Sometimes the simplest of shifts can produce profound results. We tend to believe that the changes needed to improve our health must be radical, uncomfortable and take incredible amounts of patience, willpower and time.
What if I told you it doesn’t have to be that hard? That you can make tiny steps in the right direction and create remarkable improvements to your health?
‘Crazy!’ You yell.
‘I don’t buy it!’ You cry.
‘If it was this easy everyone would be doing it!’ You shrug.
Ever have that eureka moment when you’ve shifted one small thing in your day and the results have been super awesome?
Let me show you just how simple this can be:
Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning
According to Salem et al. (2014), drinking a glass of room temperature water with a slice of lemon first thing in the morning can have profound benefits for our health. The antioxidant qualities, high vitamin C content and detoxification ability of lemon will improve brain, liver and kidney function after their hard work all night
Get bright outdoor light in your eyes before 10 am
In 2017, researchers from Turkey found that getting bright light in your eyes in the early morning from 8 am to 10 am for a just few minutes five days in a row helps the quality of the next evening’s sleep
Eat 9+ servings of vegetables every day
Researchers from the University of Iowa showed in 2019 that enjoying 9 + servings of a wide variety vegetables each day has the ability to become vitally important modulators of our neuromuscular and immune systems
Be mindful of your breath
In the Netherlands, the Nijmegen Institute for Infection, Inflammation and Immunity, and Laboratory Medicine at the Radboud University Medical Centre showed in 2014 that brief periods of daily meditation, breathing exercises and cold exposure (like a brief cold shower or a jump in a lake) can actually help to down regulate your sympathetic (flight, fright or freeze) nervous system and up regulate your innate immune system
Go to sleep before 11 pm
In 2019, according to Victoria Bliznak of the University of Arizona, those of us with bedtimes close to 11pm report the fewest challenges with mental health, sleep, and functioning. Going to sleep before 8 pm or after 1 am can significantly affect our performance the next day.
While these five steps seem very simple, they will do much to help your blood sugar regulation and the health of a huge number of organs (brain, liver and kidneys to name a few!).
Curious about why these habits are the foundation of good health? Maybe you’d like to find out more about the research behind these steps? Watch for our announcement next week as we open our newest course for registration:
Nutrition Counselling for Kinesiologists
This two day course offered live online on July 24 & 25 from 10 AM to 1 PM EST will show kinesiology practitioners how to stay within their huge scope of practice while following the competencies outlined by the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario.
We’ll discuss the wide range of advice that you can provide for your clients while understanding when referrals to other nutrition professionals is best. We’re sure you’ll pick up some great tips for your clients - and quite possibly for yourself too!
Want to join us but perhaps you’re not a kinesiologist? You’re most welcome! Find out more in your inbox early next week!
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