Foundations of Health

Just like a house, we can’t build health on a weak foundation. The first place to look when wanting to improve our health is the basics: air, water, nutrition, rest, exercise, sunlight, and faith. This is where I start with every, single client. There's a saying that you can't supplement your way out of a bad diet but the same is true for lifestyle as well. If a person isn't willing to put the effort in to their foundations, then there is little I can do for them. But for those that are willing and motivated to put the hard work in - they have great potential ahead of them!

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Air

People can survive for only around 3 minutes without air before lasting brain damage occurs and eventually death. It's well known that air needs to be prioritized in survival situations but what about day to day? Many people are "chest breathers," taking shallow breaths and missing out on the full benefits of deep belly breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing supports the full potential for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, resulting in better mood, focus, and lowered stress. Breathe in fully and make your belly big, imagine you are filling your lungs from the bottom up.

Our lungs are also important for the elimination of toxins. One of the best ways we can support this function is to make sure the air we are breathing in is clean. When we think of pollution we often picture emissions from vehicles or factories, but pollution can start in our own homes every time we spray an air freshener, hair product, or conventional cleaning supply. Always look for natural products without artificial fragrances and harmful chemicals, or learn to make your own (it's often easier and simpler than you'd think)! Essential oils are a great way to enjoy fun scents without polluting your environment and harming your health. To go one step further in cleaning your air, I'd recommend getting an air filter. I use this Winix air purifier in my home and love it!

Water

People can survive for only 3 days without water to drink. Water is important for keeping tissues moist, regulating body temperature, protecting organs, lubricating joints, transporting nutrients, and filtering out waste and toxins. Our bodies are made up of about 60% water and it needs to be replenished regularly (though most people do not drink enough). Aim for drinking 50% of your body weight in ounces per day or enough so that your urine is a pale, yellow color.

Because water plays such a crucial role in our health, it's important that we drink clean, filtered water. We all know tap water is toxic (check your zipcode on the EWG Tap Water Database) but well water often contains contaminants as well. ZeroWater makes an NSF certified water filter that removes a variety of contaminants and, as far as I'm aware, is the only glass countertop filtration device on the market. Filtering into (or drinking out of) hormone disrupting plastic is kind of counterproductive and I'm not a fan of stainless steel due to the taste and inability to see inside the dispenser.

Nutrition

While it's generally accepted that people can survive without food for around 3 weeks, we should aim for more than mere survival. Food scarcity is not an issue for most of us yet nutrient deficiency is. We were designed to consume food from nature, not food-like products, yet our grocery store shelves are lined with foods that have gone through so much processing there's very little nutrition left in them. In place of the nutrients, artificial dyes, colors, and flavors have been added to make the foods more appealing, along with preservatives to make them shelf stable.

To maximize nutrient density and avoid the harmful effects of food additives, it's best to spend most of your time shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, or the fresh foods. Whenever possible, avoid refined sugar and seed or vegetable oils due to their inflammatory and oxidative nature. Be aware that many people benefit from removing gluten and conventional dairy from their diets and consider giving that a try. And last but not least, always aim for balance (in the context of a whole food diet). Extreme restrictions, like removing whole food groups, are rarely necessary or helpful. Just because many people don't tolerate gluten, doesn't mean all grains need to be removed. Oats, rice, quinoa, amaranth, and more all have benefits as well as raw dairy, especially from goats. Sufficient nutrient intake requires eating a variety of foods, so try not to fall in the habit of eating the same foods every day.

Rest

The world record for sleep deprivation was set in 1963 at 11 days and 25 minutes. Though this record has likely been broken, new submissions for this record are no longer accepted due to the dangers associated with restricting sleep. Sleep has many benefits and is important to our mental, emotional, and physical health. These benefits include, but are not limited to: forming new pathways in the brain for learning and memory, emotional stability, immune health, and proper growth for children.

Most adults need around 8 hours of sleep a night and children need even more depending on their age. Prioritizing sleep by making sure you set aside an adequate amount of time each night for rest is important, but many people have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep even when they do have the time. We can support the balance of the hormones melatonin and cortisol by getting sunlight and exercise during the day and limiting screens and heavy meals before bed. When occasional sleep support is needed, consider natural remedies like valerian, chamomile, tart cherry, and lavender essential oil. Daytime rest is important too; there is no benefit to overworking or overtraining. While I'll give a person credit for willpower, I don't recommend skipping out on sleep to go to the gym!

Exercise

According to the CDC, adults should be getting a total of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise and two days of strength training per week. With modern conveniences, our lives have become overly sedentary, making it necessary for us to be more intentional about being active. Benefits of exercise include improved cardiovascular health, increased bone density, weight management support, and increased production of feel good endorphins. Exercise also helps move lymph fluid and supports detoxification.

The easiest way to incorporate exercise into your life is to find an activity that you love that gets you moving and sweating. Not everyone has the motivation to go to the gym three days a week so finding something you enjoy and look forward to is crucial for long term commitment and success. Activities could include hiking, playing sports, biking, gardening, or even geocaching! Even light walking and stretching count. And if you can't manage any exercise, try dry brushing and sauna for some of the same benefits.

Sunlight

Sunlight has many benefits for our health including regulating sleep/wake cycles, improving mood by increasing serotonin production, and increasing vitamin D production in the body. The benefits of vitamin D are too numerous to list but include increased immunity, better mood, balanced blood sugar levels, and lowered risk of many chronic diseases.

Make sure to spend time in the sun daily, especially in winter. Also consider limiting the use of sunscreens and sunglasses. Both forms of sun protection minimize the benefits we receive from the sun and conventional sunscreens contain harmful ingredients (like hormone disruptors for example) that can negatively impact our health. If you find that you burn easily, try increasing healthy fats and antioxidants in your diet and limiting refined sugar and seed/vegetable oils.

Faith

Last, but truly the most important aspect of our health, is faith. Faith in God can improve immune function, reduce feelings of loneliness, and increase feelings of well-being and health. And, perhaps surprisingly, the Bible is actually full of great advice on health, like maintaining good hygiene, avoiding others when sick, eating certain foods, and being in a monogamous relationship. There's even instructions in Leviticus for how to deal with mold (which can have disastrous effects on our health).

We can nurture our faith by spending time in God's word daily, memorizing scripture, and being in constant prayer with a heart of gratitude and awe for all that He has done for us. Here is a final thought to leave you with - where does your hope lie? Physical health is a blessing but is nothing compared to the salvation we are offered in Jesus Christ.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16-18

Perfection isn't required for health but we can all strive daily to improve these areas of our lives and give our bodies the foundation they need to thrive. If you're not sure where to start, or you need some help or support along the way, consider hiring a health coach to support you on your journey.

*this content is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment*