A strong foundation is essential for a healthy and successful life.  Listen to learn about the three pillars of a strong foundation.

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On Today’s Episode

Rhythm of Life – How I uncluttered my mind by throwing away Martha Stewart
Tune-up Tip – The proper order to eat your food
Random Riffs  – Out of Whack
Feature Segment – Practicing the Fundamentals

Rhythm of Life – How I uncluttered my mind by throwing away Martha Stewart

I decluttered my den by throwing away a bunch of magazines that I had not read.  Underneath the pile I found a book called “The Simple Home” which said:  Simple is enough.

Listen to hear what simple actions you can take to simplify your life.

Tune-Up – Eat Vegetables First

We all hear that we should eat 7 servings per day of fruits and vegetables.

Here’s one quick tip to eat more vegetables:   Eat vegetables first.

For detailed information in support of this, click here.
Why might this work?  I have a theory:  people tend to want more of what hits their taste buds first!

Try this experiment on your own.  Eat your vegetables first, see what happens, and share your experience with this group.

Random Riffs – Out of Whack

I often use the expression “out of whack” as a means to express that I’m not quite myself or the situation is out of whack – something has gone wrong.

What does it actually mean?   Where does it come from?
Is the opposite of out of whack in whack?!  Listen to find out.

Feature Segment – Practicing the Fundamentals

Our life has fundamentals; things we should practice every day to keep our life in good working order.  Foundation principles: Food, Movement, Sleep.   Without a strong foundation, our stability is impaired.

How strong is your foundation?

A strong foundation not only improves our heath, but also impacts our success at work and our relationships.  Do a regular foundation inspection to see where it is strong, and to detect cracks or weaknesses.

Take a:

• Physical inventory – do you have enough strength and stamina to do your daily activities – lifting, carrying, walking up stairs, climbing hills, energy for the day
• Mental inventory – assess your memory, creativity, ability to focus
• Emotional inventory – ability to think clearly in difficulty, positive/negative, hope, joy

And then nourish the three pillars of your foundation:

Food
Good, wholesome, nutritious food helps our body function at its best.  Our bodies are built to heal themselves whenever possible, and food plays a huge role in this function.

Questions to ask yourself about food:

1. What percent of my meals are made at home?
2. How much of the time do I eat whole foods, foods that have not been processed?
3. How much sugar do I get in my food?
4. How many servings of vegetables and fruit do I eat in a day?
5. Do I eat when hungry or for any other reasons?

Reference these links on the health and healing benefits of healthy food versus poor food choices.

Celestial Healing
FitDay article 
Dr. Mercola
Mayo Clinic
Sugar consumption
Added and hidden sugar

A healthy diet is a lifestyle, not a project.

For more information on modifying your nutrition plan, see Episode 5, and the Tune-up Tip in several other podcast episodes.

Movement      
Movement is critical to our health.  Exercise is one important type of movement, but not the only one.  Just as important is the time you spend moving around throughout the day.

Lack of movement can have negatives effects of the body and our emotions.
Ask yourself:

1. How often do I exercise? Am I giving my body what it needs?
2. How much other movement do I get?
3. How often do I get up from my chair?
4. Am I training at the right intensity for me?

Keep focus on moving throughout the day, and you have a much higher likelihood of being active and healthy for a long time.

Sleep
Sleep is one of the most under-rated, health improvement techniques and productivity tools, and a key pillar to our foundation.  Sleep helps our immune system, reduces injury and chronic pain, helps us remember.

And yet we still try to shave sleep in an effort to be more productive; instead we are chronically exhausted.  Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep per night.   When we sleep well, our bodies metabolize food better.  Our brains repair the damage done by stress; our emotions are put into perspective.  Proper sleep can even improve our sex life!

Read about the benefits of sleep and the reasons why sleep can lay the foundation for a better life.

Questions to ask yourself about sleep:

1.   How often do I sleep on average per night?
2.   How much time before bed do I turn off all electronics?
3.   Do I have an intentional bedtime ritual that signals to my body that it is time to sleep?
4.   How refreshed do I feel in the morning?

Make sleep a priority.  Increased movement and better nutrition will contribute to better sleep.

What Next?

• Choose one of the pillars to start with.  Do something that will be an easy and quick win. Feel what it’s like to succeed at living a healthy life in support of your foundation. Then keep adding healthy actions and choices as you go. Over time you will find you have made great strides.
• Celebrate each success and milestone.
• Re- take that physical, mental, and emotional inventory again, and assess how you are now. Encourage yourself thru your success.
• Listen to the tune-up tips in this podcast so you can make informed decisions that are right for YOU.
• Share your comments and successes with the group.
• And, most of all….Enjoy the journey!

Health is not a destination that you reach and then forget about.  Food, movement and sleep are the foundation upon which the rest of your life is built.  Feed and nourish that foundation.  It will be the springboard for a full, rich, and rewarding life.