Simplicity Saturday – 10 Simplicity Habits for Better Health
10 Habits You Can Begin Today & Start Feeling Better By Tomorrow.
From this moment onward, let’s erase any preconceived notions you may have about the need to invest hours a day in the gym, working up a sweat, or perhaps even longer in the kitchen, arduously prepping eggplant and Brussels sprouts, for you to be healthy.
Contrary to popular belief, improving your health is possible with just a few basic habits that take only minutes a day. Follow my advice and try the 10 simple, fast and effective tips below – and I promise you will boost your total wellness and see a new healthy glow as soon as tomorrow’s sunrise.
1. Dose up on vitamin D3.
If you had to pick just one nutrient to dose daily vitamin D3 would definitely be your best bet as a supplement superpower. A few little drops can reduce your risk of the flu, weight gain, bone disease (osteoporosis), diabetes, cancer, heart disease, pain and inflammation, depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder and autoimmune disease. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends vitamin D supplementation as a protection against cancer of the breast, colon, skin and prostate. This announcement surely makes taking vitamin D a no-brainer considering these are many of today’s most common occurring forms of cancer. All these findings, and more, have led me to recommend a daily dose of 4,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D to all my clients, even in the summer months.
2. Have regular sex – no matter how old you are.
Sex keeps you young by keeping your rejuvenating hormones high. Scientists have looked at 100-year-old men and women who have maintained sexual intimacy and it turns out these centenarians living in Okinawa, Japan, and China, have higher levels of testosterone, DHEA and estrogen than typical 70-year-olds in the North America! So what are you waiting for? Get it on!!!
3. Use 100% pure plant-based oil for skin care.
Is coconut oil really the answer to everything? Well in short, yeah it is! You can also try some of these other delectable skin food oils – Jojoba oil, Rosehip oil, Olive oil, Seabuckthorn oil – there are so many options out there! Give them a try, but make sure they are 100% pure (it will say that on the bottle). Your skin produces oil and craves it to rebalance and hydrate itself. If you’re after supple skin and a clear complexion, try to add a few drops of the follow Essential Oil into your carrier oil of choice and see the difference DIY clean beauty products make (at a fraction of the cost, I might add).
Top EO’s for Acne and Skincare:
• Lavender
• Frankincense
• Helichrysum
• Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil)
Top EO’s for Haircare:
• Peppermint
• Lemon
• Lime
• Wild Orange
• Grapefruit
4. Enjoy more protein at breakfast.
Skip toast, muffins, bagels, cereals, scones, or danishes at your first meal of the day. The old adage to eat your carbs earlier in the day has set us many of us up for failure when it comes to reducing our overall sugar or carbohydrate intake. Studies show eating these foods not only increases our desire for them later in the day, they also increase appetite overall. For breakfast, enjoy eggs or a smoothie with added protein (via protein powder OR collagen powder) or I will add 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds instead. You can also add nuts and seeds to your oatmeal to help ground your meal, leaving you more satiated. You will increase your metabolism, your energy and bust your chronic 3pm sugar cravings.
5. Have you had your hug today?
Or taken time for a deep breath? If not, better act now. It may sound cliché’, but these simple habits reduce the most harmful and destructive force on your health – stress. Keeping stress in check is truly the most important factor influencing your wellness. If you need more inspiration to reduce your worry, check this study: Dr. Dan Mroczek, an associate professor of child development and family studies at Purdue University and his research team proved that worrying takes up to 16 years off your life simply because of the nasty, destructive effects of cortisol, the stress hormone that skyrockets when we worry!
*Side note – the more cortisol we produce the harder it is to lose weight!
6. Add exercise to your omega-3s; it’s the perfect pairing for fat loss.
When Professor Peter Howe and his colleagues at the University of South Australia studied the effects of diet and exercise on the body, they found that fish oil supplements and exercise made a powerful fat-loss combination. During the study, overweight to obese adults with metabolic syndrome and a greater risk of heart disease took omega-3 fish oil daily in combination with moderate exercise three times a week for 12 weeks. Yoga was one of the top exercises recommended to start due to its activity level but also its benefits to Stress Reduction Body fat stores, particularly ab fat, were significantly reduced in the fish-oil-plus-exercise group, but not in those who used fish oil or exercise alone. Fish oils make great sense for fat loss, especially when you are exercising. Psst…did you notice that exercise is required only three times a week? I think we can all manage that 🙂
7. Go for omega-3 over omega-6.
The most commonly consumed polyunsaturated fatty acids in the average Canadian diet are omega-6 fatty acids. Yet way back in 1993, researchers found these fatty acids are directly related to excess insulin and play a significant role in obesity. Sources of omega-6 include meat, eggs, poultry, cereals, breads, baked goods, and margarine. Natural sources of health-promoting omega-3 include oily fish, with SMASH fish being the highest (Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines, Herring) hemp and flaxseed oils. Other healthy sources of fat include ghee, pumpkin seed oil, avocados, nuts and seeds. Make it a dietary must to consume raw olive oil daily. Try it on a salad, or drizzle it over your hard boiled eggs to give it an extra hit of flavour.
8. Always avoid the three nutritional no-no’s: hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup.
Never break this rule. Elaboration is probably not required on this point; most of us know these things are not good for us.
9. Cut your sugar intake.
Obvious sources of sugar are cookies, candies, pop, cakes, pies, muffins, baked goods, brown sugar and molasses. But my guess is that you will be surprised to realize all of the places that sugar seeps into your diet. Do you think of granola bars, energy drinks, juice, jam, most cereals, flavoured yogurt, ketchup and many other prepared condiments, white pasta, white rice or certain fruit as sources of sugar? You should. All of these foods trigger the release of high amounts of insulin, the only hormone that always instructs the body to store energy as fat. Over time, high insulin also perpetuates your risk of increased belly fat, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, certain types of cancers and even Alzheimer’s disease. Read labels and limit your intake of these sugary foods to only once or twice a week. Your body and brain will thank you for it.
10. Say goodnight to the Late Show.
Yes, this means going to bed before 11 pm. We have put sleep on the back-burner and as a result we have become a society of sleep-deprived individuals at greater risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and depression. Starting tonight, make it your intention to achieve the recommended 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night (not more and not less), in the pitch dark, and you will not only enjoy greater energy, appetite control and mental focus daily – you’ll protect yourself from just about every disease associated with aging.
Namaste & Enjoy your Saturday!