IHC’s Top 5 Healthy Habits to Claim

Being through this process myself, I can absolutely understand all the emotions that go through one’s mind when transforming to a healthier lifestyle that suits oneself. Now, I say, “that suits oneself” because every single person is 100% different when it comes to health. One food may be helpful to one person, but completely poisonous to another. A prescription can have a positive affect on one person, but a harsh and negative affect on another. In reading through these top 5 go to’s for an IHC (Integrative Health Coach), I hope you find that sweet spot for yourself in each section of your health practices. If you have an underlying condition that you are currently battling through, definitely speak with your doctor before adding these into your regular health routines.

NUTRITION

Nutrition is a top priority in the first step towards a healthier lifestyle. An over exaggerated example: If you are a high endurance athlete, and you are about to go run a triathlon, but you have been eating nothing but processed junk food leading up to your race, and you have no idea what kind of nutrition will keep your energy level up during your race…you will more than likely crash and burn, as well has have a terrible recovery. Yes, that’s a crazy example to use, but it is quite a striking parallel to daily living. If you have no idea what food gives you positive energy, and what food makes you go negative energy all the time, well, when your human instincts are supposed to kick in to “fight or flight mode” or “rest and digest” mode…your body will fire on all cylinders and crash and burn. Eventually causing illness in the later years of your life.

Food has such a massive impact on your overall health. The least exhausting way to ease into nutrition is to go back to the basics:

• Remove processed foods…Eat only Whole Foods-These are foods that require no label to tell you what it is. An avocado is an avocado, nuf said.

• Incorporate veggies in every meal. Adding veggies at every meal gives your body fiber, complex carbs, and many other vitamins and nutrients that your body needs to function optimally. Veggies should account for 3/4 of your plate!

• Animal protein is great at every meal, but don’t over do it, and consume high quality proteins. Portion should be no bigger than the palm of your hand. Needs to be grass fed, pasture raised, and wild caught.

• Fruits are delicious treats! Eat small portions 1-2 portions a day at the most. They have ample amounts of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in them, but can absolutely spike your blood sugar levels…so know your body before pigging out on the fruit basket.

• If you need a portion reference: always eat on an 8 inch plate. Visually divide it into three equal portions. Fill 2 of the 3 portions with veggies, and the remaining portion with either animal protein or grains…whichever your body is able to digest.

Think of these tips above as a starting point for the long journey ahead. Take your time adding these in to your regular routine. Perhaps one tip per week, or even per month. However long you need, it is your life, and your health, the motivation is completely up to you.

EXERCISE

If you are new to “training” style exercise, I want you to take this section very slowly. If you are already in “training”, well, keep it going, and push it a little further.

• Beginners: Welcome to your new found energy bank. I think of exercise as a deposit into my health bank. If I work hard enough, I am going to be insanely rich…with a healthy, strong, and sexy body! But, before you start accumulating all your riches, begin with smaller deposits. Slow body movements and low range cardio are some of the best ways to dive into exercise. These are also the “fun” activities, so you won’t be scared away from the exercise world.

  1. Move your body at least 30 minutes for 5-6 days a week.

  2. Use slow movement exercises like yoga, walking, tai chi, swimming, and other practices that move your body enough to increase your heart rate slightly above your resting rate, but not rapid heart beat. We want to awaken the muscles and cells that have been dormant for some time without shocking your system.

  3. Make exercise part of your regular routine. Wake up 30 minutes earlier; take 30 minutes of your lunch break; write it on your daily schedule, and check it off your list just like all your other tasks.

• In Training Already: Rotate your training a couple days a week. Every other day lift weights. On the alternate days go for cardio or slow pace exercise. Make sure you take a recovery day to stretch, use hot/cold therapies; even swimming can be so relaxing on a rest day. Switch it up, keep a consistent rotating routing, or write up your own work out blocks to complete throughout each day. Your already in training, so you keep doing you boo…or even try something new!

The basics of exercise are to create fresh blood flow, activate your muscles, rebuild cells and mitochondrial depletions, and to establish harmony amongst your hormone levels. (Plus a lot more, but why bore you with medical jargon…it’s good for you!) There is so much more to exercises than “melting the weight away”.

HYDRATION

It feels strange to tell humans to make sure they drink enough water, but have you ever measured how much water you drink? Many times it shocks people to discover that they in fact are lucky if they drink two glasses of water a day. Our bodies require water to properly function. It assists our detoxification process, it gives us natural energy, it actually calms us down. Water is essential for our overall health. For a quick reference on a decent amount to drink daily; divide your weight in pounds by 2. That number is the amount of ounces (or about) you should drink down in a day.

SLEEP

We all have heard that we need to sleep more, and yet we act like the rebellious teenager and stay up late, or train our bodies to function on only 4-5 hours of sleep (or at least we think we train our bodies to function on so little sleep). The truth is, even though we may “feel” great, it will catch up eventually down the road. So, why is it such a big deal to get 7-9 hours of sleep at night? Your body has a tough job, especially with how much we damage it throughout the day. Every system, cell, organ, and vessel is working overtime most of the day so you can function throughout your daily tasks. It only makes sense that your body truly needs at least 7 hours to repair, rebuild, and remove all the damage done. It’s like driving a car for 14 hours and expecting it to not run out of gas. The engine will eventually come puttering to a full stop. Make sure you are refueling your body by sleeping 7-9 hours every night.

MINDFULLNESS

This encompasses a variety of ways to enhance your health by training your body and mind to be more contemplative and grounded. There are so many amazing ways you can help your body and mind find a calming ground throughout your regular weekly routine. These practices can be consistent daily , or rotated daily:

• Meditation

• Breathing Techniques

• Prayer

• Gratitude Journaling

• Massage/Acupuncture/Reiki

• The Practice of Mindful Eating (slowing down the eating process to assist in digestion and absorption of nutrients being consumed)

• Time in Nature (hiking, bike ride to a park, etc.)

• Helping Others/Volunteering

• Attending Church

The idea of mindfulness is truly about becoming more present with the world and life around you. In being more grounded and grateful, your body and mind begin to heal in the most profound ways.

These top five are the basic starting point to help you find YOUR right health path. As you begin to find your flow, and discover a healthier life for yourself, you will begin to dig even deeper into the world of your health. I am so excited for anyone and everyone that decides to take this journey. The more questions you ask, the more you will discover about yourself. The more curious you are, the more amazing bonds you will create. The more adventurous you are, the more fulfilled you feel. I want you more than ever to feel amazing throughout your entire life, and that begins with understanding YOUR health. So what are you waiting for…let’s go!