There is so much information out there about what’s best for your health. Trends will come and go, but there are foundations which everyone should practice. Like building a house, having these foundations in place will give you a solid start. Here are my 5 tips for optimal health.

1) Move your body

Movement is the key to life. The human body is the most fine tuned machine, and this machine is for moving. Notice I did not say exercise. That is intentional on my part. Movement and exercise are not the same thing. You can move without exercising, but you can’t exercise without movement. Movement can come in many forms. Walking, stretching your arms above your head while at your desk, taking such deep breathes that your rib cage moves up and down. The idea is to incorporate movement into your day as much as possible. Exercise is great, I love exercise. Most people don’t have the time to exercise every single day. Everyone has the time to have movement every single day. Trust me, once you start moving more you will feel less stiff, less pain and more energy. That’s the good stuff in life.

2) Sleep

Sleep is #2 in my list of 5 tips for optimal health, but it could without a doubt be number 1. Deep, relaxing sleep is when our body regenerates and heals. Sleep is when we recharge our battery. Can you imagine how stressed you would be if you forgot to charge your phone one night? The next day you’d have to put it on airplane mode and not use many of the features to conserve energy. The same is true for your body. Without a full night’s sleep you are not able to function at your full capacity. Develop a good sleep routine which should include turning down at the same time every night. Stay off of devices at least an hour before bed. Use blackout curtains. These are small steps that pay huge dividends in your health.

3) Eat real Food

Nutrition is the most confusing nd controversial aspect of health. You can read conflicting ideas everywhere. My recommendation is to eat as close to nature as possible. Eat real food. If it comes in a package or container do not eat it. As well if the ingredient label has things you can’t pronounce don’t eat it. If the “food” has a commercial on TV for it, for sure don’t eat it! To me, this is the easiest way to determine if what you are eating is actually nourishing your body or not. Ask yourself before you eat something, is this real food?

4) Purpose

Having a purpose in life is what keeps life exciting, even when it gets hard. If you dislike your job so much it causes stress, but yet you do the other 4 recommendations here, how healthy can you be? If you have excitement to wake up everyday, if you have a fire burning in your belly for your purpose it can be energizing and health producing. A purpose does not have to be work related. I know many people who work to make the resources they need to fuel their purpose. It can creating a safe world for your child with special needs, it can be helping to stop world hunger, it could be local politics. Whatever it is, have something in your lie that excites you. Life is beautiful. Have you ever heard YOLO (you only live once)? I disagree with that, it should be YODO (you only die once) you get a chance at new life every morning when you wake up. Make the most of it!

5) Chiropractic

The best kept secret in all healthcare! Chiropractic should be an essential part of everyone’s health optimization plan. Chiropractic adjustments not only help your body to feel great, they also help to prevent future health issues. Getting adjusted keeps tension and stress off of your physical body. Postural stress, old injuries, new injuries, emotional stress and more all add tension. The goal of chiropractic is to ease tension and maintain great spinal health.

Conclusion

If you work on these 5 tips for optimal health you will create a great life for yourself. So much in fact, that you may not even need to add in other health enhancing products! Spend some time thinking about how you can better incorporate and improve on these 5 areas. These 5 work in synergy with each other. This is a situation where 1 + 1 = 3.At Bourdage Chiropractic in Lincolnwood, I am here to help you achieve your best health possible. If I can help you in any way, call or text me at 773-545-9379.