7 Steps to "Abundance" for Health
Oh how these last few weeks have been flying by. I guess in a way that is good because tomorrow I leave for Cancun for 5 days then I will be home for a few days until leaving for Italy for 2 weeks. So exciting! The Cancun trip is with Nature's Sunshine and I should be learning lots of information I can share with you.
Last week I mentioned a seven step plan to living in "abundance" as far as health is concerned, which I also think can translate into other areas of your life. Here they are.....
1. Prayer - I personally am a follower of Christ and my prayers are to Him. I believe with all my heart that He is the true source of healing no matter what methodology we use, naturopathic, allopathic, or integrative. The scripture says "every good and perfect gift comes from above", so I think it is crucial to live a prayerful life. If you are not a believer in Christ I still believe there is great benefit from prayer, so go for it. Just be open to what God has for you, He very well may lead you to His son.
2. Peaceful living - This is connected to prayer but requires more effort from you. This is focused relaxation. Which can include many things......reading, massage, journaling, knitting, etc. Things that make you feel relaxed. Most importantly however this is living in peace with others, including husbands, wives, children, in laws, okay this list could go on but you know where I'm going. Just choose peace. Remember sometimes it's better to be at peace than to be "right". Most things are not worth the argument.
3. Water - I know there are a thousand studies out there that you have read, you KNOW the importance of water. We need to drink good quality water.....filtered tap water has actually been found to be better than bottled. We really need to stop filling landfills with water bottles anyway. The goal for water intake should be 1/2 of your body weight in ounces, or at the absolute minimum 8 glasses a day. One problem we have is the consumption of other drinks that actually dehydrate.....coffee, soft drinks, alcohol, then we do not counter balance with water. Many of us live in a very dehydrated state and this simple change could increase your health tremendously.
4. Fresh air/ Sunshine - Sunshine is the #1 source of Vitamin D!!! It actually does not provide it but activates our bodies own mechanism for producing it. I love that, our bodies really are a miracle in themselves. Our generation spends so much time inside and we have the list of ailments to prove it. Just sitting outside, breathing fresh air and letting the sun shine on our face is wonderful for us. The list of ailments that are attributed to a D deficiency is quite long but ranges from depression to cancer. It's worth your time. Maybe on a lunch break you can find time to do this. If at all possible spend 20 minutes a day without sunscreen or glasses, just close your eyes and face the sun. The activator is actually in your eyelids!
5. Exercise - Since we live in a society that is so focused on what we look like many of us look at exercise as our route to fitting into those jeans that are 2 sizes too small now. It is crucial to overcome that because if that is your only driving force you will make unhealthy choices to accomplish your goal. I have had too many conversations with people that are more than willing to take a diet pill, laxative, or anything else if it promises weight loss. I have been that person so I completely relate but know it is not in any way living in abundance. If during your prayer time you would focus on simply becoming the healthy, whole person that God created you to be then He will help you make exercise a time that is devoted to your health. Killing yourself with a workout for the sake of the bikini is wrong and indicates a self worth issue. Please refer to my Self Worth blog post. I hope that doesn't offend you but I wish someone had said that to me a few years ago and maybe I would have opened my eyes sooner. Exercise has benefits that I could use 10 blogs to describe, most of you know them already. For those of you who don't this is for you. Start simply and slowly. An important key to health is moving lymphatic fluid, which does not have a pump for flow, it is dependent on our movement. I personally like to walk and try to walk an hour most days, I have tried so many different things and find that walking helps me mentally, spiritually, and physically. The key is finding an exercise that does that for you. I have a sister who runs, and runs, and runs. She is amazing and I would love to be like her. However, I am not and running for me brings dread at this point in my life. Maybe one day I will run but for now I am doing the thing that brings healing to me. If you are sedentary and do not exercise just apply this simple thought to get started.....move your body everyday. Don't focus on the amount of time or effort now, simply move. As you feel better you will increase, but be patient with yourself. God is full of grace and sometimes we need to extend some to ourselves!
6. Food/Supplements - Since there are so many "diets" out there I am not going into specifics on that topic. I will simply say this.....it is crucial that you begin to eat the way God intended humans to eat. Processed food does NOT fit into that picture. If you do one thing to change your diet simply remove processed food. What's processed? If it can sit on a shelf for 2 weeks without decay throw it away. Honey is the only food that doesn't decay. I highly recommend the book "Food Rules" by Michael Pollen that simply helps you understand what food is versus what non food is. Preservatives are not food. Now on to supplementation which I prefer to be in the form of herbs because they are derived from plants, aka food. If you are the person that gets online and sees this supplement is good for ____ so I am taking it and you have a cabinet filled with supplements I want to challenge you. Medicine treats symptoms and often supplements do the same thing. Although I would rather use an herb to treat a symptom wouldn't it be better to get to the root of the problem and make the change there. The vast majority of symptoms are a result of weakness in the body, that's what has to change. If I continually have urinary infections and I take antibiotics, or use natural remedies and never do anything to improve the obvious weakness in my urinary system then I may one day end up with a more serious urinary problem. I hope that makes sense to you. We all need to find the weakest link in our bodies, then nourish that system with foods and supplements that are known to help those areas become stronger. For instance the glandular system thrives on iodine. So since there is thyroid disease in my family and I have had some symptoms that point in that direction I am not going to sit around worrying about my thyroid but I am going to eat iodine rich food such as seaweed and take an iodine supplement in the natural form of dulse which is derived from sea vegetables, simply to nourish a system that could otherwise cause me problems without extra nutrients.
7. 70/30 - This is probably my favorite part. If I am a healthy person and I do all of the above steps right 70% of the time then 30% I can slack. I happen to be extremely imperfect and this 30% allows me to be without feeling like a failure. If you have a serious health issue then that percentage needs adjusting. My husband is probably 90/10 or better. If weight loss is a big issue for you then make an adjustment, if you are losing a large amount of weight then it will work but if it's that last 10 pounds the 30% will keep you from it. I basically had to decide that I would rather the 10 pounds stay than give up my 30%. Maybe one day that will change but not before I go to Italy.
I pray this is beneficial to you. As always if you would like to make an appointment for a consultation I would be happy to help you develop a program specifically for you. The key to #6 is determining what your weakest link is. I have numerous tools for doing that.
The product feature this week is Silver Shield. This is a product I cannot do without. Until we are perfect, which will be when we get to heaven, the truth of the matter is we will always need something to treat "symptoms". Whether it is a cut, a sore throat, earache, etc., this product is amazing for all of these. It is a liquid that can be used as a nasal spray, eye drop, ear drop, topically on cuts, rashes, taken orally for literally any infection or things that would be treated with antibiotics. If I were stranded on a deserted island this is the one product I would want with me. Here is a fact sheet on it and I have to say after much research about the way it is made and the concentration of it....Nature's Sunshine's is truly the best on the market.
http://www.naturessunshine.com/content/us/sku/factsheet/4274.
Please keep me in your prayers for safe travels. If you need products while I am gone this week my husband, Mike, will be taking care of my business. His number is 610-6474.
Blessings,
Nicole
Last week I mentioned a seven step plan to living in "abundance" as far as health is concerned, which I also think can translate into other areas of your life. Here they are.....
1. Prayer - I personally am a follower of Christ and my prayers are to Him. I believe with all my heart that He is the true source of healing no matter what methodology we use, naturopathic, allopathic, or integrative. The scripture says "every good and perfect gift comes from above", so I think it is crucial to live a prayerful life. If you are not a believer in Christ I still believe there is great benefit from prayer, so go for it. Just be open to what God has for you, He very well may lead you to His son.
2. Peaceful living - This is connected to prayer but requires more effort from you. This is focused relaxation. Which can include many things......reading, massage, journaling, knitting, etc. Things that make you feel relaxed. Most importantly however this is living in peace with others, including husbands, wives, children, in laws, okay this list could go on but you know where I'm going. Just choose peace. Remember sometimes it's better to be at peace than to be "right". Most things are not worth the argument.
3. Water - I know there are a thousand studies out there that you have read, you KNOW the importance of water. We need to drink good quality water.....filtered tap water has actually been found to be better than bottled. We really need to stop filling landfills with water bottles anyway. The goal for water intake should be 1/2 of your body weight in ounces, or at the absolute minimum 8 glasses a day. One problem we have is the consumption of other drinks that actually dehydrate.....coffee, soft drinks, alcohol, then we do not counter balance with water. Many of us live in a very dehydrated state and this simple change could increase your health tremendously.
4. Fresh air/ Sunshine - Sunshine is the #1 source of Vitamin D!!! It actually does not provide it but activates our bodies own mechanism for producing it. I love that, our bodies really are a miracle in themselves. Our generation spends so much time inside and we have the list of ailments to prove it. Just sitting outside, breathing fresh air and letting the sun shine on our face is wonderful for us. The list of ailments that are attributed to a D deficiency is quite long but ranges from depression to cancer. It's worth your time. Maybe on a lunch break you can find time to do this. If at all possible spend 20 minutes a day without sunscreen or glasses, just close your eyes and face the sun. The activator is actually in your eyelids!
5. Exercise - Since we live in a society that is so focused on what we look like many of us look at exercise as our route to fitting into those jeans that are 2 sizes too small now. It is crucial to overcome that because if that is your only driving force you will make unhealthy choices to accomplish your goal. I have had too many conversations with people that are more than willing to take a diet pill, laxative, or anything else if it promises weight loss. I have been that person so I completely relate but know it is not in any way living in abundance. If during your prayer time you would focus on simply becoming the healthy, whole person that God created you to be then He will help you make exercise a time that is devoted to your health. Killing yourself with a workout for the sake of the bikini is wrong and indicates a self worth issue. Please refer to my Self Worth blog post. I hope that doesn't offend you but I wish someone had said that to me a few years ago and maybe I would have opened my eyes sooner. Exercise has benefits that I could use 10 blogs to describe, most of you know them already. For those of you who don't this is for you. Start simply and slowly. An important key to health is moving lymphatic fluid, which does not have a pump for flow, it is dependent on our movement. I personally like to walk and try to walk an hour most days, I have tried so many different things and find that walking helps me mentally, spiritually, and physically. The key is finding an exercise that does that for you. I have a sister who runs, and runs, and runs. She is amazing and I would love to be like her. However, I am not and running for me brings dread at this point in my life. Maybe one day I will run but for now I am doing the thing that brings healing to me. If you are sedentary and do not exercise just apply this simple thought to get started.....move your body everyday. Don't focus on the amount of time or effort now, simply move. As you feel better you will increase, but be patient with yourself. God is full of grace and sometimes we need to extend some to ourselves!
6. Food/Supplements - Since there are so many "diets" out there I am not going into specifics on that topic. I will simply say this.....it is crucial that you begin to eat the way God intended humans to eat. Processed food does NOT fit into that picture. If you do one thing to change your diet simply remove processed food. What's processed? If it can sit on a shelf for 2 weeks without decay throw it away. Honey is the only food that doesn't decay. I highly recommend the book "Food Rules" by Michael Pollen that simply helps you understand what food is versus what non food is. Preservatives are not food. Now on to supplementation which I prefer to be in the form of herbs because they are derived from plants, aka food. If you are the person that gets online and sees this supplement is good for ____ so I am taking it and you have a cabinet filled with supplements I want to challenge you. Medicine treats symptoms and often supplements do the same thing. Although I would rather use an herb to treat a symptom wouldn't it be better to get to the root of the problem and make the change there. The vast majority of symptoms are a result of weakness in the body, that's what has to change. If I continually have urinary infections and I take antibiotics, or use natural remedies and never do anything to improve the obvious weakness in my urinary system then I may one day end up with a more serious urinary problem. I hope that makes sense to you. We all need to find the weakest link in our bodies, then nourish that system with foods and supplements that are known to help those areas become stronger. For instance the glandular system thrives on iodine. So since there is thyroid disease in my family and I have had some symptoms that point in that direction I am not going to sit around worrying about my thyroid but I am going to eat iodine rich food such as seaweed and take an iodine supplement in the natural form of dulse which is derived from sea vegetables, simply to nourish a system that could otherwise cause me problems without extra nutrients.
7. 70/30 - This is probably my favorite part. If I am a healthy person and I do all of the above steps right 70% of the time then 30% I can slack. I happen to be extremely imperfect and this 30% allows me to be without feeling like a failure. If you have a serious health issue then that percentage needs adjusting. My husband is probably 90/10 or better. If weight loss is a big issue for you then make an adjustment, if you are losing a large amount of weight then it will work but if it's that last 10 pounds the 30% will keep you from it. I basically had to decide that I would rather the 10 pounds stay than give up my 30%. Maybe one day that will change but not before I go to Italy.
I pray this is beneficial to you. As always if you would like to make an appointment for a consultation I would be happy to help you develop a program specifically for you. The key to #6 is determining what your weakest link is. I have numerous tools for doing that.
The product feature this week is Silver Shield. This is a product I cannot do without. Until we are perfect, which will be when we get to heaven, the truth of the matter is we will always need something to treat "symptoms". Whether it is a cut, a sore throat, earache, etc., this product is amazing for all of these. It is a liquid that can be used as a nasal spray, eye drop, ear drop, topically on cuts, rashes, taken orally for literally any infection or things that would be treated with antibiotics. If I were stranded on a deserted island this is the one product I would want with me. Here is a fact sheet on it and I have to say after much research about the way it is made and the concentration of it....Nature's Sunshine's is truly the best on the market.
http://www.naturessunshine.com/content/us/sku/factsheet/4274.
Please keep me in your prayers for safe travels. If you need products while I am gone this week my husband, Mike, will be taking care of my business. His number is 610-6474.
Blessings,
Nicole
love this blog!! You are speaking my language!! Have a safe trip and enjoy!
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