If you’re currently evaluating your state of “health” as mediocre to poor, and you want to be leading an active, clean and cognitively adept lifestyle, increasing not only joy and positivity but longevity as well, there are a few things to understand and prepare for so that you’ll be set up for success → prepare to be prepared!

Adopting a new and different holistic approach to overall wellness by taking the driver's seat and being in full control seems quite daunting to many of us used to popping pills or running to any white-coat available to us. Many are finding that this allopathic approach is not helping us but rather causing us to have our “health” be completely “out of whack.” When you start on this path of a holistic approach to your total transformation, prioritizing vitality over bad habits and poor choices, embracing a healthy, alternative, active and clean lifestyle, you will create a solid foundation for ushering in optimal well-being.

If this is where you’ve arrived from, then you are at the threshold, taking the very first step - having the will to change your mindset. You will need to strap on some courage and humility as well and find a space for yourself to be calm and focused, creating a safe environment for you to question and find answers unburdened by what “should” be. Taking control of your wellness is multifaceted and may be a strain at your very core. Take it slow, breathe.

Nurture body, mind, and spirit to achieve optimal well-being

You must begin to cultivate a positive mindset filled with gratitude and self-love. From this foundation you will be able to gain successes, small and big, in any endeavor. Remember, this is not a magic-bullet approach. It’s more a “slow and steady wins the race” approach where every small step builds on the last to propel your forward. You will need to find a way to let go of your negative self-talk, that inner critic, your limiting beliefs and past failures. This is a path of growth and change you are embarking on for full transformation.

While nutrition is the priority and the cornerstone of a lifestyle shift to wellness, it may be the most difficult shift for most. Taking away what makes you you is not an easy or soft approach. Even though you may want to stop eating sugar, junk food, soda and fast food, simply telling you to go cold turkey will likely cause a rebound where you find yourself sleeping in the McDonald’s parking lot!

Let’s try adding some subtle mind-shifting tricks before bricks to the head are brought out.

Adding before subtracting is key. You will need to find a way to be kind to yourself. You didn’t arrive HERE in an instant… Life is what’s been happening which includes all your habits, bad and good. It’s not all happened “TO” you, you’ve played a part, so the undoing is likely going to be challenging. Gentle and kind - keep this thought forefront in your mind.

Let’s start with something simple - hydration. You’ve heard “8oz glass of water 8x/day” and yet for some, even that is overwhelming! The water in our bodies is used for so many things, from supporting cellular function and detoxification to cushioning and lubricating joints as well as helping to maintain body temperature. The phrase “water is life” holds true at every level. That being said, maybe you’re suffering from an overactive bladder so how can you add so much water to your day - you’d be living in the bathroom! Read on and the need for small action steps will become clearer. Think of all the different strategies such as making sure you have water bottles available around the house, in the car, on your desk. Make sure you provide the cleanest water you can (filtered, free from fluoride, etc). Try to avoid beverages high in sugar, caffeine, and artificial additives because these can deplete your body’s resources, hindering your progress towards optimal health.

It is also paramount to find ways of nurturing your mental and emotional well-being. Again, think of adding first before taking away. You can’t simply quit a job but you’ll need to find a way to mitigate stress. Create and build time into your day for management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, journaling, spending time in nature, or making sure you add time for a craft or hobby you enjoy but never seem to FIND time for – start by “making time”. By that I mean using timers and reminders to create mandatory breaks in your schedule, as one example. As you reduce your stress and actually focus on creating your inner life, your inner peace, resolve and resilience will increase along with your mental clarity and emotional balance.

Another point so you’ll be better able to stay on your path is finding that which serves your journey and reducing or ridding what doesn’t. This means making sure your support structure is in place. Do you have meaningful connections, deep friendships and a supportive community? Many of us are struggling with this area. Search out online communities as well as locally - meetups, online forums, wellness retreats. Search for your interests and hobbies before you try support groups – in other words, seek out what you already view as positive and life-enhancing to connect with like minds. This will take some time. As you surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share similar goals and values, those who don’t serve as support for your transformation will ebb, flow and possibly go away. You don’t need to shove people away. As you prioritize your wellness, like minds will find your glow. Concentrating on building a strong support network will help motivate you and keep you accountable and inspired on your journey towards vitality.

First steps - adding before subtracting, find ways to reduce stress, find support

The body is the healer. It is guided by Divine intelligence. You might be surprised to hear that the human body is NOT designed to age - so why all these wrinkles and stiff joints? We have been led to believe that our politicians have our best interests in mind and are doing their best to reduce pollution. I don’t believe that, do you? Which is why we must concentrate on detoxification in order to support the body's natural healing processes. I suggest, again, adding before subtracting, incorporating various detoxification strategies into your routine. There are many - dry brushing, sauna therapy, lymphatic drainage, and herbal cleansing protocols. These practices will help to eliminate accumulated toxins and metabolic waste, allowing the body to function more efficiently and better maintain optimal health.

You’ve been told by your doctor to move every day for at least 30 minutes. And this is still a great benchmark for getting started. There are accommodations as well so for example, you’re embarrassed to go out in public - cue up a YouTube video that is “walk in place for a mile” or stand on one leg, switching legs every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. Understand that many are in the same shoes and getting started is the most difficult step. Regular exercise is key so again, set timers, add physical movement into your day-to-day and find activities you really enjoy - hiking, yoga, swimming, dancing - begin to make movement a priority. When you engage in regular exercise you will improve cardiovascular health and more so, boost your mood and energy levels. This cycles around and enhances your overall physical functions at the cellular level.

Add hydration, reduce toxicity, prioritize mental wellness, move more

Now we finally come to nutrition which is the catalyst for switching to full speed ahead for your lifestyle shift. Start by trading out your junk choices for whole, organic, nutrient-dense foods that will nourish the body and support optimal function. Incorporate plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates into daily meals. Avoid processed foods, artificial additives, and refined sugars, which disrupt the body's natural balance and contribute to inflammation and dis-ease. Habits are hard to break. If you are needing a Snickers bar 3x a day then set a timer and a goal such as, add 5 baby carrots before eating the candy. This will help your mind shift into moving from what you want to what your body needs. Slowly reduce from 3 to 2 and as you increase good choices like carrots, your “body wants” will start to shift too.

Prioritizing a positive mindset, increasing hydration, upping physical activity, concentrating on detoxification strategies, using better stress management techniques, and community support AND choosing clean, healthy foods – you will lay the foundation for your optimal well-being and vitality. Yes, this takes dedication, perseverance, and self-care, but you won’t have any regrets with this transformation where you can realize your full potential and thrive in mind, body, and spirit.