The Most Important Health Practices That Don’t Cost a Thing
In a world where wellness trends often come with a hefty price tag, it's refreshing to know that enhancing your health doesn't always require a significant financial investment. While gym memberships, organic foods, and wellness retreats can certainly contribute to a healthier lifestyle, there are plenty of effective ways to improve your well-being without opening your wallet. Here are some practical and budget-friendly tips to get you started on your journey to better health:
Get out in the Sun
Increased exposure to the sun is associated with decreased mortality rate. Benefits of sunlight include regulation of blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, optimized cardiac output, blood oxygenation, and hormone regulation. Getting out in the sun especially in the morning is the single most important element for your circadian rhythm and promoting good sleep.
Block artificial light at night(ALAN)
ALAN lowers melatonin and increases cortisol having a whole host of negative impacts on our bodies including negatively impacting hormone regulation and cell regeneration. If you cannot avoid ALAN, set your devices to Night Shift for a warmer light, use blue light blocking glasses, and warmer lights in your home such as a Himalayan salt lamp.
Get Grounded
Get your bare feet on the ground everyday. Whether that’s going for a walk on the beach or doing some yoga in your yard. Research shows that grounding promotes better sleep, decreases pain and stress, increases wound healing, and stabilized moods.
Start an Exercise That Generates Sweat
We all know getting movement in everyday is important. It is even better if you can work up a sweat during that movement. Sweating daily allows our bodies to detoxify heavy metals, produce antibiotic peptides to support or micro flora and prevent infection, reduces stress by causing an increase in endorphins, provides pain relief through increase blood circulation, and strengthens the cardiovascular system.
Stay Hydrated
Water is crucial for many bodily functions such as lubricating the joints, forming saliva and mucus, delivering oxygen throughout the body, hydrating the skin, cushioning the brain and spinal cord, regulating body temperature and many more.
Practice Belly Breathing
Belly breathing is how we all should be breathing but most of us breathe into our chests. Belly breathing looks like breathing in slowly through your nose, letting the air in deeply, towards your lower abdomen. This breathing technique allows for more deep, refreshing breaths, it encourages full oxygen exchange, lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, and promotes relaxation.
