6 Key Lifestyle Areas

Certain lifestyle areas are critically important to our CORE systems and our overall health. You’ll notice that the following 6 general recommendations show up throughout the lifestyle tips outlines in each of the 4 CORE Systems.

  • Eat a healthy diet

  • Stay hydrated

  • Reduce Inflammation

  • Manage stress

  • Get plenty of sleep

  • Prevent toxic stress

    Let’s dive into each of these areas to see how they are connected with one another and how they impact our healthy and wellness.

 
 

Diet and Nutrition

Regardless of the diet you follow, the primary goal should always be the same: maintaining good blood-sugar control. You can maintain and achieve optimal health only when you are on a diet that promotes hormone balance. That balance depends in large part on a steady blood-sugar level. Eating the proper combinations of fats, carbohydrates and proteins and in moderate amounts at the right time helps sustain that balance.

Along with getting the right amount of fats, carbs, and proteins, the quality of the food we eat is also critical. While going organic is likely the best option, oftentimes food labeled as “organic” contains inorganic ingredients as well. Additionally, only a fraction of the food we eat is actually absorbed by the body. This bioavailability of food, as it’s called, is influenced by our diet, nutrient concentration, health, life-stage, and nutritional status.

While each of us absorb specific foods differently based on these factors, we can all increase our bioavailability by eating more nutrient-dense foods. This not only means consuming healthy protein, fats, and carbohydrates, but also getting enough fiber, water, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. To maximize your nutrient absorption and balance your blood sugar, here are a few specific tips to follow:

  • Center your diet on vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy whole grains.

  • Eat foods high in healthy fats such as avocados, eggs and nuts.

  • Add healthy fats to your vegetables.

  • Avoid sugary, processed and fried foods.

  • Eat fermented foods and take probiotics.

  • Chew your food thoroughly.

  • Exercise regularly.

  • Consider a diet based on your bio individuality.

 

Hydration

Maintaining hydration is not merely about survival. The body depends on water for eliminating toxins, absorbing nutrients, stimulating metabolism, maintaining healthy skin, and so much more.

Chronic dehydration can lead to many symptoms and disease processes including fatigue, constipation, headaches, high blood pressure, allergies and depression. Most of us are actually dehydrated to some extent. In fact, a 1998 study revealed that 3 out of 4 participants were chronically dehydrated. Survey results showed that caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and a high-sodium diet were the main culprits of dehydration.

Because of this, it is important to not only consider how much water you are getting but also your diet and lifestyle factors that could be contributing to dehydration.

While dehydration can lead to a number of negative health issues, being hydrated can have a tremendous impact on your well-being. To ensure that you are staying as hydrated as possible, make sure to follow these tips every day:

  • As a general starting point, drink at least half of your body weight of water in ounces.

  • Drink clean, pure water such as well water, spring water, or electrolyzed water.

  • Avoid water that comes in plastic bottles as much as possible.

  • Drink water 30 minutes before meals to assist digestion.

  • Eat electrolyte rich foods, water-heavy foods such as watermelon, spinach, avocados and soup broths.

  • Avoid smoking and alcohol.

  • Reduce or eliminate sugar and caffeinated beverages.

  • Exercise regularly and make sure to rehydrate.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Inflammation

While acute inflammation is the body’s natural response to infection or injury, chronic inflammation occurs when the body pumps out too many white blood cells. This faulty signaling from the immune system leads to a prolonged inflammatory response during which the white blood cells attack healthy tissues and organs.

In addition to a faulty immune response the body’s inability to remove an agent causing acute inflammation, recurrent episodes of acute inflammation, exposure to irritants, and oxidative stress from bio chemical inducers can also lead to chronic inflammation. Recent research shows that chronic inflammation is an underlying cause of many disease processes, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. This means that if we can reduce and control inflammation in the body, we can reduce the odds of developing chronic diseases and even help the body heal from existing ones. Below are a few tips to help decrease inflammation and promise a healthy inflammatory response.

  • Stay away from inflammatory foods such as processed foods, refined carbs, fried foods, and sugar.

  • Eat vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and cabbage daily.

  • Consume anti-inflammatory fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and grapes.

  • Add herbs to your diet especially turmeric, ginger and cinnamon.

  • Consider adding whole grains such as quinoa.

  • Get omega-3’s from supplements as well as cold-water fish, walnuts and flaxseeds.

  • Avoid smoking and alcohol (both are linked to chronic inflammation)

  • Work out for at least 20 minutes a day, 4 to 5 times a week (including 3 days of aerobic exercise.)

Mental/Emotional Stress

From relationships and money issues to demands on our time and much more, mental and emotional stress can come from a variety of sources. When the stress in our lives becomes excessive or we are unable to manage it effectively, disease can easily take root. And in fact many health experts believe that stress is a cofactor in nearly all disease processes.

Our stress response is regulated by the hypothalamus gland, which triggers the production of the adrenalin. If the brain still perceives danger, the hypothalamus and other glands will eventually start releasing cortisol from the adrenals. While this reaction can help save us when a legitimate physical danger is present, it gets triggered far too often from the stressors in our modern environment. A frequent release of cortisol into the body is often what leads to physical and psychological problems.

In many cases, we can’t control the stressors in our lives. However, there are a variety of things we can do to help regulate our stress response. So it isn’t constantly going into overdrive. A few of the best things you can do for your emotional and mental health are:

  • Share your emotions rather than ignoring or suppressing them.

  • Do relaxation exercises such as deep breathing, meditation, and prayer.

  • Exercise to reduce anxiety and trigger positive feelings.

  • Learn to say “no” when you realistically can’t handle something.

  • Focus on what you are grateful with gratitude exercises.

  • Get B vitamins from eggs, dark leafy greens, meat and/or supplements.

  • Add probiotics and prebiotics from supplements and food sources.

  • Consider emotion balancing herbs and oils like lavender, bergamot, and frankincense.

Sleep

Adequate sleep is critical to our overall health, as it allows the body to rest, regenerate, and heal. Unfortunately, studies have shown that as much as 50 to 60% of the population worldwide suffers from insomnia. The inability to sleep through the night or get enough sleep in general contributes to chronic stress, which interferes with virtually all the body functions and undermines homeostasis.

The body has an internal clock that regulates our sleep/wake cycle. This 24 hour body clock is known as our circadian rhythm. Artificial light and the use of electronic devices extend our wake cycle, commonly leading to lack of sleep. Other lifestyle factors such as consuming caffeine can easily disrupt our circadian rhythm.

To achieve and maintain optimal health and longevity, you need to get plenty of good quality sleep every night. Below are a few tips to follow to stay in tune with your body clock and prevent insomnia:

  • Get regular exercise during the day.

  • Practice relaxation techniques to reduce stress.

  • Don’t eat dinner too close to bedtime.

  • Limit caffeine and alcohol, especially in the evenings.

  • Remove digital devices (phone, TV, etc.) from your bedroom.

  • Sleep in cool, dark, quiet bedroom.

  • See a professional to determine if you have sleep apnea.

  • Eat foods high in vitamin B6, calcium and magnesium (spinach, yogurts, salmon, bananas, etc.)

  • Take a melatonin supplement before bed.

  • Use sleep-promoting essential oils and herbs such as lavender, chamomile and bergamot.

Toxic Stress

A wide variety of toxins can enter the body through the air we breathe, our skin, and the foods we eat. Frequent exposure to common toxins such as pesticides, chemicals, and water contaminants can overwhelm our detoxification system, leading to significant health problems.

Many toxic substances are fat-soluble, making them difficult for our detoxification system to process and remove. The building of toxins in the body can cause a variety of acute conditions such as headaches, brain fog, and digestion problems, as well as chronic problems such as heart disease and depression.

Two areas to focus on when it comes to toxic stress are improving the body’s ability to detoxify and reducing our exposure to toxins. More specifically, here are a few steps to take in these critical areas:

  • Drink pure water from a clean source (avoid tap and bottled)

  • Consume certified organic foods that are free of pesticides and insecticides.

  • Use natural organic cleaning products

  • Limit exposure to electronic devices

  • Add potted plants and air purifiers to your home and/or workplace.

  • Eat detoxifying foods such as leafy greens, blueberries, lemons and ginger.

  • Avoid caffeine, nicotine and sugar.

  • Consider herbs that support detoxification including milk thistle and dandelion root.

  • Exercise daily and try lymphatic massage to keep your lymph moving.

Determine Which Wellness Pillars Need Support

While it is important to pay attention to all 12 Pillars of Wellness to improve and maintain well-being there are likely areas that need more support than others. Additionally, the areas where the most support is needed will certainly change over time.

Our Balance Scan and Wellness Reports help you determine which Pillars may need additional support to bring the body into balance by ranking the body’s responses to various virtual items. After a Balance Bioscan, the body’s energetic responses to each of these areas are displayed in the Wellness Report. Additionally, significant responses to items within each pillar are also displayed. This helps us to individualize as well as prioritize your wellness plan.

But we go beyond just showing you the body’s priorities. The Wellness Report for example,also shows which support products and lifestyle programs can help strengthen a pillar that may be weak. It also supports considering each pillar from 3 important perspectives:

Functional, Emotional, and Energetic.

Our functional, emotional, and energetic health make up what we call our Wellness Triad. Considering each perspective of this triad in relation to the health pillar you are looking at can help you ask better questions and focus in the right areas.