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Taking Care of Your Body

What is Optimal Health?

It is a combination of physical, emotional, and social well-being.

Making healthy choices in all 3 areas every day will help improve the quality of your life. Over time, these daily choices will become healthy habits that will promote lifelong health and wellness.

Physical: Good Nutrition, Fitness, Regular Exercise, Safety, Self-Care

Emotional: Self-Esteem, Adaptability, Values, Spirituality, Contentment, Coping

Social: Relationships, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Support System, Belonging, Friends

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live” -Jim Rohn

Heart Health:
3 risk factors contribute significantly to heart disease:
smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol:
all of which are totally within your control.  Choose not to smoke. Lower blood pressure by keeping salt intake low, removing animal fats, adding more fruits and vegetables, avoiding alcohol, engaging in 30 minutes of physical activity. Lower cholesterol by eliminating animal products, maintaining a healthy weight, eating foods high in fiber, avoiding long-term stress.
Cancer Prevention :

Even if cancer runs in your family (as it does in mine), you can make daily food and lifestyle choices that can reduce your risk: 

avoid dairy, red meat, and all animal products, avoid smoked, picked and charbroiled foods,
avoid alcohol or restrict to 1 drink at day,
avoid smoking and inhaling smoky air,
avoid excess radiation, radon gas, and x-rays, limit exposure to asbestos, and chemical and industrial agents linked to cancer,
eat 8 or more servings of (organic) fruits and vegetables daily, eat foods  high in fiber and rich in vitamins A and C including broccoli and other colorful vegetables, perform regular self-exams.
Tips for Taking Care of Your Body:
Move your body daily: aerobic activity, strength training, flexibility and strength activity
Drink plenty of water: your body weight in half is the number of appropriate ounces daily
Manage stress: laugh, speak kindly,
take a warm bath, practice deep breathing,
get enough sleep, be optimistic, say “no” when you need to, accept yourself the way you are.
Be safe: wear seat belts, install
smoke and carbon monoxide detectors,
lift properly: bend knees, keep head and shoulders up, face the object you wish to life,
do not twist your back when lifting, hold objects close to body when carrying.