5 Steps to A Healthier You

6:35 PM Posted by jo

It can be confusing to know where to start when it comes to health, so I thought it was a good idea to put together a mini guide to my blog. Below are five steps with links to suitable posts that will make it easier for you to become healthier.

I'm an aromatherapist so naturally I write a lot about aromatherapy, Young Living and essential oils. I run Naturally Sports & Wellness together with husband, so I also cover topics such as wellness, fitness, sports, diet, and nutrition too. As a distributor of Nature's Sunshine I have a passion for herbals and supplements, and I love to share how to use their products in for health building and sickness. Our family has recently made the switch to the Paleo Diet, which means that we exclude grains, legumes, and dairy in our diet.

1. It all starts with the diet

It starts with a good diet, and this is especially important to remember when using natural remedies. Many still believe they can use natural remedies like regular medicine, but in order for a remedy to be really successful you need to address the diet as well. It doesn't make sense to purchase expensive remedies if the diet is bad. Don't forget that food is medicine. Whole foods, un-refined products, fresh fruit and vegetables, high quality protein, non-refined sugar and flour (I prefer a grain-free diet) should be the goal. Packaged food, refined products, artificial ingredients, and trans fatty acids weaken the immune system.

Here are some of my favorite posts to get you started:

7 Pillars of Prevention * How I Replaced Refined Sugar in Our House * Why pH Balancing Is Important * Why It is Important to Remove Toxins * Juicing - Get The Kids Involved * Why Are Children So Often Sick? * Most Children Are Not Drinking Enough Water * Blueberries- Yummy Superfods for Children * Why Eat A Paleo? * Is The Paleo Diet Beneficial for Autoimmune Diseases? * Getting Started On The Paleo Diet * Grain and Dairy Free Snacks for Kids * Why I Don't Eat Canned Tuna Anymore * Dr.Jensen's Juicing Therapy * Cooking

2. Eliminate toxins in your life

Toxins found in cleaning products, body and skin care products, pesticides, and in the environment cause a toxic overload on the body. This will eventually lead to disease. Even though our body is designed to deal with a certain amount of toxins, it wasn't meant to deal with the huge amount of toxins we are exposed to today. Today we face a toxic overload from chemicals in the food, cell phone and other EMF radiations, heavy metals, and industrial pollution.

Some exposure to toxins are out of our control, but we should do our best to minimize the exposure by changing things that we can control:

use non-toxic cleaning products
buy better food without chemicals, non-GMO.
stop using the microwave
replace the aluminum foil
use more glass instead of plastic
use natural ingredients in your beauty products
use organic pesticides
use essential oils instead of commercialized air fresheners
don't use products with flouride
avoid fish high in mercury

My favorite posts:

Natural Cleaning * Cleaning With Essential Oils * Are You Letting Your Daughter Be Exposed to Secret Chemicals? * Why it Is Important to Reduce Toxins * Vinegar Uses for the Garden * Essential Oils for the Garden * Toxic Mold vs. Essential Oils * Natural Dental Care * Heavy Metal Toxicity * Cleansing with Essential Oils * Do You Need to Clean The Brain? * Make Your Own Body and Skin Care Products * Radiation - Tips on how to Protect Yourself with Essential Oils

3. Health Building

As mentioned previously, diet is the first step and we should aim to get as many nutrients as possible from the diet. Depleted soil due do over-farming, long transportation time, cold storage, and picking the produce too early all affect the nutrient content of the food. Studies have shown that vegetables and fruit contain different amounts of iron for example. Cabbage can vary in it's iron content from 94 ppm to 0 ppm, and tomatoes can vary in iron content from 1,938 ppm to 1 ppm. So today you cannot be sure the fruit and vegetables have the vitamins you need.

Stress also depletes the nutrients in the body, and so does eating a diet high in nutrient robbers such as refined sugars. Certain prescribed and over -the -counter medication deplete the body of important nutrients. Aspirin triples the vitamin C excretion, and Acetaminophen reduces the glutathione in the liver. Statin drugs lower the COQ10 levels, and anti-depressants reduces the B-vitamins in the body. There are plenty of other drugs that also will deplete the body of vital nutrients in the body.

Deficiencies and toxicity are the major causes of disease today, so the goal should be to make sure the body has enough nutrients, and to make sure you cleanse regularly.

My favorite posts:

All Supplements are Not The Same * Spirulina, Bee-Pollen, and Alfafa - My Favorite Super Food Supplements * Do You Get Enough Vitamin C? * The Master Tonic - A Powerful Immune Booster * Dr.Jensen's Juicing Therapy * Make Healthy Shakes * Boost Your Immune System Naturally * We Eat Our Sunscreen * Why pH balancing is So Important * 7 Pillars of Prevention * Evening Primrose and the Importance of GLA * Flavonoids * Cellfood * Capsicum * Why Eat A Paleo? * Getting Started On The Paleo Diet * Grain and Dairy Free Snacks for Kids *

4. Use Natural Remedies instead of Pharmaceuticals

It is much safer to use natural remedies instead of pharmaceuticals, but remember just because something is natural doesn't always mean it is safe. When using essential oils it is especially important to consider any contraindications of the oils, as well as remember that certain oils may be contraindicated in certain conditions.

My favorite posts:

Boost Your Immune System Naturally * The Common Cold * Candida albicans * Sore Throat * Respiratory & Immune System * Varicose Veins * Adrenal Health * Bronchitis * Thyroid Health * Anxiety * Asthma * Painful Conditions * Leaky Gut Syndrome * Allergies * Yeast Overgrowth * Ways to Use Silver Shield * First Line of Defense - Silver Shield

Children:

Food Poisoning * Fevers * E.Oil and Infants * E.Oils and Newborns * Herbal Remedies for Young Children * Aromatherapy

Female Issues:

PMS * Perimenopause * Especially for Women * Pregnancy * Birth * Painful Cramps * Morning Sickness * Stretch Marks

First aid:
Protect Your Family- E.Oil First Aid Kit * How to deal with a Scorpion Sting * Herbs and Oils in My First Aid Kit * Antiseptic Vinegar * Lavender to the Rescue

5. Wellness and Fitness

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save and preserve it."
Plato - 350 BC

"Positive health requires a knowledge of man's primary constitution and of the powers of various foods, both those natural and those resulting from human skill. But eating alone is not enough for health. There must be exercise of which the effects must likewise be known. If there is any deficiency in food or exercise, the body will fall sick."
Hippocrates - 5th Century BC

My favorite posts:

Exercise & Physical Activity (a naturallysports.com post) * Add Essential Oils to the Weight Loss Program * Why We Do Cardio After Weights * Let Metabolism Work In Your Favor * A Great Family Sport * Tips - Reduce Body Fat * Why Body Composition is More Reliable than the Scale * The Anti-Fatigue Potential of Noni * Tone and Firm the Skin * Estrogen and Progesterone * Thyroid Hormones * Adrenal Hormones * Insulin *

I hope this will make it easier to find the information you need. I am also working on a post that will make it easier to find the information you need in order to get started making your own products.

Thanks for visiting!

Johanna is an aromatherapist and an independent distributor of Young Living Essential Oils and Nature's Sunshine. She is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives. She also runs Naturally Sports & Wellness together with her husband.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information. Don't forget to explore her new aromatherapy new blog

This post is linked up to Monday Mania hosted by The Healthy Home Economist,
and to WFMW.