Beyond Food and Fitness

We all want to be fit, but staying fit long term requires true dedication to overall wellness. Yes, focusing on eating healthy foods and maintaining a good fitness level is important, but several other non-traditional factors may play a role in your wellness equation. Here are my three favorite creative wellness tips for those who truly want to stay fit for life. Balance your cortisol levels Cortisol is a steroid hormone that releases from the adrenal glands as a response to stress. From rush hour traffic to last minute work deadlines and family drama, our bodies are in a chronic state of stress. When starved of key nutrients or flooded with a chronic or excessive amount of cortisol, our body switches to survival mode. As a result, some symptoms include: abdominal weight gain, infertility, hair loss, insomnia, migraines, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. If this sounds like you, there are saliva tests that are helpful in assessing cortisol imbalance. This is a great tool to get a handle on your levels of cortisol throughout the day. Think green and detox One practice that is particularly destructive to our personal health and well-being is the use of toxic chemicals in our food supply, household cleaning products and personal care products, laundry soap and bleach. These synthetic chemicals are absorbed into your body through the skin and breathing, creating a toxic wasteland right in your own body! The body gets overloaded with toxic substances that cannot be eliminated through normal means. This toxic overload causes poor health and illness. There are ways to limit your body’s toxicity level. First, educate yourself on green living choices. Next, consider body cleansing or detoxification to flush your system and start on the road to clean living. Expose yourself to negative ions Another type of toxic substance we are all exposed to is positive ions. Some examples include computers, cell phones and electronics. This exposure raises rates of cancers, stress, sleep disorders and many other illnesses. You can combat this by exposing yourself to negative ions (anions). Although there has been a lot of controversy over whether this actually works, recent scientific studies say it definitely does. I put the theory to the test and have been wearing an anion infused silicone bracelet and am now a firm believer. I have noticed that the aches and pains I had become accustomed to living with as a life-long athlete are virtually gone! Don’t take my word for it, try it out yourself and see. Some other suggested benefits of anion exposure include increased metabolism, improved digestion and cell rejuvenation, just to name a few.

For more tips on creating balance and living well visit www.balancewellnesscare.com