Holistic Health Fundamentals by Paula Owens

Guide to understanding and achieving holistic health 

People of all ages are concerned about their health – how they feel, how they look, disease prevention, as well as quality of life. Unfortunately, the majority of society has been brainwashed to believe  in  eating less fat, excessive exercise, Botox injections, pharmaceutical drugs and other wrong answer to attain health, vitality, longevity and fat loss.

If you want to accelerate aging and shorten your life span, do what most Americans are already doing – avoid  exercise, eat a large percentage of their  diets from fast  foods, soda and processed foods, consume white flour and white sugar, avoid supplements and overuse prescription drugs (which prematurely age the liver, pancreas, kidneys and other organs). The  American population has been misinformed regarding what it takes to lose weight, attain the ultimate physique and live a healthy lifestyle.

This article explains in some detail the core components for you to practice to achieve complete holistic health quickly (mind, body and spirit).

How can you achieve complete wellness, naturally without the gimmicks and artificial fixes? Winning formulas for health, vitality, longevity and fat loss are multi-dimensional – a holistic  approach  which  integrates  all  aspects  of  wellness  encompassing  body,  mental,  emotional, environmental, community and spiritual health is the path to achieving a state of well being.

Holistic  health  is  a  lifestyle  that  requires  you  to  be  an  active  participant  taking  control  and responsibility of various aspects of your life such as:

•  A sensible exercise program

•  Complementary supplementation

•  Eating wholesome, organic foods

•  Emotional and mental well-being

•  Hormonal balance

•  Optimal digestion

•  Peace of mind and happiness

•  Periodic detoxification

•  Positive thoughts and belief system

•  Quality relationships

•  Restful sleep

•  Spiritual connection and awareness

•  Stress management, relaxation, meditation and breathing

Holistic health is a natural expression and harmony of life. It consists of peace of mind, happiness and complete well-being on all levels – physical, emotional, intellectual, mental and spiritual. It is an evolution, balance and integration of these aspects. You are made up of spirit, mind and body. If there is a problem in one of these areas, it will affect the others as well.

Practicing  principles  of  holistic  health  can  alleviate  many  health  conditions  including  degenerative diseases, chronic stress and lifestyle disorders, hormonal imbalances, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, glandular weakness, gut dysfunction and a lowered functioning immune system.

Holistic  health  is  not  portrayed  by  the  individual  with  a  bronzed  tan,  a  chiseled  six-pack  abdomen eating 800 calories per day. Nor is it the person who jogs twenty-five miles per week, the latest celebrity diet or the individual that has undergone one plastic surgery after another.

The  truth  is  that  no  amount  of  exercise  or  cosmetic  surgery  will  reshape  your  physique  without attention to your lifestyle, emotions and healthy nutrition. Most diets set you up to fail. They work against your natural biochemistry and program your body to store fat.

Diets and weight loss gimmicks lead to a damaged metabolism. People who maintain their natural weight range usually have a healthy relationship with food, viewing it as nourishment. They enjoy food and eating without feelings of guilt, anxiety or obsession.

A key component of wellness is self-acceptance. Many believe that at age forty their mind, sight, hearing, libido, joints and physique are on the decline and degeneration is bound to happen. Even worse, society has become dependent upon pharmaceuticals, stimulants or processed foods for maintenance of the most basic human functions. Addictions to alcohol, sugar and other artificial stimulants are used by many.  These  deplete  you  of  energy,  wreak  havoc  on  your  health  and  leave  you more  exhausted  on deeper  levels.  Addictions  stem  from  inner  emotional  conflict,  imbalances  in  amino  acids and/or neurotransmitter deficiencies.

Ninety  percent  of  all  diseases  could  be  avoided  with  attention  to  these  four  components:  stress management, sunlight, nutrition and exercise.

Unfortunately, medical  schools  teach  upcoming  doctors  little,  if  any,  about  nutrition  or  prevention  of disease.  Instead,  doctors  are  taught  how  to  prescribe  toxic  pharmaceutical  drugs, making  doctors  the third  leading  cause  of  death.  The Rx drug  acts  as  a  band-aid.  After a period  of  time,  it  worsens  or reappears in another form. Each patent medicine has a list of side effects that often make matters worse. Eventually, more drugs are needed to deal with  them  leading  to biochemistry disruption and eventually death.

Holistic health addresses the entire person and their lifestyle.  It focuses on prevention, health maintenance, high-level vitality and longevity. You are an active participant in the healing process of your life versus a passive recipient.

WINNING FORMULAS FOR HEALTH, VITALITY, LONGEVITY AND FAT LOSS

• Water

Drink plenty of water. Every metabolic process that occurs in your body needs water to complete. Trying  to  lose  body  fat,  alleviate  constipation,  headaches  or  low  back  pain?  Drink more water.  The formula  for  you  individually  is  to  take  your  body  weight  and multiply  by  .7  and  this  will  give  you  the number  of  ounces  of  water  to  consume  every  day.  Add a  pinch  of  unprocessed  sea  salt  for  better absorption, additional minerals and cellular hydration. Adding the juice from a fresh lemon to your water inhibits the growth of kidney stones, creates an alkaline environment, aids digestion and is nourishing for your liver.

• Moderate  exercise

The  body MUST move  on  a  daily  basis  to  remain  healthy,  vital  and  young.  The intensity  and  frequency  of  your  exercise  plan  depends  on  your  level  of  fitness  and  overall  health. Unfortunately, most people tend to either under-exercise  or  over-exercise.  Performing  excessive cardiovascular exercise has a huge  influence on a woman’s hormone  levels. You can deplete your sex hormones simply by overdoing cardio exercise. Often this affects women faster than men, and the effects are magnified as a woman approaches her 40s and nears menopause.  The constant  revving-up  and slowing down of a woman’s metabolism from years of aerobic activity has adverse hormonal implications. Many people think that cardiovascular exercise is the ideal exercise because they feel more  refreshed and energized afterwards. This is only because the adrenal glands have been over-stimulated and have secreted enough adrenaline and cortisol.

Numerous  studies  have  shown  that  aerobic  exercise  does  not  promote  the  growth  of muscle.  In  fact, cardio exercise actually blocks muscle growth and can also reduce your muscle mass, which makes it an inefficient way of staying lean. I am not alone in opposing aerobic exercise as the ideal form of exercise. Three of the top leaders in the world of health and fitness, Paul Chek, founder of the CHEK Institute, Dr. Diana  Schwarzbein,  M.D.,  who  studies  the  hormonal  effects  of  exercise,  and  Charles  Poliquin,  an Olympic  strength  coach  who  studies  the  correlation  between  body  fat  and  imbalanced  hormones,  all advise against cardiovascular exercise because  it produces high  levels of stress on  the body, depletes your sex hormones and can lead to excess fat around the midsection.

The average woman does endless hours of cardio/aerobics, no strength training, starves herself, focuses on  the  number  on  the  scale  and  wonders why  her  body  isn’t  changing  for  all  the  effort  and  time  she spends.

My winning formula to optimize hormone levels, build muscle and lower your fat stores is to lift weights regularly,  at  least  two  to  three  times  a week  for  45-50 minutes  at  a  time  utilizing  a  full-body strength training program.

• Nutrition

Eat whole, unprocessed foods, preferably organic. Commercially farmed animals are pumped

with growth-stimulating hormones, antibiotics, as well as other drugs. Vegetable and  fruits are sprayed

with tons of herbicides and pesticides. Organic foods provide higher density nutrients needed to detoxify the body. Check out www.ewg.org for a list of foods with the highest and lowest pesticide content.

Shop  for  food at  your  local Farmer’s markets, Whole Foods or Trader  Joe’s. Take  the  time  to prepare meals yourself  rather  than  relying on  fast  foods. Make sure  you eat breakfast everyday  that  includes a lean,  quality protein source.  The  first  40  grams  of  protein  consumed  daily  go  to  support  your  immune system. Proteins are full of amino acids need for optimal brain function. When planning your meals, think PVFC (protein, veggie, healthy fat, carbohydrate).

Your body requires meals with a high nutritional value as opposed to processed foods, which are VOID of nutritional value. It actually costs your body nutrients to digest and process fast food. If you do not provide your body with the nutrients it needs for proper functioning, it will degenerate and set you up for a host of health problems. DO NOT underestimate the value of wholesome nutrition. Food is a drug.

• Eliminate toxins

We’re exposed to toxins from food additives and preservatives, dry cleaners, plastics,

pesticides,  xenoestrogens  and  chemicals  from  the  foods  we  eat,  the  air  we  breathe  and  household cleaning products, cosmetics, lotions and skin care products. The list is endless. The average American has  116  synthetic  compounds  in  his/her  body  according  to  the  Centers  of  Disease  Control  and Prevention. Reduce intake of processed foods, sugars, dairy, caffeine and alcohol. Completely eliminate any  product with  high-fructose  corn  syrup  and/or  partially  hydrogenated  trans  fats.   What  you  need  to realize is this – if you want to change your body shape, all toxins brought into your body through your food have to be processed by your liver. Toxins are stored in your fat cells. It’s difficult to lose body fat if you’re on toxic overload and your liver is congested.

• Sleep

Sleep  may  very  well  be  the  ‘fountain  of  youth.’  Lack  of  sufficient  sleep  compromises  the

effectiveness  of  typical  dietary  interventions  for  weight  loss  and  related  metabolic  risk  reduction.

Research from the University of Chicago showed that dieters that slept more lost more fat and maintained muscle mass. Studies from the National Institute of Health show that between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. your body undergoes physical regeneration and between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. mental and emotional  regeneration occurs. The closer  you can adhere  to getting  to bed by 10:30 p.m. and  rise by 6:00 a.m., the more your body and mind can rest and recover. If you consistently stay up past 10:30 p.m., you are destined to have imbalances between your stress hormones (they will be high) and your growth and repair hormones (they will be low).

• Manage  stress

Stress  is  like  dark  chocolate  –  a  little  is  okay,  but  a  lot will  kill  you. Stress  has  been linked to almost every major disease as well as weight gain and obesity. When you’re stressed out, your body is in a constant flood of cortisol, the stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. This causes a steady breakdown of  the body systems  leading  to premature aging, excess belly  fat, degeneration and eventually disease.

Rest may take the form of meditation, a twenty minute, a hot relaxing bubble bath with Epsom salts and lavender,  restorative yoga or  reading something spiritual or uplifting. Look at  your  relationships,  look at your bills, look at your daily schedule and commit yourself to eliminating anything that is not improving the quality  of  your  life.  Manage  your  “to-do”  list,  set  boundaries,  volunteering,  pets,  listening  to  classical music, spend time in nature or at the ocean are other stress busters.

• Breathe

Deep  breathing  is  the  source  of  all  energy  in  your  body.  It  releases  endorphins  that  create feelings of happiness. Deep breathing revitalizes and energizes every cell in your body. Without sufficient oxygen,  cells  begin  to  die  and  energy  is  not  sufficiently  produced.  Spend  five  minutes  of  solitude practicing deep,  full belly breathing every day. An example would be  to  inhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts, exhale 8 counts and hold 4 counts. You will notice a huge difference in your energy, mood and clarity.

• Spiritual connection

Spirituality can be defined  in  terms of your own beliefs. Nearly all belief systems recognize a Higher Power and  teach  that we  should  treat others as we would  like  to  be  treated. Your intention to connect on a soul level is vital for balance and harmony. We are made up of spirit, mind and body. If there is a problem in one of these areas, it will affect the others as well. The manner in which you may  choose  your  spiritual  connection may  include  any  of  the  following:  surrounding  yourself with  likeminded spiritual friends, prayer, reading something spiritual, meditation and/or solitude in nature.

• Your thoughts and belief system

Your belief system  is an  integral aspect of holistic health. You are what you believe and think about yourself. Shifting thoughts and beliefs from “not good enough, anxious thoughts, toxic inner-life thoughts” to those of self-love, kindness and honoring your body raise your level of consciousness and awareness bring you closer with your true Source.

• A healthy  functioning digestive system

You could be eating  the best  food on  the planet, yet  if your

digestive  system  isn’t  working  properly,  you  won’t  absorb,  assimilate,  metabolize  and  eliminate  food molecules  correctly. Many  health  conditions and  disease  stem  from a malfunctioning digestive  system. Seventy percent of your immune system is located in your digestive tract.

To improve digestion, try these tips:

1.  Drink two glasses of water with the juice of a lemon 15 minutes before each meal. Drinking during mealtime dilutes hydrochloric acid concentrations in the stomach and weakens digestion.

2.  Chew your food until it is liquefied.

3.  Consider  digestive  enzymes  and  HCL.  Hypochlorohydria  or  low  stomach  acid  is  extremely common as we age and many benefit from HCL supplementation.

4.  Eliminate foods you’re sensitive to

5.  Never eat while stressed! Don’t watch  the news, have stressful conversations,  listen  to chaotic music, eat in a hurry, or read stressful information while eating.

• Have goals

Set realistic and achievable short, mid-range and long-term goals. Write them down. Doing

so ensures you have made a major commitment toward achieving them and are far more likely to follow

your plan.

• Keep a positive outlook

This is much more important than you can imagine. Chronic stress accelerates

aging. People who  feel happier have on average,  lower  levels of  the stress hormone, cortisol, which  is

linked with hypertension and type II diabetes.

Negative  emotional  and  mental  overload  taxes  your  health  and  creates  imbalances  and  disease. Changing your thinking can change your brain’s neurochemistry. A positive attitude can keep you healthy, happy and alive well into old age. Staying in a state of gratitude is another Winning Formula against the potentially deadly effects of stress. Every day make a  list of 10  things  that you are grateful  for. This will shift your energy  immediately and  you’ll  feel better and  less stressed. Focus on positive outcomes and desired actions. Positive emotional states are linked to prolonged life expectancy. Expect the best!

Copyright © 2009-2011 Paula Owens

Paula Owens, Holistic Nutritionist, MS and Certified Fitness Expert  is  the author of THE POWER OF 4. She has over 20 years of experience in the natural health, nutrition and fitness industry. She is the creator of  “21  Days  to  a  Leaner,  Healthier  You,”  an  online  exercise  and  weight  loss  program.  Visit  Paula  at www.PaulaOwens.com