Here's our expert list of the healthy living basics!
Adopt a whole foods diet, organic when possible, locally grown and in season.
Exercise daily! Move your body every day, rain or shine, inside or outside. “Start low, go slow.” Sitting is the new smoking. Try the 7-minute workout.
Breathe slowly, and into your abdomen. Find your natural breath and let your breath breathe you.
Drink filtered water—1/3 to ½ your body weight in fluid ounces—daily. Green/herbal teas count!
Eat the rainbow! Aim for 5 servings of vegetables and 2 fruits daily, mixed colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black.
Organic! If nothing else, consume organic meats and dairy products. Aim for grass-pastured beef only, if you eat beef. In fact, try to limit your meat intake and eat more beans. For fruits and vegetables see the EWG's dirty dozen and focus on buying those organic. Easier places to shop: Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, PCC , Farmers’ Markets; “natural foods” sections in Fred Meyer’s, Safeway, Costco.
Read labels! Avoid hydrogenated oils, trans fats, chemical sugar substitutes (Splenda, Nutrasweet, Equal), nitrites/nitrates, artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, and anything you cannot pronounce. Topically, avoid sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, parabens, petrolatum, mineral oil, aluminum.
Recognize potential for food allergies/intolerances. Rotate the healthy foods you can eat, instead of eating the same thing every day.
Avoid microwave use, especially in plastic containers. In fact, avoid plastic for food storage in general, this includes canned foods unless they say BPA free.
Everything is connected to everything else--what impacts one area of your life will, to some degree, impact other parts of your life.
List top 3 priorities in life. Does your lifestyle reflect those, in that order? If not, what steps need to be taken to truly walk your talk?
