What is Health?
Health is more than merely the presence or absence of disease or symptoms, it is a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being. We are more than our pieces and parts.
Your Symptoms are a Check Engine Light, they are your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t right.
How to Measure Your Level of Health:
What is Your General Tone? Higher tones such as Enthusiasm and Cheerfulness are generally healthier than tones of Boredom, Anger, Anxiety or Fear. These lower tones are more susceptible to disease, catch the common cold, are prone to arthritis, endocrine, and neurological disorders and are more accident-prone.
What is Your Diet Like? I know, I know, but nutrition plays a BIG part. Rather than focusing on fad diets and the latest health book that is making medical claims, focus on what our ancestors ate before diseases such as cancer, diabetes or food sensitivities ever existed. Avoid a diet of highly processed food. Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the aisles where canned and boxed foods are sold. Read labels and avoid foods with long ingredient lists or names that you cannot pronounce. Get a variety and eat seasonally and locally. Eat organic when possible. Check out the Facebook event, What to eat, what not to eat here.
Do You Get Enough Water? Our bodies are 2/3 water and we lose a lot of that through our skin and respiration every day. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example: if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to consume at least 75 ounces of water. Hydration Test: pinch the skin on the top of your hand, if it stays peaked, you are dehydrated. What color is your pee? It should be clear!
How Many Hours Do You Sleep? Can you fall asleep easily, stay asleep throughout the night and wake up feeling refreshed and rested? Do you dream? Studies show that people need at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night and the cumulative loss of sleep can take decades off of your life expectancy. The deeper stages of sleep called REM is when our bodies heal and repair.
How Well Do You Adapt? This is an indicator of how well your nervous system works. Can you adapt to changes in temperature easily? If you get startled can you react and then recover quickly or do you stay revved up? Sympathetic nervous system = fight or flight. Parasympathetic nervous system = rest, digest and repair. Can you fight off the common cold or do you stay sick for a lengthened period?
What Does Your Posture Look Like? Forward head posture and rounded shoulders puts stress on the heart and lungs and can increase mortality rates by 1.4 times! Your ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle should all be in a straight line.
What is Your Energy Level Like? Do you get tired from the foods you eat? Do you “crash” mid afternoon? Do you require sweets, carbs or caffeine to keep going? If you answered yes, it may be time to review what you are eating and how it REALLY makes you feel.
What Do You Look Like? Someone who is generally well will have healthy skin, hair and nails. There should be a brightness in their eyes.
Do You Smell? Bad breath and body odor can be a sign of dysfunction.
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