No matter your goals and resolutions for the new year, there are some foundational factors that one must have in place to ensure success.
If you’ve ever listened to interviews of some of the most successful, fulfilled, and high-performance individuals, you’ll quickly learn that they all have one thing in common. They prioritize their health.
This spans beyond nutrition and exercise (though these are always important foundations). Think about it, when you feel good, you’re much more motivated and even incentivized to do your best and achieve your full potential.
Taking care of your internal environment is an essential first step to changing your external environment, no matter what form ‘change’ takes for you. These simple, daily practices will optimize your internal environment to support your external goals. Some links are affiliate links.
Micronutrient Support – like our ancestors used to.
There’s a lot of talk of ancestral living these days for supporting longevity. While these practices are certainly excellent for our health, not all of us are willing or able to check off all of the to-do’s of living like our ancestors – for obvious reasons.
Let’s be realistic; we live in a modern environment, and there are definitely modern ways to incorporate ancestral habits into our lives.
- Get your vitamins and minerals from a whole-food source rather than synthetic ones. Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell you to start eating liver, heart, and kidney the way our ancestors did. You can take these in supplement form. I recommend all of my clients take Formula IQ’s Recuperate IQ, Cod Liver IQ, Mag IQ, B-complex IQ, and Whole-C IQ for real vitamins and minerals straight from their natural sources.
- Sure, a synthetic vitamin and mineral may be better than none, given our nutrient-depleted food environment. The problem is that these are produced in a lab and extracted from natural, whole-food sources. That doesn’t make them much different than a drug (aspirin, for example, is just a lab-formed isolated form of salicylic acid that naturally grows in white willow bark).
- Whole-food sources offer several additional enzymes, cofactors, and molecules that allow your body to better synthesize and utilize the vitamins and minerals within them. They are also in the appropriate ratios found in nature.
Stay Well-Hydrated
- This might seem like a simple and small suggestion, but it’s a HUGE factor in determining your health state. You are about 65% water, after all.
- Many people are surprised to learn that they are drastically under-hydrated each day. The health implications of staying well hydrated are massive. Drink at least 1/3 of your weight in ounces of water each day and 1/2 of your weight in ounces if you’re active.
- A great way to hydrate the way our ancestors did (before our drinking water was stripped of its naturally occurring electrolytes) is to add mineral drops to your water or a pinch of mineral-rich sea salt. This will help hydrate your body on a cellular level.
Prioritize Sleep
- Again, we all know we should do this, but many of us just don’t get the quality, restful sleep we need. Supplements are a great adjunct to aid in sleep. They are far better on your sleep architecture (deep sleep, REM sleep, and light-sleep cycles) than pharmaceuticals or alcohol.
- Many behavioral practices will help improve sleep as well. The #1 best thing you can do for your circadian rhythm is to get natural sunlight exposure within 10-15 minutes of waking. This is also a great way to support vitamin D levels naturally.
- Avoid caffeine for the first 90 min after waking and after 2:30 in the afternoon.
- Go to bed and wake at the same time each night, and take a warm shower or bath before bed to help naturally boost melatonin levels.
Get Moving!
- The last essential thing that should be non-negotiable each day is movement.
- You can get your body moving in any way that best suits your preferences and lifestyle. There’s nothing you can take in supplement or food form that offers the same benefits to the mind and body as exercise.
Jumpstart Your New Year’s Health Goals
If you have goals to improve your health or lose weight this new year, Wellness IQ is here to support you. We have resources and services to help everyone, no matter your starting point, goal, level, or preference.
As a reminder, the initial consultation call/video chat is always free for new patients, and all functional medicine appointments can be held remotely.
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90-Day Personalized Health Coaching Program
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