7 Habits that Changed My Health Forever

A while back I had a client Bill who was in his late sixties but looked as if he was in his mid-forties. He attributed his youthful body to good habits such as having a bowl of cooked oats for breakfast every day for 40 some years.

Bill came to mind as I’ve been thinking about why some people age quickly and are ill, while others stay healthy longer. One of my aunts is 88 and sturdy. An uncle is 70 and quite ill.

I’ve learned to appreciate the power of habits through observing my own health journey and those of my clients. These observations give me new appreciation to the basic, day-to-day habits that I’ve formed over the years, many of which I’ve been practicing for over 20 years.

They reminded me what Albert Einstein, the famous Physicist & Nobel Prize Winner, called the 8th Wonder of the World – the Power of Compounding.

In today’s post you’ll find 7 foundational habits that changed my health forever. They’re foundational because they’re so basic yet they are the cornerstones of my and your health.

In the coming months I’ll share other behavioral habits and practices that have been instrumental to my good health and wellbeing, so you may find some inspiration…

1. No white rice or processed wheat. I replaced highly processed grain with brown rice and whole wheat. They allow for slower release of sugar into the blood, which helps the pancreas. They also support healthier bowel movements and keep me feeling full longer.
2. No table salt. I replaced table salt with sea salt. Table salt is highly processed with minerals stripped and declumping agents added. Sea salt is minimally processed and retains the trace minerals that are essential to bodily functions.
3. No sugary drinks: My daily drink is water, mostly boiled water, with fresh ginger or lemon. By staying away from sugary drinks it’s saved me a lot of calories. It also allowed me to avoid all kinds of additives, including artificial colors, which are one of the most damaging substances to our body’s energies.
4. No microwave oven: Putting aside the risk of radiation from microwaves leaking out of the oven, microwave cooking creates extremely Yin food, which takes a lot more stomach fire to digest. It’s like cooking something fresh out of the freezer, which takes a longer time than cooking something starting at room temperature. 

   Besides I can taste the difference between microwaved water and stovetop boiled water.

5. Organic food when feasible: Any chemical you ingest needs to be removed from your blood by the liver. I learned recently that if our liver stops working we’ll die in a few hours. That’s how critical the liver’s job is. 

   Unfortunately the liver is already over worked given that it performs over 500 functions every single hour. The more chemicals in your food, the more your liver has to work overtime.

   A stressed liver can cause high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes, sleep trouble, mensural issues, among others.

6. Plant-based dish detergent & hand soap: Did you know that your skin is your largest organ and is a part of your nervous system? With pure plant-based hand soap, which I even travel with, I avoid as many toxins as possible.
7. Organic shampoo and conditioner: Your scalp will absorb what’s in your shampoo and conditioner. Once I allowed my hairdresser to use her shampoo on me before a haircut and it gave me headache for the rest of the day. You may not be as sensitive as I am. That doesn’t mean your body isn’t absorbing the chemicals which again your liver will have to work on getting rid of it.

I made these changes because I was tired of going to doctor’s offices all the time. Now more than twenty years later I’m so much healthier than back then!

What are your habits around health and how are they contributing to your well-being?