11 Odd but Simple Ways to Improve Your Health

Each year there are thousands of new articles and books aimed at helping you lose weight and stay in shape. Most of these only focus on the cornerstones of good health: diet and exercise. Same message, new words right?

Well, there is no mistaking the fact that diet and exercise are crucial to your existence. However, what if you want to go deep? What if you want to do something radical to shake up a monotonous healthy routine?

Instead of just getting by, this list will get you started with some uncommon ways that you can help you go above and beyond to create total health.

• Try using Neti pots. This age old nasal rinse technique removes mucus and build up of pollution in the nasal passages. It also helps prevent respiratory tract infections, relieves allergies, colds, sinusitis and is beneficial in the treatment of headaches and migraines.
• Brushing your skin? We all know that the skin is the largest organ in the body. It is responsible for one-fourth of the body’s daily detoxification. When you do skin brushing, you help your lymph system to clean itself of the toxins that collect in the lymph glands.
• Make fasting a regular habit. Short and long term fasts can improve health through detoxification and rejuvenation of the body. When the body is not using the majority of its energy for digestion, it is able to use its energy on healing and restoration. The digestive system is given a much needed rest while the body is able to detoxify. As always, you should consult a medical practitioner before attempting a fast.
• Use colon hydrotherapy. Cleansing the colon has many health benefits. It reduces the pressure in the abdominal area, reduces weight, expels parasites and helps promote regular elimination. Colonics helps restore normal muscle tone and removal of constipation. Water is absorbed through the colon which increases the volume of blood. The circulation of blood increases, resulting in greater bathing of the cells. This dilutes the toxins and helps flush them out.
• Breathe, you’re alive. Breath is life. We can live a long time without food or water, but without breath, we die in minutes. Proper breathing is one of the most important functions of good health. Yet we often breathe shallowly, due to improper posture, stress and other negative influences. In order to breathe properly, our breath should reach the bottom of our lungs. Practice 6 second breathing, 3 seconds on inhale, 3 seconds on exhale. More oxygen will start flowing through your body and you will begin to feel energized. Just by becoming conscious of our breathing, we can have a great impact on our well-being.
• Tai Chi walking. Recent research has shown that walking may be better for us than the more popular running. That’s because physiologically we’ve adapted as hunter-gatherers (more like gatherer-hunters) to walk long distances. We spent the majority of our time walking, not running. Tai Chi walking can help us to take our walking a step further by learning how to adapt to a new way of walking whereby we gain energy with each step.
• Consider getting a new mattress. New memory foam mattresses can help you get a better nights rest which improves your overall feeling of well being. Some of the benefits include, less soreness and stiffness in the morning, no irritating pressure points and a long lasting mattress.
• Buy Masai balance shoes. Designed around the way you naturally walk on sand, these new shoes are designed to put less of a shock on the skeletal system. They are designed with a unique spring level action which helps to make your core strengthening muscles more active, which in turn helps to improve your posture.
• Improve your posture. Poor posture results in shallow breathing, pain in the neck and back, and results in poor circulation of energy throughout the body. Here are a few tips to improve your posture:
  • Sit towards the front of the chair. This will naturally cause you to sit up straight.
  • Try using an exercise ball. Dare to be different, try using an exercise ball as a chair. You’ll force yourself to sit up straight. =) 
  • Take breaks away from the desk. Prolonged sitting in front of the computer will cause your back to become tired more easily. It’s also easier to keep your back straight standing, rather than sitting.
• Bring more plants into your home and workplace. We all know that plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. But did you know plants can also purify the air, removing harmful pollutants? Not only will the air you breathe be fresher, plants also naturally humidify the air reducing allergies and sinusitis. Plants have psychological benefits as well. We are happier, less stressed and more productive in a greener, more natural environment. If you don’t have a little plant at your workstation, get one or two!
• Laugh every day! Whoever said life has to be serious? Studies have shown that laughter decreases stress hormones and can act as a powerful muscle relaxer. Laughter can help you breathe deeper, strengthen your immune system, forget about pain and lower blood pressure. As they say, laughter is the best medicine.

– Jonathan