audio momentarily if you'd like to grab a pen and a paper so that you can jot down key points as we dive into these beneficial practices.

So the first point here is to spend more time in nature.

So connecting with nature has really profound benefits on our health.

Modern life kind of has us inside most of the time,

Sitting,

Breathing stale air,

Often under artificial light.

Spending more time outdoors can have a huge impact on our health through various mechanisms.

We're breathing fresh air,

We're taking in more oxygen,

Listening to the sounds of nature,

Maybe even walking barefoot on the ground.

We're optimizing vitamin D levels through sun exposure and more.

So you don't have to book a vacation to be in nature more,

Even just spending more time outside each day,

Whether it's going for a walk in the park,

A forest,

Or a beach,

And you'll start to see these benefits.

So tip number two is hydration.

Proper hydration is essential for all aspects of health and is often a root cause issue for people.

It's not as simple as just drinking a lot of water.

So personally,

I recommend to completely avoid overly filtered water,

As it can be devoid of minerals.

So no reverse osmosis water,

No distilled water.

We are meant to drink spring water,

Mineral rich waters,

And also to hydrate through food like soups and juicy fruits.

I'm going to try to upload a track entirely dedicated to the topic of hydration at some point,

But simply staying hydrated with natural mineral rich beverages can address nutrient deficiencies,

Improve metabolic health,

And provide support with a variety of symptoms.

Now,

Tip number three is to move our bodies daily.

Incorporating daily movement into our routine doesn't need to be complicated.

It doesn't have to be signing up for boot camp classes or spending an hour at the gym every day.

Simply incorporating more movement into our routine throughout the day,

Be it just walking after meals,

Taking the stairs more,

Stretching in between work meetings,

Or doing bedtime yoga,

Whatever you enjoy.

Movement is essential to our physical and mental health.

If you're in a place where you feel too tired to move,

Then I suggest that you start small,

Because you'll notice your energy start to increase as you gradually incorporate more movement into your routine.

Now for tip number four,

I suggest consuming balanced meals,

So protein,

Carb,

And fat with every meal.

Now,

You may have read that you should be eating all fat or all protein or no carbs,

But I would encourage you to bring it back to basics and focus on the fundamentals.

High quality,

Balanced meals.

Each macro nutrient is indeed essential and has a number of important functions in the body,

And including nourishing sources of protein and carbs and fats with each meal will leave you feeling full,

Satiated,

And balanced.

Instead of focusing so much on macro nutrients when it comes to nutrition,

I encourage you to instead focus on nutrients,

So vitamins and minerals.

Okay,

Tip number five is to reduce consumption of toxic foods.

So cutting back on processed foods and artificial additives is pretty much nutrition 101.

Simply doing just this can have a significant impact on your health,

Especially cutting out processed cooking oils like vegetable oil,

Canola,

And soybean.

Some other examples of foods we want to generally avoid or reduce would be fried foods,

Artificial sweeteners,

Thickeners,

Preservatives,

Fortified foods,

Food coloring.

So it's not that you can't eat,

You know,

Snack foods or baked goods or anything like that anymore.

It's just that you find the real,

Natural,

Wholesome,

Whole food versions of those.

So focus on whole foods and packaged foods with simple,

Minimal ingredients.

Tip number six is to reduce screen time.

There are many levels to this one,

But I'll keep it pretty simple.

Limiting screen time and minimizing exposure to digital devices which emit blue light can have a huge impact on our brain,

Hormonal health,

Sleep,

And mood.

We may need to set boundaries around device use such as no phone after breakfast or no phone two hours before bed,

And instead prioritize activities that promote relaxation and connection with the world around us.

So when it comes to traditional Chinese medicine,

The heart organ is easily affected by overstimulation,

Meaning constant stimulation from entertainment,

Information,

Social media,

Can negatively impact our heart qi and even affect mood and sleep.

So as always,

Everything in moderation.

Tip number seven is to increase sun exposure.

So adequate amounts of sunlight is crucial for maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm or internal body clock,

Which affects many different aspects of our health.

So notice how not just your mental health but your sleep and even gut health improve by spending more time outdoors during the day,

And also without always depending on sunglasses or sunscreen.

Morning sun exposure is especially beneficial,

Getting sunlight on your face at least an hour from waking up for a minute or ten minutes,

And even better if you can access the rays as the sun is just starting to rise because they are very beneficial at that time.

Now with this whole point here,

This one of course you need to be mindful.

So you may need to slowly increase your daytime sun exposure as you begin to build up a tolerance,

And make sure that you prioritize the sunrise and sunset and take care when you're exposed to the sun during the peak hours,

Okay?

So a little goes a long way.

Tip number eight is proper breathing.

Yoga teaches us to breathe properly,

So through our nostrils and sending the breath deep down into the belly.

This way of breathing improves oxygen intake,

Increases detoxification,

Helps to regulate our nervous system,

And reduce feelings of stress.

In traditional Chinese medicine,

The lungs govern all physiological activities in the body,

Meaning if we can improve the function of our lungs through proper breathing,

We can support every aspect of our health.

So if deep abdominal breathing is something that is new to you,

I would suggest taking a yoga class or a qigong class to learn more.

So just a couple left here.

Tip number nine is embracing gratitude.

Cultivating a mindset of gratitude can really transform our outlook on life and greatly support us on our healing journeys.

So when life and symptoms become overwhelming,

We want to remember to take time each day to reflect on the things that we're grateful for.

So gratitude for the big things,

Such as having a roof over our head or a feeling of safety where we are,

But also gratitude for the small things like the sound of the birds chirping or a nice meal shared with a friend.

Notice how this simple practice can really shift your overall state.

So tip number ten,

Perhaps the most important factor in our overall health and prevention of chronic disease,

Would be to nourish our relationships.

So there was an 80-year Harvard study,

Actually,

Which found that the strongest predictor of long-term health and happiness isn't sleep or diet,

But it's the quality of our relationships.

Meaningful connections with friends,

Family,

Community nourish both our physical health and emotional well-being.

Make time to invest in the people around you,

Nurture existing bonds,

And seek out opportunity to build new ones if needed.

Humans are wired for connection.

While solitude can serve us in small doses,

Thriving in community is definitely our natural state.

So incorporating these simple habits into our daily life can have a profound impact on our well-being.

They might seem too simple,

But these really are the fundamentals,

So don't skip the small stuff.

Watch as these positive changes ripple through every aspect of life.

Remember that small changes create big impacts when it comes to our health and happiness.

So thanks everyone for tuning in.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions or comments,

And take care.