The Foundations of Health

When I initially wanted to improve my health, I turned to the one place I knew would have the answers.
Google.

Boy, was that a mistake!

It wasn’t that Google didn’t have the answers, it was that Google had 5 million answers to the same question… and they were all different.

The topic of health, and more specifically, nutrition, has become an over-saturated area of discussion with many people chiming in. The more you dig to discover an answer to your question, the more confused you wind up due to the overwhelming contradiction.
Unfortunately, very limited information out there is research-backed and evidence-based and a lot of it IS opinion driven and circumstantial.

So, from a Clinical Nutritionist, here are my two cents.
Health is individual.
I know I harp on about that a lot, but it truly comes down to this.
What works for someone else, may not work for you.

This isn’t because the information is wrong or your body is broken, it is purely because our bodies, despite all mechanically working more or less the same, are all made up from different environments, cultures, traditions, diets, traumas, stressors, medical histories, genetics, microbiomes, and the list goes on.
All of these major or minor experiences change our bodies internal makeup and the way they react to particular foods, emotional and mental states, and supplements/medications, thus (potentially) requiring different or rather ‘tailored’ avenues to attain good personal health.

When wanting to improve your general health, my recommendation would be to return to the basics.
The basics are commonly overlooked but these are your foundational areas that support the more intricate workings of your body.
Supporting these will positively support any other issues you have, which may also require further professional and tailored support.

So, back to the basics:

Prioritise whole foods.
Your diet should be primarily made up of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs, and meat/poultry/seafood (if desired). These foods are as close to their natural state as possible.

Get good quality sleep.
Adults require a minimum of 8 hours sleep each night, regardless of whether you feel okay on less (ahem, yes, I’m talking to you).
Our bodies need appropriate amounts of sleep to rest, recover and rejuvenate. It is fundamental to maintaining any level of good health.

Drink enough water.
We approximately need 30ml of water per kilogram of body weight each day.
To ensure you are adequately hydrated, I often recommend adding 1L of water per hour of exercise on top of this.
Example: A 100kg person will require approx. 3L of water daily, plus 1L if exercising.

Gentle movement.
Exercise can be anything that moves your body and feels good. You don’t need to do CrossFit or run 10km daily for it to count, unless of course, you love doing it!
A slow walk around the neighbourhood or a dance around the loungeroom counts too.  

Self-love.
You love others so easily, what about yourself?
We have a lot of priorities in life, but when it feels right to do so (which by the way, should be more often than not), prioritise yourself.
People and things will always wait for us and if they don’t, they aren’t ours to keep.
You need you more than you need anyone else; start choosing you.

Notice your thoughts.
Our mental and emotional health can play a pivotal role within our physical health through the mind/body connection. Allow your thoughts and emotions to be freely felt and processed without judgement or attachment.

Feel joy.
Joy, alongside gratitude, can trigger pleasure responses in the brain which travels to the central nervous system via neurotransmitters. Some of the neurotransmitters that are released include dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, and endorphins, which all positively contribute to embodiment, enhanced mood and energy and lowered stress.

Meditation.
Meditation can help to clear the information overload that builds up and contributes to prolonged stress. It allows us to gain new perspectives, manage stress levels, increase self-awareness, become present and embodied, increase imagination and creativity, increase tolerance and patience, lowers resting heart rate and blood pressure, and improves sleep quality… just to name a few ;)  

Set healthy boundaries.
Having, setting, and re-affirming boundaries is an act of self-care. Having healthy boundaries allows you to set clear expectations of what behaviour you will accept from others, and it establishes what behaviour others can expect from you.
Setting boundaries and being clear on them helps us to reduce the chances of feeling resentment, disappointment, anger and hurt when our limits have been pushed.

Daily exposure to natural light.
Daily exposure to natural light, particularly in the morning, resets your circadian rhythm and supports a healthy sleep cycle. As well as this, sunlight has been shown to have positive effects on one’s mental and physical health as well as overall general well-being.

Maintain healthy relationships with others and self.
Like the saying goes “you become who you surround yourself with.”
It is vital that the people you converse with (by choice) on a regular basis are people that are healthy for your soul.
You need to consistently surround yourself with people who show up for you, people who want the best for you and people who want to see you win. Equally, you need to be that person for yourself too.