Whether you have a long list of resolutions or are resolutely against them, if you treat your body well, you’re more likely to achieve your goals this year. Going into the new year, make your health a priority. Developing healthy habits and living a healthy lifestyle is the best naturopathic medicine in Springfield Missouri.
Here are a few quick changes you can incorporate into your day-to-day life that will help you feel good and set you on the right track for 2020.
Meal Plan
With online food delivery services, it’s easier than ever to save time and reduce the urge to make unhealthy impulse purchases. You can also designate cooking days that allow you to prepare food for the rest of the week to maximize your time even further. By looking ahead at your week and consciously meal-prepping, you can plan to have fresh fruits and vegetables or make your own healthy version of trail mix to keep on-hand for when you know you’ll want a snack.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness has huge benefits for your short- and long-term health. “Focusing on what’s happening right now allows people to notice things they might otherwise miss,” said Dr. Timothy Riley, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Penn State Health. He also notes that mindfulness enhances activity in the part of the brain that helps you stay calm when you might otherwise get upset.
Move More
Even if you work out the recommended 150 minutes weekly, you probably also spend quite a bit of time sitting. Luckily, there are some simple ways to move more throughout your day including waking up 5 minutes earlier to stretch or do some simple yoga poses, parking further away at work or while shopping, or requesting a standing desk at work.
Increase Water Intake and Reduce Soda Consumption
The Mayo Clinic, in conjunction with The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, recommends a minimum of 3.7 L of water for males and 2.7 L of water for females each day. If you know it would be hard to totally cut your mid-day Diet Soda or sweet tea, you can slowly adjust your drinking habits to include an equal amount of water and soda. For example, if you drink a 20-ounce soda, drink 20 ounces of water next. This will allow you to reduce soda intake and increase water intake at a pace that feels more comfortable.
Establish Bedtime Rituals
If you work out, use your phone, or drink caffeine around bedtime, you could be decreasing your quantity and quality of sleep. A dark, quiet, cool room free of electronics or other stimuli is the best way to promote restful sleep. But if that’s not possible, some other ways to improve sleep include: avoiding caffeine within 4 hours of bedtime, exercising at least 2 hours before bedtime, and using blue light filters on electronics.
Schedule Blood Work
Regular blood work not only assists with diagnosing diseases, it can also predict and reduce your risk of future disease. On top of that, lab work can indicate ways to improve your mental and physical performance, overall quality of life, and, most importantly, increase your longevity. Getting a comprehensive analysis of your blood work through our office will help you make informed decisions about supplement choices, diet, lifestyle, and exercise.
Incorporate Basic Supplementation
Especially around this time of the year, when the days are short and the to-do lists are long, we recommend our patients take the “foundational five” – a multivitamin, Vitamin D3, fish oil, magnesium and probiotics. These supplements build a great foundation for your body and support your bone density, mood, brain, joints, gut, heart and sleep cycle. We use and recommend the following OrthoMolecular supplements as part of our naturopathic medicine regimen:
- Mitocore includes phytonutrients and micronutrients designed to recharge cellular energy production, increase antioxidant protection, and support immune function.
- Vitamin K2D3 promotes bone health and healthy cardiometabolic function. Ortho Molecular Products is the exclusive provider of MenaQ7® PRO, the most widely studied form of vitamin K2 as MK-7.
- OrthoMega provides eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as natural triglycerides, which promote cardiovascular and blood sugar benefits, while playing a central role in brain development, mood enhancement, improved cognition, joint comfort and visual acuity.
- Reacted Magnesium takes advantage of three unique pathways of magnesium intake for enhanced absorption, improved utilization and gastrointestinal (GI) comfort.
- Orthobiotic promotes healthy gut microflora, protects intestinal integrity and boosts immune function.
We can find the optimum dosage for your body through our comprehensive lab analysis.
If you’re interested in developing a personalized treatment plan to keep you healthy and on-track to achieve your 2020 goals, reach out to Kare Health and Wellness in Springfield, Missouri at 417-881-4994. Our experts can work with you to ensure that your new year is a healthy one.
