Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with advertisements and promises from expensive facial creams, scrubs, spa treatments, fad diets and more. The truth is those won’t make you glow if you aren’t also taking steps to feel radiant inside. What if instead we focused on creating health and vitality from within that ultimately led to glowing from the inside out? What if we aimed to have exuberant energy, mental clarity, and a sense of calm and inner peace (even during the chaos of everyday life)? To have the capacity for the continuation of a meaningful and purposeful existence (dictionary.com). That’s VITALITY! When we aim and strive for health and vitality from within, weight loss, improved fatigue, clearer skin, mental vigor, hormonal balance, and renewed confidence, are very likely positive side effects.
Sound too good to be true? Believe me, it’s not! As a two-time cancer survivor and stem cell transplant thriver, I am here as proof to help show you that the body is incredible and is designed to heal and repair itself when we put the correct building blocks in place. By focusing on adding in all the healing foods, thoughts and routines that serve our highest good, while eliminating the toxins and things that weigh us down…ultimately we raise our vibration and propel ourselves into our naturally healthy and vibrant state of being.
How does one get started? I’m glad you asked because throughout my contributions to this blog I will dive deeper into the subjects of nutrition, gut health, food sensitivities, detoxification, hormone health, stress reduction, weight health, and longevity. All the beautiful pieces of the wellness puzzle! I want you to take from this post, what is calling to you at this time and start by implementing one or maybe two things. This is not a race but a journey. A journey that begins within and is about giving ourselves grace while embracing progress over perfection every step along the way.
Here are my top tips for increasing vitality from within:
- Consume Real-Whole-Vibrant Food
- Aim to eat a rainbow of vegetables and fruits every day.
- Cover 50-75% of our plate with vegetables at every meal.
- Real food contains disease fighting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and phytonutrients.
- Every bit we take either fights inflammation or fuels it.
- Plant diversity is the number one predictor of a healthy gut. (5)
- Fiber feeds our good gut bugs, aids in weight loss, and keeps the bowels moving (reducing bowel toxicity).
- Real food raises our vibration and is life-giving, which ultimately increases vitality!
- The importance of water can NOT be overstated
- Aim to get 1/2 your body weight in water every day.
- Water helps to keep our cells and systems functioning optimally
- Add in those healthy fats
- Every cell in the body needs healthy fats to survive.
- Healthy fats help the body absorb some essential nutrients.
- Limit gluten
- Gluten is highly inflammatory, and regular consumption could contribute to chronic inflammation.
- Gliadin, a protein in gluten, can increase intestinal permeability, aka leaky gut (much more to come on this in the future). (2)
- Leaky gut can lead to chronic inflammation in various places throughout the body. Think joint pain, inflammation, headaches, etc. (2)
- Quality protein matters
- Quality protein from organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild sources has more omega-3s, fewer omega-6s, and also has higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. (4)
- Protein provides us with the building blocks of life.
- Ditch the refined and hidden sugars
- This does not include natural sugars from fruit.
- Think white sugar that is found in over 75% of packaged foods on supermarket shelves.
- Sugar feeds opportunistic bugs in the gut, which can lead to them overgrowing and creating inflammation in the GI tract.
- Sugar impacts almost every system in the body and has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and more.
- Sugar changes the “reward system” in the brain, causing us to crave more.
- Sugar is a form of poison.
- Eat mindfully and chew your food
- Take 3 deep breaths before every meal.
- Chew each bite 30 times; digestion begins in the mouth.
- Eating in community with others helps us to feel more happy and satisfied.
- Avoid eating in the car or at your desk
- Move daily – in a way that brings you joy
- Exercise in decreasing symptoms of depression has been well established. (1)
- Mix up your daily movement routine. Dance, hike, walk, do yard work, lift weights, yoga, Pilates, whatever brings you joy and gets you moving.
- Start your morning on a positive foot
- Meditate (there are guided apps to help get you started. I like insight timer.)
- Write down or say out loud to someone, three things you are grateful for.
- Turn on a positive podcast.
- Repeat positive affirmations.
- Turn on some upbeat music and have a dance party.
- Test don’t guess
- Feeling overwhelmed on where to start or looking for more of a road map? By testing for food sensitivities and underlying imbalances in your gut, hormones, or metabolism, we can get an idea of where to start first to propel you forward on your path to glowing from within.
Cheers to creating health and vitality from the inside-out!
PS. Sign up for our email list so you never miss any updates or news!
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5440529/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6434678/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/
- https://www.genuinehealth.com/en-us/genuine-hub/a-gastroenterologists-secret-to-balancing-restoring-your-gut-health/