Physical Wellness Archives - Page 2 of 3

January 13, 2019

Five Healthy Morning Rituals

The way we start our day sets the tone for the rest of the day and helps us maintain an optimal level of health. Through my 30 years of nursing practice as well as research, I have identified 5 Healthy Ways To Start Your Day. The list of things we can do for a healthy start is certainly not limited to these 5, however I’ve personally seen great results when practiced consistently.

My personal 5 morning rituals

Drink 16 ounces of spring water with a whole fresh squeezed lemon.

The first thing I do when I open my eyes and make my way to the kitchen is hydrate and energize my cells. Here is a list of the benefits. I am not able to elaborate on each one in this article because each benefit could be a full article in itself.

Rich in Vitamin C
Helps maintain pH balance of the body
Fights infections
Detoxifier
Maintains Digestive Health
Rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium
Anti-inflammatory
Helps liver flush out toxins
Fights common cold

Get Moving

It is important to get the body moving after a full nights sleep. After I drink my lemon water, I get moving. Counting your steps on your phone or other device does not count. The body needs 30 minutes of continuous moderate to fast paced movement daily. Below are my morning movement rituals and the many benefits of movement.

Sit on my yoga mat for 10 minutes of breathing and meditation
Full set of stretches for my body
3 sets of push-ups
Planks

Benefits of the movement:

Keeps muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints flexible and strong
Increases blood flow which provides more oxygen and carries away waste products from the cell
Elevates the mood
Energy booster
Regular bowel habits which rid body of toxins more effectively

Healthy Protein Shake After Movement

Builds/Repairs Tissue: Helps your body repair itself after an injury
Essential for the production of hormones, enzymes, and other body chemicals
Building block for healthy skin, bones, muscles, and blood
Boost metabolism
Burns fat

Eat Healthy Breakfast:

Eating in the morning is just a matter of habit and is essential for optimal health. I normally include a healthy fat like an avocado along with eggs for protein and a small salad of some sorts. There are many healthy options. Some of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast everyday include:

Boost in energy
Provides vital nutrients
Burns fat
Keeps blood sugar stable
Decrease incident of Heart Disease
Increases concentration
Increases productivity

Sounds like enough reason for me to eat a healthy breakfast daily.

Include Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) in our breakfast

The brain is the fattest organ in our body making up about 60% fat. Our brain needs a lot of energy, which it gets from the fat. EFA’s are also necessary for the synthesis and function of the molecules of the immune system. Essential fatty acids are the primary source of energy for our body.

Growing up my mother cooked with lard and real butter. The Western Medicine philosophy is completely against these saturated fats. My grand-parents lived to be in their 90’s eating essential saturated fats. Saturated fats are not the cause of heart disease. The body needs those fats. Below is a list of some of the EFA’s I’ve started included in my daily diet and the positive outcomes have stunned me. I will continue. Again, I could talk about the benefits of each one individually but it would take a whole article for each.

Salmon or other fish
Avocado
Walnuts
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Grass-fed beef
Real butter (No margarine or any type of butter substitute)
Eggs

Benefits of Essential Fatty Acids:

Decrease cardiac disease
Decrease blood pressure
Decrease in Cholesterol
Improved energy
Improved mental and physical performance
Increase in overall health

Of course there are many more sources of EFA’s to use as options for daily intake. Choose the ones you like best. The most important thing is to make sure you are including them.

Good Health is Priceless. If you don’t have your health, nothing else seems to matter that much. We have a responsibility to be our own physician by taking our health into our own hands. There are many things we can do on the preventative side to keep cancer, heart disease and other illnesses at bay. I hope you will be inspired to take the necessary steps and climb that ladder to optimal health. It will be worth it.

Much love,

Vince

February 24, 2018

Sex: My Personal Thoughts and Experiences

Sex. It is how we all arrived on this planet as physical beings, right? Yet it seems to be something people rarely dialogue about. It is almost as if it is one big secret. The pink elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. Why?

Sex is a very powerful act. It has created beautiful life and also destroyed life. It has created immense pleasure and also unbearable pain. It has been used as an expression of love and also as an act of control and abuse.

I struggled with sex for a long time. I felt a tremendous amount of shame around sex. These emotions all came from my childhood where sex was definitely taboo. Never even heard the word. How dare one talk about it but yet it was going on all around me.

I had my first sexual experience at age 8 behind the church while church service was in session. It all just escalated from there. An evangelist who came to our church to hold a revival meeting sexually molested me, at age 12. As I continued on through my childhood, I continued to be taken advantage of by 2 of my mother’s brothers. All of my sexual childhood experiences were with people who were strongly opposed to homosexuality. Interesting, huh?

Even though many of my sexual experiences have been with fellow church members, the church had very restrictive rules about whom you could have sex with and when you could get down. For example, no sex was allowed on Sunday’s and sex was limited to heterosexual missionary-style couplings with the lights off of course. Bottom line is you can’t stop people from having sex no matter how many crazy rules you have about it.

I have continued to struggle a bit with sex through out my life. I have made decisions about sex that have caused me great pain and suffering. I have struggled at times with being able to control my sexual desires. Giving myself to complete strangers as well as giving myself to someone I cared deeply for, only to discover it was just sex for them. Nothing more.

I am grateful to be in a new space of thought and awareness. I have experienced both the constructive and destructive implications of sex. I now have no shame associated with sex. I see it as a beautiful way to express love and intimacy with someone you care about.

I have also found that when I embrace sex as a spiritual act, it brings me closer together in body and mind with another. Sex is a powerful force that when used properly it can be a great catalyst for spiritual growth and healing on many levels.

I do however have more control now and have set the intention to not share it with just anyone. It is a gift in a beautiful package that I will only allow someone special to unwrap moving forward in my life.

Perhaps if there were more liberty and dialogue in our homes about sex, it would decrease some of the negative implications like disease and shame. Stop hiding it. Talk about it. It is part of who we are.

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Vince is a Critical Care Registered Nurse, Thought Contributor, and Published Writer. He shares his knowledge and personal experience on issues impacting our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Join the conversation at vinceshifflett.com by entering your email address to follow his weekly blog.

September 23, 2017

Four Healthy Additions To Your Diet

You are what you eat. True words indeed. What we eat determines our energy level, our ability to process thought, our ability to respond, longevity, and our overall health and wellness. There are many healthy additions we can add to our diet. I would like to share 4 of them that have made a difference in my health and wellness.

Bone Broth: It is a source of bio-available nutrients in an easy-to-digest form. Its amino acid structure and high gelatin content makes it soothing and healing for the gut and enhances the absorption of nutrients from other foods as well. The amino acids found in bone broth also reduce inflammation in the gut. As we now know that much of our immune system is in the gut, the broth is a very important food to keep us healthy. A cup of daily bone broth is a great alternative to the flu vaccine during flu season. The vaccine has never been proven to work but has been shown to cause illness and make the pharmaceutical companies billions of dollars. Broth contains collagen, which supports hair, skin and nail health. Collagen keeps the skin smooth, firm, and reduces wrinkles. It also contains glucosamine, chondroitin sulphates and other compounds that support joint health. With the average American diet, essential amino acids are difficult to get. Bone broth is an excellent source of these amino acids. My only advice would be to make sure you are using the bones of a healthy animal to make the broth. Many recipes can be found on the internet. Check them out.
Coconut Oil: I could probably write a short book on the proven benefits of coconut oil. To start, coconut oil contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s), which include lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. These acids have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties that make it beneficial for immune support. MCTs are also well-known for their ability to contribute to focus and mental performance. Adding coconut oil to a drink in the morning can help improve mental performance all day. It is also good for digestive health. Its antimicrobial properties can help fight irritation and infection in the gut from a fungal infection known as Candida. So much more could be said about Coconut oil. I eat a tablespoon right out of the jar, or mix it in my morning protein shake. Give it a try to notice the amazing health benefits.
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar: Wow, what a difference this had made to my health. It is full of bacteria fighting properties therefore helps keep infection at bay. The scientific evidence is overwhelming in support of consuming this powerful ingredient. It is also full of potassium and other enzymes that give you a “pick me up” and a great boost to your energy level. It has also been shown to prevent diabetes due to its ability to lower blood sugar levels. If you are taking toxic statins to lower your cholesterol, give raw apple cider vinegar a try. In studies, it has been proven to lower cholesterol levels. This is not information you are likely to hear from your doctor. Keep in mind that western medicine is more about revenue and less about healing. If the taste is too pungent, you can add it to your water in the morning or you can add it to your salad dressing. I add about 2 teaspoons to 8 ounces of water in the morning and drink it first thing. You will feel the difference after a couple of weeks of daily use.
A Food-Based Multi-vitamin and Mineral: The research has shown that most Americans are deficient in essential vitamins and minerals because of our diets. According to one study from Scientific America, three-quarters of all U.S. teens and adults are deficient in Magnesium and Vitamin D. They go on to say that low levels of these essential elements lead to an increase in cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. It is also important to note that the multi-vitamin should be food based and should be in capsule form for easier digestion. I encourage all my patients to have their levels of vitamins and minerals checked when they have routine annual lab-work. It is about taking your health into your own hands.

Give these 4 additions a try. Add them to your diet consistently, especially during flu season, for guaranteed results. You will remain happy, healthy, and full of energy. I look forward to hearing your stories and thoughts as you share your feedback.

As always, thanks so much for taking time to read my blog. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to share my knowledge, thoughts and experience with you each week. I hope you will enter your email address and sign up to follow my Weekly Sunday Blog.

Until next week,

Be well and live your best life.

January 8, 2017May 27, 2017

Growing up Gay

I first realized I was gay in Elementary school. Even earlier than that, I sensed I was different. Once I realized I was attracted to boys, my life changed. I knew immediately that I could not let it be known. It was considered the ultimate sin in my church and community. It was very unacceptable and something you just did not talk about. Keeping all those feelings inside was difficult.

Going through high school trying to hide who I was, certainly was challenging. Even though I tried to hide it, I was often called names such as fag and queer in school. Then when I got home there was Dad. He would often call me names like momma’s boy and sissy. Thank God for my Mom who always was my protector and supporter. I think she sensed I was different and she felt a need to protect me. And protect me she did.

I remembered thinking, who would choose to be gay? A lifestyle that was so socially unacceptable. A lifestyle where people lose their lives just for being who they are. I prayed for many years for God to take it away and make me “normal” because the church taught me it was not normal. Later in life, when the church did find out, they tried to anoint me with oil and cast the “demons” out of me. This only made me feel more ashamed, depressed, and isolated. I spent many sleepless nights, even as a kid, pondering my same sex attraction. I was very confused because my first several sexual experiences were with married men in the church. That same church that taught me that homosexuality was an abomination and demonic spirit.

Fast forward to the past 25 years of my life. A time when I’ve come to realize that I am the beautiful person God created me to be. Yes I was different than what most considered the norm at the time, but God uniquely created me. Once I realized there wasn’t a demon inside me, as the church had told me, I began to experience freedom. I accepted and loved myself exactly how God had created me. I wasn’t abnormal and there was nothing wrong with me. We often complain about other people’s fundamentalism. But whenever we harden our hearts, what is going on with us? There’s uneasiness, a tightening, and a shutting down. Next thing we know, we become very self-righteous about our point of view.

Today I am blessed to have family, friends, and a church that love me regardless of my sexual preference. Today I am able to express gratitude for my life. I am able to love and express love. I am aware of the truth that we are ALL unique expressions of God, one no less than another. Even today, it is difficult at times knowing that certain groups of people believe that you do not deserve the same rights just because you are being you.

I would love to see a world that works for everyone. A world where we see ALL as an expression of God. It doesn’t matter what kind of scarf they have on their head or who they fall in love with. It is our place to love unconditionally. Conditional love is no love. To say I love you but you are Muslim with a scarf on your head is conditional love. To say I love you but you are gay is conditional love. I am thankful that God loves all with no conditions. It is my intention to be more like him because I am part of him.

Peace and blessings

December 18, 2016May 27, 2017

The Body: Keep it Moving Dec 18, 2016

The Body: Keep it Moving

Keeping the body moving is essential to good health. A sedentary lifestyle lends itself to a lot of negative outcomes. Research has proven the benefits to be many. Keeping the body moving wards off disease and illness and is also good for the mind and soul.

Getting the body moving lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, increases immunity, increases circulation, improves heart function, builds strong bones preventing osteoporosis, improves oxygen and nutrients to all cells in the body and is excellent for stress relief. Now if that isn’t enough to get you moving, not sure what will. It not only improves health but also prevents many diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Lately, I’ve had many of my patients tell me, “I’m exercising.” “I get over 10,000 steps a day according to my fit bit. Unfortunately it is not the same. You need 30 minutes of fast paced continuous exercise, 4 days a week to get the heart pumping and keep it pumping. It is a great way to keep those arteries clean. A 30-minute power walk daily can do more for you than any doctor or medication. According to the Seattle Cancer Research Center, 35% of all cancer deaths may be related to lack of exercise. I hear many of my patients tell me, “I walk all day on my job.” Or, “I clean up and babysit all day.” Not the same. It’s about getting the heart pumping and breaking a sweat.

I am reminded of an old pond in the back of my grandfather’s house when I was a kid. The water was stagnant with moss and all kinds of things growing on top of the pond. It is the same with our blood vessels if the blood isn’t pumped through and kept moving. Things like plaque build up on the vessels leading to multiple diseases and poor circulation. Fast paced aerobic exercise, like power walking, pumps the blood through faster and strengthens the heart muscle.

As we get ready to begin a new year, make a commitment along with me to get moving. Get off the sofa. Turn the TV off. Put Facebook down and get active. Take a nice hike in nature. You can swim, ride your bike, power walk, practice yoga, or whatever you enjoy. Remember the golden rule: 30-minutes of face paced continuous exercise, 4 days a week. Let’s get our bodies moving in an effort to be in optimal health.

Peace and blessings