20 Tips for Optimal Health by Dr. Joeseph Mercola To help commemorate 20 years of offering the most up-to-date health information we can, here are 20 tips to help you on your journey. The topics are allencompassing, so while you may not be able to do all of them right now, beginning with a few will improve your overall health, as well as your sense of well-being. What to Do More of or Get More of to Optimize Your Health 1. Get eight hours of sleep every night. You’ve heard it since you were a kid but that eight hours of shut-eye is serious business. Believe it or not, adequate sleep can make you smarter, skinnier and happier; it helps you assimilate and deal with the ins and outs of life and process information on multiple levels. You end up consuming more calories when you don’t get enough sleep. Your memory suffers and your risk for depression increases because your brain hasn’t had enough time to sort out what is and isn’t important. Your risk of anxiety rises, and with it, coping mechanisms that often involve food. Even your immune system takes a hit. Protect your hours of sleep like you do your bank account. You’ll be richer for it. 2. Get adequate vitamin D and omega-3s, and test your levels. Deficiencies in these two essential nutrients are causing untold damage to the health of millions of Americans. In fact, 85 percent of Americans aren’t getting enough “D” to help fight bone loss, cognitive decline, rheumatoid arthritis and abnormal cell growth, which are just a few of the functions vitamin D helps with. To figure how much you need, have your levels tested and be sure they are maintained at between 40 and 60 ng/mL yearround. Regular sun exposure is your best source of vitamin D, but supplementation may also be necessary for some people. Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which you need for healthy digestion, blood clotting, memory, muscle strength, vision, heart health and so much more. A deficiency is implicated in cognitive decline and may be a factor in 100,000 premature deaths each year. The Omega-3 Index Test1 can help you determine your level (ideally it should be above 8 percent) and is available
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from several labs. Excellent sources of animal-based omega-3s include wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies and krill oil. 3. Get moving. Sitting is a huge part of modern life. In fact, the national median of adults with little to no physical activity other than their jobs is 22.6 percent, according to the United Health Foundation.2 More than 10,000 studies attest to the fact that sitting is a big risk factor for not just illness but premature death. Walking just one hour a day, the equivalent of about 3 miles, will go a long way (pun intended) toward optimizing your health. You’ll gain greater stamina, more energy and even more confidence, along with cutting your risk for several types of disease. Ideally, aim for 10,000 steps a day and cut your sitting time to three hours or less daily. 4. Grow your own food. The best way to guarantee you’re eating truly healthy foods like vegetables, herbs and seeds is to produce them yourself. You may be surprised how easy it is to start with organic tomato, beet or lettuce seeds for growing food right at your fingertips. It’s very satisfying, plus you don’t have to worry about genetically engineered (GE) foods laced with harmful pesticides. 5. Get adequate sun exposure. Humans make thousands of units of vitamin D within minutes of whole-body exposure to sunlight,3 but, unfortunately, 9-to-5 jobs keep most people indoors. Regular sun exposure is important not only for adequate vitamin D production but also much more, including boosting your immune system, regulating your circadian rhythm, lowering high blood pressure, improving your mood and even lowering your risk of many cancers, including skin cancer.4 Safe exposure to sunshine is possible by understanding your skin type, the UV strength at the time of exposure and your duration of exposure. Always avoid getting burned, but do make sure you spend a sensible amount of time with your bare skin exposed regularly. What to Eat More of to Optimize Your Health 6. Eat more fiber.
Summer’s Twilight 2021
