5 Simple Steps Toward Optimal Health
There are many steps or things that can be done to achieve optimal health. Different things work for different people however, there are proven steps that work for everyone. In this blog post I will discuss 5 steps, which if practiced consistently will help improve the 3 dimensions of optimal health: mental, spiritual, and physical.
Step 1. Drink 16 ounces of warm or room temperature lemon water upon awakening.
The general consensus in the literature, regarding the benefits, is overwhelming. When you think about it, your body has been asleep for 8 hours with no hydration. Drinking water, with a whole fresh squeezed lemon in it, first thing in the morning helps flush the digestive system and re-hydrate the body. Lemons also stimulate stomach acid and bile production, which lead to a happy liver and lymph system. Other benefits of lemons include the fact that they contain vitamin C and potassium, which give the immune system a boost and aid in the production of collagen for healthier smoother skin. On a personal note, it has given me more energy and kept me regular. 🙂
Step 2. 15 minutes of meditation/reflection time each morning.
Research shows that starting your day with stillness is therapeutic. Before I started meditating, I would wake up and grab my phone to check my messages and emails as well as social media sites like Facebook. This started my mind racing with non-stop thoughts, planning, and organizing. Once I changed that practice and started with stillness, it really set the tone for my day and led to a more focused optimistic day. It can be very challenging to slow down and control your thoughts, so it takes practice. For me, I had to make a commitment to wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal to make time for this important practice. Find a comfortable place to sit quietly and undisturbed. Focus on your breathing. I like to feel the belly rise with each breath in and imagine it giving more space for my internal organs to breath. I think about breathing in life, happiness, health and prosperity, and breathing out disease, negative feelings and thoughts of lack. It is only in this stillness that I have been able to really get in touch with my inner guidance.
Step 3. Get Moving.
Again, remember you have been lying still for 8 hours. After hydrating the body, it is important to move the body. You can do things that work for you such as a nice 20-minute power walk, gentle stretching of the whole body, yoga, or weight resistance training. The benefits are a boost in your metabolism, increased and improved energy both mentally and physically, and better sleep at night.
Step 4. Avoid Sugar
Sugar has been referred to as the silent killer and with good reason. It contains no nutrients and has no benefit to the body. It’s just empty and quickly digested calories that pull vital minerals from the body during digestion. It also stresses the liver and pancreas. Sugar gets converted to glycogen in the liver. Too much glycogen gets converted to fat and leads to fatty liver disease. The pancreas secretes insulin when we eat sugar, which stresses the pancreas overtime and leads to disease like diabetes. Other harmful effects of sugar are increased bad cholesterol, thickening and stickiness of the blood, weight gain, sleep trouble and cravings. It is crucial to eliminate sugar from your diet if you want to be in optimal health. Especially things like sodas, sweet tea, and high fructose corn syrup to name a few.
Step 5. Perform Random Acts of Kindness
Random acts of kindness have tremendous benefits mentally, spiritually and physically, impacting all dimensions of optimal health. It makes you feel warm emotionally and that feeling produces a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin reduces the levels of free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system. That explains why kindness is good for the heart. Kindness is also contagious and finds its way back to us.
In conclusion, there are of course many other necessary steps toward optimal health but this is a great place to start. Consistency is key to achieving optimal health. Set a goal to be consistent with these 5 steps and track your progress for 30 days. It’s a guarantee that you’ll be a healthier, happier and more fulfilled being. I challenge you to start today. I hope you will share your experience with me at the end of the 30 days. See you next Sunday as we continue on our journey towards optimal health.
If this post has motivated, educated, or inspired you, I hope you will share it. I would also be honored to have you as an email subscriber, so my weekly Sunday blogs come straight to your personal email. You’ll need to click in the leave a reply box and leave a reply. You will then be prompted to sign up by, adding your email address and clicking in the box that says, “notify me of new post”. The last step will be to go to your personal email and confirm your subscription. Your support is vital and appreciated.
Peace and blessings
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Great advice, gonna try it!
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Very nice.
Good Job Vince on the 5 Steps toward Optimal Health. More water, less sugar, walking or stretching, meditation, and kindness should make for a more balance life. Also, blending all of these acts together could open up those creative juices hidden deep down inside ourselves. I could only imagine, it would give me more of a head start each day, … Big Up’s!
Butch,
Thanks for sharing and talking about the creative part in all of us. This has been a great creative outlet for me and I am thrilled about the fact that it could possibly help others as well.
Vince
This week I spent hours and hours completing the CEUs needed for my nursing license renewal. Several modules were related to better health. Hydration and meditation were talked about repeatedly. Thanks for the personal reminder. ..Also, I’m getting a puppy for my birthday which was in January – a gift to self really, and a living kindness that comes back to you 😉
Beth, you are a very kind person. So happy that you’re participating in this blog.
Vince
Great advise
I will try to limit my sugar
Will keep your words in my thoughts and keep working on this journey
Thank you for trying to help
Michele,
When I am writing my blogs, I am really talking to myself. The fact that it can possibly help others is awesome. Thanks for your response.
Vince
Looking forward to your weekly thoughts.
Thank you Diane. And I look forward to hearing from you as well. We can all learn from each other.
Peace
thank you Vince.
Thank you Nancy. I am so happy that you’ve decided to follow my thoughts. It means a lot. Hope you are thriving. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Blessings
Hello Vince,
Definitely made me think about how I go about my daily activities. Will follow the steps you have outlined and I will let you know how it is working out for me.
Regards,
Stacey
Stacey, sounds good. Can’t wait to get your feedback at the end of the 30 days. I will be posting more tips and important steps in the future.
I think I will try some of that lemon water.
🙂 Remember, you must be consistent with it. :)))
Forrest,
I meant to say, you must be consistent with it. 🙂 I am thrilled you are participating in this journey with me. Love you!
Vince
So totally love this Vince and thank you for sharing! Very true and motivational.
Bobbie,
Thanks for your kind generous words. They mean a lot as I embark upon my passionate journey for us all to be healthier beings. Thanks so much for your support.
Vince
Awesome blog Vince! Thanks for the 5 steps….makes so much sense. This going to be a wonderful journey!!
Excited!
Oh Cedric, thank you soooooo much. Your support means a lot to me. We have both been through some rough times so I look forward to you sharing with me as well.
Hugs,
Vince
Great advice! Thank you, Vince! I look forward to reading more. You are making a difference!
Christy, you always lift me up with your words of encouragement and reassure me that I am on a good path. It means a lot. Thank you so much.
Much love
Excellent principles to follow Vince! Some I have done for years and a couple I continue to struggle with. Each day is a journey as you know bug it’s never too late. Thank you for your love and enciursgement
Diane,
Thank you. Yes you are right, each day is a journey. We are blessed to have a choice what we want our journey to look like. See ya next Sunday.
Hugs,
Vince
Good Morning Vince, upon awakening early mornings, that’s the first thing I do is drink lemon water. I know it’s good for our bodies, Instead of drinking something sugary. I will be reading your blog!
Thank you Dianna. As always I really appreciate your support. I hope you will sign up to receive the blogs by email. Look forward to sharing with you and you with me. Have a great Sunday.
Thank you Dianna. Look forward to it and as always, appreciate you.
Excellent read Vince. It certainly does make one stop and think about all the stressors we put ourselves through in a given day.
Thank Jeff. And thanks for signing up to receive the weekly blogs by email. It is a good way to stay informed. I look forward to us sharing this journey together.
Vince
Great blog. I love lemon water but I didn’t know it was actually good for me.
Thanks Sheila,
I am glad you were able to learn something from this blog. I hope you will sign up to be an email subscriber and get the weekly blogs directly to your email box. Appreciate your support.
Vince
Thanks Vance I think that was very insightful and certainly helps to give a good start to a great day I look forward to hearing more .
Sergio
Thanks Sergio,
I really appreciate you signing up for email subscription to get the weekly blogs in your personal email box. I am grateful to have your support and look forward to your feedback.
In excellent health,
Vince
What great advice, and a great way to start the day. I especially love your advice on random acts of kindness. I am studying to become a health coach, and in my research I have found that it is one of the quickest way to improve the way you feel. That one step will improve your health on all levels. Looking forward to next week
Many blessings
Gregory
Greg,
Thanks so much or your response and thoughts. I look forward to sharing more steps as we all continue on this journey together.
Peace