With a myriad of health information available online- it can be overwhelming to even begin to
know where to start. I have found in my own life and my patient’s the easiest way to start is to
look at your most frequent exposures. What makes up the majority of your day?
This seems obvious but first- diet. What are you nourishing your body with? Be honest with
yourself! It’s going to take some time to adjust and we will all have days where we fall short,
but is the majority of what are you consuming whole foods? When you go to the grocery store,
are you reading ingredient labels? Are you walking away with mostly processed foods? Do you
stick to the perimeter of the store or do you head straight for the snack and prepared foods
aisles? Keeping a food journal is going to be the best option to get things started. It is easy to
get lost in the day and quickly eat the most convenient options without realizing most of the
day went by and you haven’t eaten a single fruit or vegetable. Keeping a journal will enable you
to analyze where you could improve and how your body responded to certain foods.
2) Hydration. What type of water are you drinking? Is it filtered? Tap water? Bottled water? City
water is riddled with pesticides, chlorine, pharmaceutical run off, and chloramines, among
many other things. The Environmental Working Group’s website is a good resource to find out
what is in your local water. There are several water filters on the market and I highly
recommend looking into one that will fit your budget and lifestyle. If a filter isn’t in your budget
right now- distilled water is a good option, but it will be important to replace minerals that have
been stripped during the distillation process.
3) Movement. How often are you moving your body during the day? You don’t need a fancy
gym membership or exercise equipment. Something as simple as a walk after a meal is
beneficial for blood sugar regulation. Consistent light movement is more beneficial than
occasional intense workouts. While I don’t think fancy gadgets are necessary to get good
movement- I have gotten the best and most consistent feedback from tracking steps. Walking
10,000 steps/day is an attainable goal for many people and tracking your steps is an easy way
to make sure you’re moving.
4) Environment. This is often overlooked, but extremely important. What is your current living
situation? Are you unknowingly being exposed to mold? Are you spending the majority of
waking hours looking at a screen? What is your work environment like? What is the quality of
the air you are breathing? Are you sitting next to an EMF emitting device most of the day? How
and where you spend your time is an important factor to consider when looking at your overall
health.
5) Sleep. We all know sleep is important for overall health. Lack of sleep can lead to many
health issues, but why is poor sleep a complaint from over 70 million Americans each year? At
the very basic level, a consistent sleep routine with little to no blue light within a couple of
hours of when you go to sleep would be ideal. This isn’t going to be an option for many people.
In those cases- blue light blocking glasses could be worn after sunset if you have to look at a
screen.
The aspects of health listed above are a small piece to the puzzle that can accumulate over time
into several health issues. Most people want one answer to fix one problem. Unfortunately, it’s
usually an accumulation of small things that can have an overall negative impact. But by
addressing some of the above issues- you can live a healthier life! I go into each of these areas
in depth with clients, but this will hopefully provide you with a starting point on where to start
examining your own lifestyle factors.
References
https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21731896/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29573716/
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5842a2.htm
