There are basic principles to living well, and living longer  that are the foundation of every book, article, magazine and podcast on wellness.  Information doubles every 5 years. It takes about 10 years for something to become accepted in the mainstream.  Science discusses everything in a microcosm, and you’re just trying to raise a family and do the best you can.  The result for many people is confusion.  Good news!  The basic principals of health are unchanged.  They have been verified by science numerous times.  There are reliable proven ways to optimize your health and longevity without living a lifestyle dominated by “don’ts”.

Here are a few basic concepts that you can follow to stay sane, young and healthy for as long as possible. They’ll even help you maintain a healthy weight without ruling your life with calorie counting.

1) Hydrate. Drink half your body weight of purified water daily.  A 150 pound person needs 75 ounces or 8 1/2  cups of water daily.  Water. Not tea, juice, or energy drinks.  Proper hydration with water can increase your metabolism by 30%.  Any water purification system you buy should be certified by  NSF the National Sanitation Foundation. It’s a non-profit organization with strict standards for it’s Seal of Approval.

2) Eat simple, clean and colorful foods. Eat a variety of foods and cuisines. Eat as close to nature possible. Avoid processed food.  That eliminates 80% of the grocery store. Lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Your preference should be for raw fruits and veggies first, then frozen, then canned. As much as possible,  eat clean food- organic and free of pesticides and additives.  (Sure, the 3 second rule for food dropped on the floor counts).

3) Muscle = metabolism and longevity.  Exercise. Variety matters here too.  Weight training, dancing,  play games like tennis. Sweat at least 20 minutes. The lower your BMI,(less than 24.9) the better you are preventing disease and maintaining a healthy  weight.  Weight training does double duty for building muscle mass and bone density.  No time for exercise?  Every day you exercise and sweat for 20 minutes you add THREE DAYS to your life and prevent sarcopenia.  Sarcopenia is muscle loss due to aging.  Exercise creates more time for you.  Chasing toddlers while carrying bags of groceries is exercise in my book.

4) Avoid foreign substances in your body like tobacco, alcohol, over the counter, and prescription drugs. Avoid food additives, chemicals and definitely avoid artificial sweeteners.  Foreign substances pollute your body, lower your metabolism and often initiate diseases like cancer. Use non-toxic cleaners, as you absorb residue from laundry, personal care and cleaning products into your body.

In our family, the simple act of changing brands to Shaklee changed our lives. Shaklee is so careful with their manufacturing and quality control practices, that they’ve never had a product recall in 52 years.  Their research is so thorough and picky, that they never use ingredients with even a hint of controversy.  And they test every raw ingredient in every batch of every product for over 350 pesticides in a 50 year database.  I let Shaklee worry about it, and I just live my life and use their stuff.

5) Choose fat wisely.  Good fat is great.  Bad fat is evil.  Make your diet 25% good fat like virgin olive oil,
coconut oil, nut oils. 25% fat might mean 40-60 grams/day.   You need good fat to make the good cholesterol that your body uses to make all of your hormones and neurotransmitters (brain chemicals)!  Your body metabolizes vegetable fat more easily than animal fat.  Avoid fats from animal fat whenever possible.  Fat stores toxins, therefore animal and fish fat store toxins.   Avoid toxins whenever possible.  (See rule #4)

6) Kill Stress because stress kills. The more stressed you are the less time that you feel you have.  But since stress shortens your life span considerably, you increase the amount of time you have by managing your stress. Multitasking actually reduces productivity! Tackle stress by reducing multitasking, limit technology, go outdoors in the sunshine more and just sit.  If you’re stressed out by your job, click here for more time freedom.  A home business can do wonders to beat stress and increase income!

7) BREATHE deep relaxing breaths. Our breathing is shallow when we are stressed.  Oxygen is precious to
your body. Use non-toxic cleaners in your home and work space to lower indoor air pollution. Choose natural products, carpets and fabrics for your living environment whenever possible to reduce outgassing.  Open windows on breezy days.  Breathe clean air. There are many good  quality air purifiers on the market.  Look for one that is verified by a 3rd party.

8 ) Sleep. It’s amazing that we need to be reminded to do something so natural.  Chronic sleep deprivation,
less than 6 hours/night can lead to mental illness, increase in  car and workplace accidents, lower your
immunity, increase the toxin load in your system, and make you an unpleasant person to be with.  Sleep
at least 8 hours.   Get at least 2 of those hours in before midnight.  You will be more productive with
more sleep.  Avoid alcohol.  Cocktails can disrupt your sleep.  If you have difficulty falling asleep try
taking calcium regularly throughout the day to relax muscles.  I like Valerian and a natural anti-stress
product for those nights when my mind starts running 100 miles hour when I hit the pillow.

Sleep allows your body to detox and repair.  Dreaming is a type of detox for your subconscious.

9) Play. Relax, have fun, socialize with people you enjoy. Infants and children who don’t  play or aren’t touched actually stop growing, and lose IQ. Adults too, lose function and health when we don’t play and relax. Laughing releases pain killing endorphins.  Even God rested on the Seventh Day of Creation. Take the hint.

10) Keep learning and living. Research shows that those who keep learning and using their  minds tend to keep it. A positive mindset has a good bio-chemical influence on your immune system.  People who are active and involved live longer than passive, or negative people who are isolated.

11) Take good vitamins. The value of supplementation has been proven in thousands of studies.  You don’t have to be a mad scientist with a hundred bottles on your kitchen counter to enjoy the long term benefits of supplementation.  A good supplement program consists of  those things that build and protect cells: Vitamins, minerals, protein, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants. Use a reputable company who’s products have been proven in  third party studies.  If you’re not sure, ask the company for studies where it’s product  was the subject of the study, and published in peer review journals.  That’s the Gold Standard.

These steps may seem too simple to be valuable. They work and will help you prevent disease and enjoy your life.  For more in-depth tips on maintaining a healthy weight, get my free report, 11 ways to boost your Metabolism without Drugs or Spending a Dime.

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Why is a Toxic Free Home Important?

Are you interested in going green?  Worried about the cost?  Concerned about greenwashing?  If you’re not a research scientist, how do you understand labels?

The green industry has gone from fringe movement to big business.  In many ways that’s very good for consumers, human health and the environment.  However, big profits can also lead to big fraud.  Or companies that create both eco-friendly products for the green market and still spew out toxic household cleaners.  Both are sold on the same grocery store shelf.

Consumers have often been forced to choose between green cleaners that were expensive and often not very effective and toxic cleaners that worked.  Fortunately the Shaklee Corporation has been making organic cleaners since 1960 when other people asked “why?”.  Shaklee’s production methods are eco-friendly, the ingredients are from sustainable sources.  And they are thoroughly tested by third parties for effectiveness.

We have been using Shaklee cleaners exclusively in our home for over 14  years.  In that time I have come to love the products, although  I don’t love cleaning!  They rinse easily, there is no film, no fumes, they clean everything.  When my children were younger, I didn’t have the stress of worrying about toxic exposure.  (My kids didn’t like that now they could do chores because the products were safe).  The Get Clean line saves me money too.  The products are versatile – I can use them many different ways by just varying the concentrations.  Best of all- my hands and skin are never dry.  Even though I’m 50, my hands look only 30!

Who should use green cleaners?

People with allergies: Non-toxic cleaners, especially the Get Clean (R), line do not irritate breathing passages.  They do not irritate skin.  Many have reported reductions in headaches, asthma symptoms, sinus congestion, and improvements in various skin conditions when using the Get Clean (R) line.

Families with young children, pregnant women: Standard household cleaners are toxic and poisonous.  The Shaklee Get Clean (R) line is extraordinarily safe.  Many of our clients have often told us that when they introduced the Shaklee Get Clean (R) cleaners into their homes that their children’s behavior and concentration improved.  There is an increasing number of scientific links between standard cleaners and toxic effects on the livers, brains, and central nervous systems in children.

Women: Women (and children) metabolize the toxins in cleaning and personal care products much more quickly then men.  Two studies have linked standard household cleaners to increased breast cancer risks.

Schools: This is an increasingly important market.  Some studies are showing decreases in absenteeism and increases in test scores when school eliminate toxic cleaners.  Saves taxpayer dollars too.  If your school is interested in Get Clean (R) please contact me directly at karen@gohealthygo.com or Twitter.com/LongevityCoach.  Schools require purchase orders and often Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDS).

People concerned about the environment: The biggest source of toxic pollution is not factories and businesses, but homes!  Using Get Clean (R) non-toxic cleaners is a great way to do your part to help the environment.  Make sure to visit the site to see how the packaging is designed to reduce waste.

People with chronic illness: Toxin overload the immune system.  Reducing toxins allows your body to rest and to heal.

Businesses who care about their customers: Using Get Clean (R) cleaners reduces overhead costs, improves employee health and shows your customers that you care about their health and the environment.  As an added bonus, businesses can create additional publicity with the local media when they switch over.  Own a cleaning business?  Offer your clients a green and healthy alternative.

People who want to save money: Get Clean(R) by the Shaklee Corporation is extremely cost effective.  The Get Clean starter kit has been shown to save families $3,400 over the other cleaners.  How can they do that?  Because the products are concentrated and versatile.  get-clean-cost-comparison

Learn More about Get Clean (R) here.

Green Goes with Everything - Sloan Barnett’s book on toxins in the Environment. 10% of proceeds are donated to Shaklee Cares disaster relief organization.

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