Here are some of the top lifestyle factors that the World's top health experts practice:
1) Hack sleep by...
- Reducing exposure to blue light at night
- Making the sleeping environment as dark as possible and slightly cool
- Turning off all potential disturbances (phones, TV, LED lights from charges)
- Creating the optimal sleeping environment WITH their partner (communication is key)
- Consuming foods or herbs that support deep, regenerative sleep
- Not consuming stimulants or heavy meals too late in the evening
- Choosing their alcohol wisely (organic or better) and knowing that it may affect sleep negatively
2) Drink the HIGHEST quality water possible
It's water, of course you're going to choose the cleanest you can, right!?
Top health experts choose:
- Local spring water when possible
- Water from glass bottles where possible
- Use ceramic, glass or stainless steel kettles for boiling water
3) Eat nutrient dense soups and /or bone broths
- Soups (making them as nutrient dense as possible) or bone broths from healthy animals are two ways health experts often eat their favorite foods and superfoods. This is often because of nutrient density and bio-availability.
4) Practice mindfulness
- This could be tea, surfing, dancing, walking, meditating, music, the medium is interchangeable though the state very similar.
- Studies are now showing that meditation can support optimal health, both physical and emotional.
5) Accept that health is a continuous journey
From the Tao:
"So sometimes things are ahead and sometimes they are behind;
Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes easily;
Sometimes there is strength, and sometimes weakness;
Sometimes one is up and sometimes down".
6) Know that the internal can affects the external being
- It is well known that emotional stress (thought) can cause illness. See references for more info.
Really getting this fact, I mean knowing it to the depths of your cells, gives you a completely new perspective.
- If you don't believe us try asking the stressed business exec that drops dead of a heart attack on the golf course because his company lost a big contract. Of course it would be stressful but thankfully not everyone thinks in the same way and a 1000 other people would not have had the same emotional response to the same news.
7) Enjoy the benefits of Eastern medicine...
- Top health experts use of foods or herbs to balance the body... But they also know that foods and herbs are not the final answer, the imbalance is hardly ever the symptom.
- Knowing that external (foods, herbs, acupuncture, medication etc) may relieve symptoms, even heal symptoms, but the root cause often comes from disharmony in life (work / relationships).
(Even the most hardcore damaging lifestyle habits are often symptoms of a disharmony and not the actual cause).
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8) Be in nature and often...
- There are incredible credible studies showing the health benefits of forrest bathing (shinrin-yoku 森林浴)
"The results show that forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments. These results will contribute to the development of a research field dedicated to forest medicine, which may be used as a strategy for preventive medicine."
- Swimming in the ocean is another favorite for similar reasons to forrest bathing.
- Bare feet and hands on grass / in soil as a means of grounding. Sounds bizarre, here is a quote from a solid study:
9) Practice grounding
- Bare feet or hands on the grass or in soil;
"Reconnection with the Earth's electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being. Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits—including better sleep and reduced pain—from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth's electrons from the ground into the body. This paper reviews the earthing research and the potential of earthing as a simple and easily accessed global modality of significant clinical importance."
10) Eat superfoods in abundance (but there is a catch)
Not every superfood (which are just normal food with a high density of a desirable nutrient or nutrients) is for everyone. For example I LOVE the taste of acai but my body doesn't particularly respond that well too it, on the other hand greens (spirulina, chlorella, moringa, seaweeds etc), chaga and reishi mushrooms seem to fit perfectly with my makeup.
The key is listening to the messages your body is giving you.
11) Choose local and seasonal first
This is because local and seasonal foods know where you are and when. AND local, seasonal food knows what the beings in close proximity need. More on there here
BONUS "Thing"
Something physical like lifting weights, yoga, stretching, sport, something / anything you enjoy. BUT making sure you're getting enough rest and highly quality sleep.
References:
1) Forrest Bathing
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19568835
2) Grounding
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077
3) Stress and illness
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15465465