With medical cost on the rise and more and more people getting sick, it seems the average person is having lots of trouble trying lead a healthy lifestyle. For the longest time, this included me and has been the subject of some of my articles in the past. In my recovery at the end of 2009 and into 2010, I made plenty of lifestyle changes that made me feel better than I had ever before. Below is a number of ways that I try to live a healthy lifestyle.
Drinking Plenty of Filtered Water
I have done whatever I can to drink as much water as possible. By rule, the water has to at least be filtered through process of reverse osmosis or else I won’t touch it (there are exceptions but they are exceedingly rare). Not only do I drink it throughout the course of the day but I also try to drink it at the end of meals to best produce the feeling of satiety (fullness).
Exercise
Recently, I had to stop my exercise regimen due to an injury to my arm but before that happened exercise was one of the single most important aspects of my day. I would go to the local 24 Hour Fitness Sport center to not only lift weights and jump rope but to also play basketball. There’s something to be said about the effect of getting your blood flowing, lungs expanded, and muscles pumping and its affect on how a person feels. It’s something that I neglected for years but after regularly exercising, it”s one of the most important aspects of my life.
Cut Out Sugar From Diet
Throughout the years, I’ve been a junk food addict, particularly of sugar. Although natural sugars can be beneficial and even provide a boost at time of sluggishness, it’s best to refrain from consuming all sugars, especially the processed and refined sweeteners such as sucrose (table sugar), high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame. It’s easier said than done and I know all too well about how addictive sugar can become but slowly reducing the amount eaten while not depriving one’s self is the best way to slowly move away from high usages of such substances.
Limited Television Watching
Growing up, many of my days were spent watching hours upon hours of television. As recently as two years ago, I watched as much as eight hours a day (and that was on a good day). Television can be an addiction much the same way that other habits can be and that’s not just a figure of speech.
It’s best to watch as little TV as possible but if one does decide to watch some, it’d be best to not stare directly into the monitor for long periods of time. I’ll never forget how after going weeks without watching TV how hurt my eyes were by watching even a little, so there’s something to be said about the effect TV has on your eyes and mind. The only reason that I even began watching again was because my income relied on watching them (i.e., sports on TV).
On the flip side, I’ve found soft, lyric-less music to be a good way to keep my mind clear and help with concentration.while studying or working on a project.
Refrain From Common Household Chemicals
Whenever possible, my aim is to stray away from using products laced with chemicals. This is not only to protect to the environment because of the effect on everything people pour down the drain or that washes off their bodies but ALSO because some ingredients in them are known human carcinogens (i.e. cancer causing substances).
One might ask how can one get even begin to get away from using them when they are in seemingly every product that is used for various products. A start is by using products that are derived of natural sources. Sometimes these are more expensive than the ready to go cleaners found in the cleaning section but not always. Plenty of these product are based on natural sources such as lemon juice and some can be made at home.
Some shampoos can be more natural and not laced with chemicals such as ethylene glycol, aka antifreeze and other carcinogens that most people are unaware can be very hazardous to their health. Toothpaste also has some of these hazardous chemicals, not even including the controversial fluoride featured in many.
Most soaps are detergents and therefore petroleum based, not made as they traditionally were. Perfumes and preservatives (among other things) are used in modern soaps and although they do a good job of cleaning, they not only placE chemicals on one’s body but also drying skin out, which is why moisturizing oils are needed to offset this effect.
Overall
I do my best to keep everything unnatural out of my system, exercise, and keep my mind clear, physiologically and metaphorically.
