Daily Habits to Keep the Doctor Away

 You may be considering changing your lifestyle so you can live a more energy filled, sickness-free and healthy life. If you follow me or are in my group I am constantly talking about daily habits.  The difference you can make in your whole life by making small and simple changes every day would amaze you! The trick is to attach these small changes, these new habits that you are forming to things you already do.  One of the other issues may be that you know that changing your diet and exercise routine are part of changing your lifestyle but after that you may be draw a blank. Well I am here to make some suggestions of some daily healthy habits you can start doing to keep you full of energy and illness-free.  

Be Still and Breath
 
You may think that meditation sounds odd for a daily habit that reduces illness. The truth is, meditation can have a direct connection to your overall health. Meditation, which can be done in many forms, helps your body to slow down. It helps you to focus on root issues and find ways to handle those issues so they don't get out of hand.  This is a stress reliever or can be one if you make time for it to your life. Meditation allows you to calm down from daily issues such as problems with your children, work, or just things that are upsetting you. It is a time to breath, reflect and to focus on your overall emotional health. Do not forget that stress can be a killer and finding a way to acknowledge the stressors in your life and having tools to deal with it when it comes up can make such a difference in the way you feel. 
 
If you do not have the tools to deal with these emotional and mental issues, you cause your body to become tense and stressed. This tension and stress can increase your blood pressure, cause headaches, and lead to your immune system breaking down. Simple daily meditation habits can help reduce the stress, increase energy and bonus, it can increase the chances of an illness-free lifestyle.
 
Write it Down
 
You may hear the word journaling and immediately cringe. It does bring to mind to the idea of daily journal entries that can be tedious. The truth is, you can journal in a number of fashions, including video journaling. The reason journaling works to help keep illness at bay is because of what journaling is supposed to do. It has a direct connection to stress levels and can reveal stress inducing instances and people to you that you may not think of as an issue.
 
For example, if you are feeling anxiety and you have worked through the normal checklist of suspects, journaling can help you narrow down the others. By working through a journaling process daily, you will find yourself able to rant, able to release stress, and able to figure out what may be causing undue stress so you can remove it. The reduced stress means a calmer body and mind, which means your body works at a more efficient level and your immune system is healthy and able to fight off illness.
 
If you find you work better with a journaling guide to get you started, one of my favorite tools is a book called “The Artists Way” by Julia Cameron.  I have used the journaling process that I learned in this book through several different hard experiences and it has helped me clarify the issues and get to resolutions that were best for me.  Seriously this book has been a life changer for me.
 
There are other journals that give you prompts as to what to write about, to draw something or that have coloring pages integrated into them.  A journal that I have seen that does this is “Wreck this Journal” by Keri Smith.  Another option is just buying a beautiful journal and simply writing about your day because I do understand some people do not like to draw.  One of my favorite journaling prompts that can change your mood is a gratitude journal.  This can help you see the positives that are happening in your life and help you focus on them.
 
H20
 
I know, I know, here I go again about drinking your water!  But seriously, you may have a great meditation practice, journaling habit, workout routine, and diet routine. You may think that you have it all figured out, but if you are still getting sick, you may be missing the biggest link to reducing that illness. If your hydration is off, you could be causing stress within your body and organ system. There is that word again!  Stress!  Your body needs water to work properly, and no, juicing does not cover it. If you have everything else covered and you are still getting ill, try to increase your water intake. You can do this with several methods, including gallon jug marking and apps that are designed to remind you to drink water.  My rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces of water i.e. if you weigh 120 lbs it is good to try and have 60 ozs of H2O daily. 
 
 
I know these seem overly simple but by applying these habits to your daily routine, you will start to notice that your immune system seems to be stronger and you seem to get sick at a reduced rate. Keep in mind that a lot of the healthy habits you take on have nothing to do with eating or supplements and more to do with keeping your mind and emotions as healthy as everything else. This is why I like the Holistic perspective in health. Whole life, whole body, whole health!

If you want to conquer new daily habits on a monthly basis come over and join me here. 
 
 
XOXO,
 
Jules