WAYS WE STAY HEALTHY

Staying healthy is important for all of us, regardless of age, gender, or lifestyle. There are many things we can do to improve our health, - from eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly to getting enough sleep and managing stress.

By Making Small Changes To Our Lifestyle, You Can Make A Big Difference In Your Overall Health And Well-Being And Increase The Quality Of Our Lives Now And As We Age. 

In this blog, we will discuss our favorite ways to stay healthy (besides supplementing with cannabis!). These are: Movement, Social Connection, Mental Diet, Nutrition, Sleep, and Self-Compassion. Let’s look at each one more deeply! 

1. Born To Move

Our bodies were designed over tens of thousands of years to move a lot throughout the day. Tissue cells require movement for circulation of energy, and, - get this, - our bodies will kill off muscle (or form sticky sore spots) if we take the same position day after day. Movement is also absolutely vital for peak mental health.

Moving more is about finding moments-for-movement throughout the day. It might look like a chest stretch in the door frame as you walk by, a few push-ups before lunch, a calf stretch on the curb outside your office, taking a phone call on a walk, putting items on higher shelves in the kitchen so you need to reach while making dinner, then doing a five minute restorative pose before bed. It doesn’t have to be an hour at the gym unless you like doing that.

2. Reach Out And Touch Someone

Health is so much more than what we eat and how much we work out. Good health also comes from our connections to others.

How much love we give and allow in will change the feel-good serotonin levels in the brain, making us more healthy and resilient, emotionally and physically. 

Loneliness Is An Epidemic, And Linked To Several Negative Health Outcomes.

It’s time for (even introverts like myself) to join some meetups, attend in-person yoga classes, do a board game party with friends, or (better) do some movement with loved ones. I find even dancing in a group of strangers to an amazing DJ to bring me a boost of energy.

Make a list of friends you’d like to hang out with or haven’t heard from in a while and push yourself (gently) to get a little more fun human contact into your days, for health and… well, - fun.

3. Mental Diet

Notice what you allow into your consciousness throughout the day. Food is part of what we consume, but so is media, social media, and the energy of others.

Perhaps avoid fear-creating news, or limit your news consumption to a certain time of day (not before bed). I avoid getting on social media first thing upon waking so I don’t drain all my dopamine before I’ve started work. I also uninstall the Instagram app, then reinstall it every day. (I highly recommend this, - it saves me mindlessly scrolling or checking my notifications).

In terms of people, … of course, noticing our triggers and building our endurance for others are skills to cultivate, but we can also have boundaries.

Exposure to you and your good vibes is a privilege.

The more we know our worth, the less we’ll allow unnecessary energy-drain people into our lives. Practice saying no and choosing yourself more.

4. Nutrition

Most of us know this already, but working to reduce our consumption of inflammatory foods like alcohol, coffee, refined sugar, and things we’re allergic to is huge for good health.

Vegetables of the land and sea are your friend. Grass-fed and finished meats (and small, wild-caught fish) are the ideal choice, but the cost may be prohibitive, and some people get more benefit from a vegan or vegetarian diet.

I eat a high-fat diet, so my body is trained not to rely on carbs for fuel, and as a result, I don’t get carb crashes, major hunger pains, or late-night cravings as a result, - though everybody is different, and so should everybody’s dietary choices.

5. How Much Sleep Do You Get?

We all know that sleep is a huge factor in good health, but how many of us are using blue-light-blocking glasses (or only red light bulbs) at night? How many of us practice an evening wind-down routine to help sink into the nervous systems’ rest-and-digest response?

The Exact Amount Of Sleep We All Need Differs From Person To Person, But Most Of Us Are In A Chronic (Years-Long) State Of Under-resting And It’s Time To Chart A New Course.

Prioritize going to bed early, and notice how other aspects of health become more naturally and effortlessly balanced. I set my alarm to go off at 9pm in the evenings, and I turn off my screens and social media (and news), and begin my wind-down routine. I don’t stay up super-late on weekends. Try some of these tips and see what works for you.

For those with sleep issues: Be sure to dose any THC products you’re using for sleep at least an hour before bedtime. Other tips for a good night’s sleep: A cool room, using an eye mask to block the light, using a white noise app to block noise, turning your wifi off and putting your phone on airplane mode (and keeping pets out of the room).  Check out Ganja Yoga’s ‘Relax’ CBD blend with adaptogen mushrooms for additional support.

6. Unconditional Compassion

Both mental and physical health are benefitted if we can begin to release habits and thoughts that no longer serve us.

Critical inner-judgment is something most of us developed as children when our brains were still forming. Many of our parents didn’t realize how impressionable we were to even the slightest negative cues from them, and many of us have continued these negative messages internally. 

The Time Has Come For Us To “Reparent” And Learn To Love Ourselves More.

Spilled your coffee? Notice the instinct to say “I’m an idiot,” and see if you can say “Everyone does this, it’s no big deal.”

This Seemingly-Small Change, - The Decision To Be Compassionate Toward Oneself Under All Circumstances, - Makes An Enormous Impact On Our Self-Esteem And Self-advocacy Over Time.

There you have it, guys, - our favorite mental, physical, and social ways to stay healthy,  relaxed, and resilient (besides cannabis supplementation).

Once more, - they are: movement, connection, mental diet, nutrition, sleep, and compassion. If we were making a longer list, we’d include outdoor time daily, nature, touch, and trauma-healing. But, those shall be another blog!

Until then, we hope this was inspiring, - let us know in the comments below!

APPRECIATE YOU!
XO D.