How to work with the 6 things that make up YOUR health

Hi and a BIG warm WELCOME to the very first blog post with the new design!! I have to admit, I’m definitely very proud of the new look and health of the GrainBrain website. A few small adjustments left, but other than that it’s pure awesomeness!

Anyway, enough gloating and on to today’s post, and the topic of health, what it is, and what it’s made up of.

Health is a very individual concept. What is healthy for some, may not suffice to qualify to the health category for others. As an example, think of a person that is just getting beck from a leg injury. For this person even walking a few steps can be a challenge. On the other hand, a 5k race is not much for a marathon runner. Or, if a person normally eats junk food, and manages to have a salad once a week, it’s a big step for them. Whilst for a person eating raw food, a salad is definitely on the menu every day.

The key is to find a strategy if you want to become more healthy, where you can do it step by step and progressively get healthier. (something I can definitely help you with!)

So, what is “health” made up of? What are the determining factors of health? It is commonly recognized that there are six things that determine your health and the course if it.

#1 Diet

And by this I don’t mean Atkins, GI, Paleo or anything else but what you eat. Your diet is what you eat, no matter what it is. Then you do have, of course, the power to choose what that consists of. Food can either be your medicine, or it can make you sick and unhealthy. Already good ol’ Hippocrates realized this! So, please, if you want to be healthy, have a longer and more fulfilled life, and minimize down time due to illness, make a change in what you eat already today.

#2 Sleep 

Of course nutrition is only one of the key factors. Sleep is another one. Getting enough sleep is highly important in making your body run more efficiently, do the correct things and renew itself. During the time you sleep is when your body repairs itself, builds up new cells, gets rid of toxins and rests. All this takes some time, so make sure you at least try to sleep 7-8 hours a night. (Not getting enough sleep has also been linked to gaining weight, so if for no other reason sleep for this one.)

#3 Exercise

Yeah, you guessed this might be on here, and it is. Exercise is so incredibly important for the body and for all the little machines it runs to work well. It makes sure you deliver oxygen to all your cells, it lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, keeps your blood sugar more stable, and it even makes sure that mitochondria (the engine of each individual cell) is built like it should. Exercise doesn’t have to mean hours upon hours at the gym, just make sure you do something every day, like a walk, take the bike instead of the car, or do some gardening. (You can find more tips here!)

#4 Stress

Your body does NOT like it when you stress. It actually breaks itself down trying to cope with it. And eating while you’re stressed is like not eating at all, as the body can’t take up any of the nutrients you’re trying to give it. Stress is also highly oxidative (leading to premature ageing, and certain cancers and other illnesses). Make sure you build in time in your day for relaxation, it can be meditation, yoga, a walk, a bath – whatever you want. Every day. (And no, sadly couch potatoing in front of the tv doesn’t count.)

#5 Self view

What you might not have realized, is that what and how you think about yourself also has an impact on your health. This is by far my own personal biggie in order to get healthier. Somehow it is much easier to get stuck in a negative thinking pattern with many “no’s, can’t’s, won’t’s, couldn’t’s, noway’s, don’t’s…” instead of taking a moment and seeing how far you’ve come and celebrate it. Stop being so friggin’ hard on yourself and give yourself some credit already!

#6 Environmental factors

Smog, pollution, greenhouse effects and toxic waste all belong to this category. Some you can avoid quite well with minimal disruptions in your daily life, whereas some others you can’t help but being exposed to. These environmental factors can even go as far as changing our epi-genetics, which is the part of your DNA that you have the power of influencing yourself, as it has an oxidative effect on you. This can mean your ageing process, certain illnesses and so on. (Speaking of which, did Angelina Jolie think of this before replacing her breasts with silicone? Comment below!) This links back to your nutrition and what you eat – do you eat anti-oxidant rich foods (vegetables, fruits, berries…) or food that acts as a further oxidative?

These six points are all incredibly important when it comes to your health. I’d love to hear what your thoughts on “health” are? What do you do to stay healthy? And, what about Angelina?

Thank you for reading. Much love to you.

Hanna

(Idea: well.org)