Paying attention to your health NOW is your insurance policy to live a longer, healthier life as you age.

You’ve heard the sayings “Let Food Be Thy Medicine” and “Would you Rather Pay For Health Care or Sick Care”?

Having chronic or serious health conditions can cost you more later if you wait to invest in your health right now. We never think poor health will happen to us…until it does.

Here are some things that you can start doing today to be healthier now AND live a longer, healthier life.

• Stop eating excess sugar, fat and salt. Limit or eliminate the amount of processed food that you eat, especially processed meats.
• Add 3 servings of fresh fruit and 5-6 servings of fresh vegetables a day to your daily diet. ( It’s not as hard as you think!)
• Add fiber to your diet. You should be getting at least 25-35 grams of fiber a day. For example, ½ cup of black beans has 7.5 grams of fiber.
• Drink water! Many people confuse thirst for hunger. The clearer your urine is, the more hydrated you are.
• Eat more antioxidants. Found in berries, dark leafy greens, nuts, dark chocolate, turmeric, cinnamon, anti-oxidants help to fight free radical which helps reduce inflammation and prevent chronic diseases like, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression etc.
• Move more. Try to get AT LEAST 30-60 minutes of cardio in 3x a week. You will ALWAYS feel great after moving your body.
• Stretch. Regular stretching helps to prevent injuries and improves your flexibility as you age.
• Sleep. Sleep helps to restore the body. Sleeping too little may result in weight gain due to increased cortisol levels.
• Decrease stress. Chronic high stress can lead to increased inflammation in the body and increased cortisol levels which can lead to weight gain. Try a great meditation app like CALM.
• Supplement. Our soil isn’t what is used to be and our food isn’t as nutrient dense as it used to be either. Our bodies are under more stress than ever before as times and technology has changed. Supplements are meant to be just that, supplemental to a diet that is deficient in certain nutrients. It’s always best to get your nutrients from food. But, as a nutritionist I do know that many people eliminate certain foods and food groups from their diets. So if you supplement be sure to use a high quality vitamin that is bio-available to your body. Not all vitamins are created equal. Cheaper store bought vitamins typically have artificial fillers and colors and aren’t giving you the health benefit you are hoping for. Many don’t even have the total amounts listed on the label. I use the Nutrametrix Multi-Vitamin and also recommend it to my clients.

Some supplements that you want to take in addition to a multivitamin to live a longer, healthy life are:

Calcium
Many people don’t eat enough calcium-containing foods. This can add to a person’s risk of developing osteoporosis, or weakened bones. The recommended amount of calcium for most adults is about 1200 mg per day.

Vitamin D
Some of the vitamin D you need comes from the food you eat, but most of it is made by your body after exposure to sun. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and the two nutrients are often combined into one supplement. An average adult needs at least 2000-5000 IU of vitamin D.

Fish Oil
Omega-3 fatty acids will help prevent cardiovascular disease. Fatty fish is the best dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, though plants such as flax contain omega-3 fatty acids. Studies suggest that 0.5 to 1.8 grams of fish oil per day is an effective amount.

The bottom line is that you need to be pro-active in your health. You need to be your biggest advocate.

How you take care of yourself is a choice…choose healthy.

If you want to take a step towards being healthy now AND living a longer, healthier life, schedule a free discovery call with me now.