Human optimization is the newest catch phrase among the professional health coaches and advisors these days. But what does that really mean? Well the good news is that optimized or healthy as I like to call it is closer than you think! Healthy is just about having all your systems in a good shape and communicating to make you a healthier you. The best part about it is there are simple things you can do every day that help make you better, stronger healthier you! Check out these 5 key steps.
- Walking
According to health.harvard.edu walking just 21 minutes a day or 2.5 hours a week can reduce your risk of heart disease by 30%. Walking has also shown to lower your blood pressure and your risk of diabetes and cancer. It also has mind and brain benefits as well. People who walk have seen improvements in mental clarity and improved mood. Walking has even been shown to have benefits rivalling drugs taken to decrease depression. Now that’s a magic pill I want!
- Better Sleep
Getting enough sleep is not only key to health but also happiness according to Moran Cerf. The neuroscientist from the Kellogg School of Management explains according to research sleep is the thing that happier people do better than anyone. Not that they sleep more but they just sleep better. They get the key types of sleep to help the brain recharge. How does one do this? Setting a routine for sleep as well as doing things to calm your mind. For instance cutting out screen time two hours before bed and not consuming products that could keep you awake or wake you up at night could help you be more rested and happier.
- Breathing
There are so many benefits to doing what keeps us alive. Deep breathing can calm the mind reduces stress and energize the body. Taking just a few minutes in the morning, and every few hours thereafter to breathe fully as if you are trying to fill your body all the way to your toes with fresh oxygen can really recharge your body and your mind. Think about it. Without the breath there is no life.
- Hydrate
The human adult body is water is made up of 60% water. The brain and heart are made up of 83% water according to HH Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158. Most men need about 3 liters of water per day and most women need about 2.2 liters of water per day to carry out our vital functions and remain hydrated. Water does so many important things. It helps build cells, regulates our internal temperature through sweating and respiration, transports nutrients throughout our system and so many more important tasks. Just a two to five percent loss in water can put us in a dehydrated state enough to affect our mental clarity and bodily functions. You likely end up in the hospital with a loss of 11% or more of you water content.
- Fueling with Real Food.
Food is what we fuel our system with. I think of it like fuel in my car. When I put the premium stuff in my car it does run just a little different. The cleaner fuel helps my car run better. Same with food. Good health food in results in an optimized system. Junk food in and you can feel sluggish and fatigued before you should. Substituting just a few junk food items for healthy food could help optimize your system even more.
There are so many ways to be a healthier person. The five items above are not an exhaustive list but in my book super important to living a more optimal human experience every day.
I would love to hear from you. What other things do you do every day to keep yourself healthy? Email me at delainePT@accelerate-pt.com or add a comment onto our Facebook Page @AccelerateTherapyandPerformance