2015 Fresh Start: Health Practices for Optimum Wellness

Bad Habits Can Age You 12 Years (Posted By Dr. Mercola | May 11 2010)
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/11/bad-habits-can-age-you-12-years.aspx

Smoking, drinking too much, lack of exercise and poor diet can age you by 12 years. The findings come from a study that tracked close to 5,000 British adults for 20 years. Over the course of the study, 29 percent of the people with all four unhealthy behaviors died. Only 8 percent died among the people with none of the four habits.

Sources:
USA Today April 26, 2010
Archives of Internal Medicine April 26, 2010;170(8):711-8

Is your real calendar age reflective of your cellular health?
1. Examine areas of your life where there is stress. How can you make them less stressful?
2. Prioritize your time. Even if you think you “don’t have time” to relax, have fun, or exercise, these may be the very best remedies to help you cope with stress and rejuvenate.
3. Don’t overbook your schedule. There is a balance between “being” and “doing”
4. Eat in a relaxed setting and chew your food thoroughly.
Remember: digestion begins in the mouth!

Other nutrition resources:

ANDI Score: http://www.eatrightamerica.com/andi-superfoods
Rainbow Diet - 6-8 servings of vegetables per day:

Red: blood oranges, cherries, cranberries, radishes, pomegranates, raspberries, red apples, red beets, red bell pepper, red grapefruit, red grapes, red onions, red pears, red plums, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon.

Orange: apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, nectarines, orange bell peppers, oranges, papayas, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tangerines.

Yellow: banana, butternut squash, corn, yellow grapefruit, lemons, mangos, peaches, pineapple, yellow apples, yellow bell peppers, yellow squash.

Green: asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery, cucumbers, edamame, green apples, green beans, green bell peppers, green grapes, green pears, honeydew melon, kiwi, leafy greens, okra, peas, spinach, sugar snap peas, zucchini.

Blue: blackberries, black raspberries, blueberries, eggplant, purple cabbage, purple carrots, purple grapes, purple plums, prunes, purple potatoes, raisins
Other favorites: garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, celery

5. http://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides - For list of dirty dozen (highest pesticide foods), and clean household and cosmetic products.

6. Regular physical Activity: the best anti-aging toolhealthy body compositionmuscle tone, reduce body fat, flexibility, posture, prevent low back pain and osteoporosis. Great for stress management, cardiovascular health. Types of exercise: cardiovascular, resistance, flexibility. Yoga: increases flexibility, muscle tone and balance.
• Healthy Body composition: more than just appearance! Look deeper at percentage of body fat versus muscle mass, not just BMI or the number on your scale.

7. Sleep: body’s way of repairing itself! Sleep: at least 7-8 hours per night. Growth hormone, or the “anti-aging” hormone, is released during sleep. Sleep helps stimulate tissue regeneration, liver cleansing, muscle building, breakdown of fat stores and normalization of blood sugar. Many health problems are aggravated by inadequate sleep. Sleep gives us renewed vitality, a more positive outlook on life and energy with which we can become our full potential.

8. Stress Management/relaxation/balance: support network from family/friends, and strong connection to community and nature.
• Meditation: great for increasing mental concentration, releasing stress.
• Deep Breathing Exercises: How we breathe has a profound effect on our life and health. Not only does it change how much oxygen is going into our body and how much waste is coming out of our bodies, it also affects cardiac function, immune system function, mood, stress levels, hormone levels, digestion, strength, endurance and a wide variety of other things. In short, how you breathe can influence almost every aspect of your health and wellbeing.
• The most efficient way to breathe is diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing. This is the predominant method of breathing in healthy infants and young children, but as we get older we tend to breathe using our chest and shoulder muscles and less of our diaphragm. It is amazing how many of us are shallow breathers! Bring deep breathing to your awareness.


Dr. Lena Kian
Naturopathic Doctor
408-730-0700
http://www.harmonyhealingclinic.com/

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