Want to improve your health? Don’t we all! Even people who think they are living healthy lifestyles – getting plenty of exercise, taking care with the food they eat, and choosing integrative healthcare providers like your Wilmington dentist – may be missing a few things that could help them get even healthier. Here are a few tips that you may never have thought of.
You should be drinking half your body weight everyday. To avoid being in and out of bed all night, complete your water intake about two hours before bedtime. Drinking spring water or water purified by reverse osmosis can help ease joint pain, prevent headaches, improve circulation of nutrients, help prevent cancer, flush away waste, make your skin glow, and even help you stay in a better mood! And here’s the real news: If you wait until you feel thirsty to have a drink, you are already dehydrated!
That’s right! Because your microwave heats food in a completely different way, heating water molecules by tearing them apart and forcefully deforming them (sounds crazy, right?). That means they can affect the nutritional content of your food as well as exposing you to toxins released from plastic wrappers and containers and radiation leakage. If you have the need for speed, try doubling up on the meals you prepare, freeze half, and warm the second half in the oven.
Even foods that look or sound healthy sometimes contain hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils are some of the most unhealthy additives in foods today. Why? The problem lies in how they are produced. Natural and often healthy oils are put under pressure and heated to extreme temperatures. A catalyst is then injected into the oil, usually a metal such as nickel or aluminum. This rearranges the molecular structure and increases its density. That doesn’t really sound like a natural food to us! Be especially careful with prepared spreads, sauces, mayonnaise, coffee creamers, and baked goods.
Clean living is healthy living.
Walk at least three times a week and keep your heart rate at 55% – 75% of your maximum heart rate. Being outside also helps you get your vitamin D. If you can’t get it naturally, take a capsule of Vitamin D3 with food every day. Your body needs it!
Not enough sleep is one of the leading causes of health problems in Americans. We need 7-9 hours of sleep and it should be in cool, completely dark room. Drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages can disrupt sleep, as can eating just before bed, keeping an irregular sleep schedule, and using electronics in bed. Don’t do it! Get in a regular routine and gently put yourself to sleep the way you would a child. You deserve it!
For even more tips on how to easily incorporate holistic living into your healthy lifestyle, talk to your Wilmington dentist at your next appointment. Don’t have an appointment? Call us today to schedule one!
It all adds up to better health, smile, body, and spirit!