As we start the New Year, we wanted to share our Top 10 tips for overall health, wellness and balance. BodyLogicMD highly trained anti-aging physicians recommend this concise list of health tips to their patients to serve as a guideline to improve the quality and longevity of their lives.
1. Balance Your Hormones: Your hormones are vital components in just about every bodily function. An imbalance can cause serious symptoms and health issues, ranging from fatigue to hypothyroidism. Getting your hormone levels checked and balanced with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can help you live better, longer.
2. Increase Vitamin D intake: The health benefits of vitamin D are becoming increasingly apparent. This vitamin is linked to bone health, heart health, muscle performance, nerve function and the prevention and treatment of some cancers. So, drink your milk, eat your egg yolks and consume fish (like salmon) to find natural sources of this important supplement. While vitamin D can be obtained through sun exposure, experts say that it is better to take supplements. BodyLogicMD expert anti-aging physicians will likely prescribe pharmaceutical grade vitamins, nutrients and minerals as part of a customized nutrition plan. By using pharmaceutical grade vitamins and supplements, you can be assured you are getting the very best in quality.
3. Exercise: What goes in must come out! Losing weight is a popular New Year’s resolution, and there really are no shortcuts. For optimal health and weight loss, exercise should make up an hour of your daily routine. Exercise can include any activity that makes you break a sweat, including all sports. Mix up your exercise routine every 4 weeks to avoid muscle memory. Studies show that people who lead a life filled with exercise live the longest and have the lowest incidence of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and mental deterioration!
4. Eat Less, More Often: Eat five portion-controlled meals a day. So in addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, have a snack in between. The idea is to keep your sugar levels balanced throughout the day, extreme highs and lows hurt your metabolism! The best foods include white meat (like chicken and fish), colored vegetables (not white), hard fruits (if it crunches, it’s good for you!) and some liquid fat (olive oil, fish oil) or nuts. Good nutrition and exercise is key to optimal health and well-being.
5. Keep Hydrated: It’s been said again and again, you need to drink water and lots of it. A minimum of eight 8 ounce glasses a day is required. Water is necessary for so many body functions and yet most of us barely drink one glass a day. Not drinking enough water deprives your cells of the fluid they need, in turn causing fatigue. Coffee, soda and energy drinks dehydrate your body and actually lead to lower energy levels. Water is the original energy drink; it helps you maintain energy, lose weight and stay healthy. Green tea is also a good choice.
6. Sleep: This one is easy and enjoyable! Your body needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Getting proper amounts of sleep make you feel better during the day and even help you lose weight. Sleep is one of those secrets of health and longevity!
7. Relieve Stress: When your body is stressed, your adrenal glands produce the hormone cortisol to manage the stress on your body. Too much cortisol can lead to adrenal fatigue, which can cause malfunctions to other hormones in your body. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga can help you relieve stress. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity.
8. Keep in touch with Your Body: Don’t skip those annual doctor’s visits, too many diseases show few if any symptoms. It’s worth the time to make sure you won’t be blindsided with a serious medical condition. This also means keeping up with your cancer screenings; mammograms, prostate and colorectal. Having regular bone density screenings after the age of 40 is also suggested. Annually measuring hormone levels and keeping them balanced by an expertly trained hormone doctor can also help prevent disease and even some cancers.
9. An Aspirin a Day: As long as your doctor hasn’t told you to avoid it, middle-aged adults can benefit from simply taking one aspirin every day. It can help you avoid strokes and heart attacks. This inexpensive tip with has big benefits.
10. Take Time for Yourself! Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you should set aside 20 minutes every day for you. Many of us lead stressful lives and this can throw off our hormone levels and lead to serious health problems. So take a relaxing bath, catch up on your favorite book or take a peaceful walk; get away for a little while and take care of you.
Wishing you low stress, good health, and great success in 2009!
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Thanks for the information. Some great reading here
Agreed! Some very helpful information, thanks for sharing! One thing I have learned is not to forget to see your dermatologist once a year for a body check! He/she will scan your body for any moles, etc that may need to be watched or taken off…