10 Tips to Make 2014 Your Healthiest Year Yet

By Diana Paez, January 7, 2014

We’ve been trained to believe that health issues are a product of genetics, lack of exercise and eating junk food. But this is far from the truth. Genuine health and happiness is a reward that is given to a person when their lifestyle is balanced through a constant refinement process that integrates mind, body and spirit. This notion is evident in a recent article written by Jon Gabriel who lost over 200 lbs. by successfully tackling his health challenges through a holistic approach. Based on my own personal experiences and the experience of others whom I know personally who have also made these choices, I have compiled a list of the top 10 ways to achieve radiant health and longevity.

1. Consume a diet of 60% or more of raw / living fruits and vegetables.
Live foods are treasure troves of living enzymes, phyto-nutrients and other compounds that are essential to proper digestion, absorption, elimination, immunity and health. Unfortunately, virtually none of these delicate entities can survive temperatures greater than 116° Fahrenheit (most enzymes start to degrade at about 106°), so they are generally destroyed by the heat of cooking and most commercial processing. Read more about this here. Do it for a strong immune system, do it to easily keep a healthy weight, do it to have radiant energy. Simply said, do it to FEEL GOOD and DISEASE-FREE! Live in a blissful state with LIVING FOODS, the more of them you eat, the more ALIVE you will feel! I’ve kept my raw foods intake at 90-95% and most people that know me can really tell the difference in my appearance and health, so much they’ve jumped on board to join me in this lifestyle!

2. Slowly Reduce / Eliminate all Animal Products from your diet.
If you haven’t watched the most popular documentary on Netflix: Forks over Knives, you’re totally missing out! Every person on this planet can benefit from watching this documentary, and it can even save your life! Also watch the brilliant Australian documentary ‘A Delicate Balance’ (another free documentary online, search for it on Google). These documentaries tell the truth about the effects of animal product consumption on humans and are strongly supported by decades of international research and peer reviewed studies by physicians and scientists all over the world.

Work gently to decrease or eliminate all meats and dairy. I say gently because your body is highly adaptive, and the slower you transition to a new lifestyle whether it’s eating or fitness, the easier it will be to stay on track. You won’t see someone that is training for a marathon run 8 miles the first few days of training, because it would be a complete shock to their body and not something they would want to do again after that first time. The same goes for a drastic change of diet, you must train your body to accept these foods slowly and progressively. Set goals to keep on track! Add more fruits to your breakfast, and more vegetables to your lunches and dinners and slowly decrease animal products. Your body will naturally start craving healthier foods this way.

3. Eliminate all processed foods.
I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but don’t even give these an inch! By eating this you are willingly poisoning your body and preventing any progress with your health. What’s processed food? It’s simple. If it’s got a TV commercial or contains ingredients that don’t sound like basic foods, toss it! Avoid it like the plague! These “foods” contain so many chemicals and fillers to decrease the costs of manufacturing at the unfortunate expense of your life and vitality. Just say no to processed foods. A good rule of thumb is to stick to the outer parts of the grocery store where the produce is and avoid the center aisles that are filled with processed and packaged foods. Simply keep these products out of sight and out of mind. For example, if you’re craving sweets, choose dates (over Snickers) or other clean natural treats that to satisfy your sweet tooth! Also, if your body is craving sweets it’s because there are not enough fruits in your diet.

4. Use natural hygiene products, or better yet make your own!
If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin! Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and it absorbs any liquid, cream or chemical you put on it within 26 seconds. So again, don’t put it on your skin if it’s something you wouldn’t put in your mouth. An example would be to make your own deodorant. A deodorant I have found to be super easy to make, inexpensive, and way more effective than any other ‘natural’ deodorants I’ve found is mixing Coconut oil + Baking Soda. This combo is super potent and lasts all day. There are chemical-free alternatives (including DIY alternatives) for every single personal hygiene product you use. Simply ask your good ol’ friend: Google.

5. Toss chemical cleaning products, you don’t need them anymore.
Don’t only detox your body, detox your home! I really can’t stand it when I smell bleach, windex or other chemical concoctions in homes, specially near foods! But I’m not surprised because most people are brainwashed by TV (or their mother’s TV-trained customs) when it comes to shopping decisions for the home. Not only is it a waste of money, these fumes are very detrimental to our health. Some studies have found that these chemicals are linked to obesity!  It’s easy to find DIY cleaner recipes that you can make with cheap, home ingredients for any cleaning chore at home. Using simple ingredients like baking soda, lemon, vinegar, salt and water can tackle any job and not fill your lungs and bloodstream with poison. It is guaranteed that you can clean anything and sometimes even more efficiently with these ingredients. Check out Green Cleaning 101 for more information.

6. Purify your thoughts and your heart.
Practice non-judgement and become conscious of your own thoughts to filter out any negativity and replace it with positive loving thoughts. This takes time and work, but as long as you’re conscious of what your mind is up to, you can train it to think the thoughts you want it to think (peace, love, positivity). Work on any emotional traumas! EFT (emotional freedom technique) is an amazing FREE resource for this. Meditation and visualization techniques can help keep you in control of your mind, not the other way around. Your thoughts are just as important as diet when it comes to health.  There is no better proof than this than the famous study by Dr. Masura Emoto which demonstrates that the energy of our thoughts has a direct effect on the geometric structure of water molecules within ice crystal formations. Check it out if you haven’t already!

7. Move your body with a big smile on your face!
Find your favorite physical activity and dedicate at least half an hour into it each day. Walk, dance, yoga, rock climb, cycle, hike, swim, play tennis, basically anything that you absolutely LOVE doing and that keeps your heart rate up!

8. Add quality mineral supplements to your diet!
Today’s fruits and vegetables are harvested from soils that are mostly mineral deficient. That means that even if we’re eating a diet filled with fruits and vegetables, we are still mineral deficient (unless you live in Hawaii where the soils are mineral rich). In 1975, Congress stated that 95% of population is mineral and vitamin deficient. And do you think the soil has gotten any better since then? Absolutely not. This means that we need to take mineral supplements and mineral-rich foods like sea vegetables to optimize our health and vitality. In this video, health guru Dan McDonald provides the perfect tutorial to teach you all about why we need mineral supplements, and which mineral supplements are best in quality. I personally use ConcenTrace, you can find this product on Amazon.com: Liqumins ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops, Low Sodium, 8-Ounce Bottle

9. Pump that lymph!
A perfect diet is not going to keep you healthy if you have garbage and pollution backed up in your body. Our lymphatic system bathes our body’s cells and carries the body’s cellular sewage away from the tissues to the blood. This sewage is made up of the byproducts of our bodily processes, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, illicit drugs, cigarette toxins, other airborne pollutants, food additives, pesticides and other toxins. And what many people don’t know is that our body needs help pumping this system to get rid of this garbage.

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, estimates that 80 percent of women have sluggish lymphatic systems and that getting them flowing smoothly is the key to easy weight loss and improved feelings of well-being.

If you are suffering from injuries, excess weight or cellulite, or pain disorders like arthritis, bursitis, headaches or others, a sluggish lymphatic system may be playing a role.  Here are a few ways you can get your lymph flowing smoothly.

– Dry Skin Brushing
Using a natural bristle brush before showering. Here’s a great tutorial video on how to do this correctly.

– Breathe Deeply
Breath exercises such as those performed during yoga are very helpful and there are other many great breathing techniques you can find on YouTube.

– Exercise!
The best kind (and my personal FAVORITE)  is rebounding on a mini trampoline, which can dramatically improve lymph flow, but stretching and aerobic exercise also work well.

– Eat more raw fruit on an empty stomach.
The enzymes and acids in fruit (specially grapefruit and oranges) are powerful lymph cleansers. Check out this juice recipe I make specifically to give my lymphatic system a vigorous cleanse and boost! Eat fruits on an empty stomach for best digestion and maximum lymph-cleansing benefits. Most fruits are digested within 30 minutes or so and quickly help you feel better.

– Alternate hot and cold showers.
Do this for several minutes. The heat dilates the blood vessels and the cold causes them to contract. Avoid this type of therapy if you have a heart or blood pressure condition or if you are pregnant.

– Get a gentle massage.
Studies show that a gentle massage can push up to 78 percent of stagnant lymph back into circulation. Massage frees trapped toxins. You can also try a lymph drainage massage.

10. Read and educate yourself!
Personally, reading books on health and nutrition has really been the catalyst for my health improvements over the last few years. I believe educating yourself is the best way to take responsibility for your own health and not have to depend on others or outside sources to make the right decisions for your own body. So grab a book and start reading! Become your own health therapist!

Here are a few of my favorite informative books.

I hope this article will help you achieve all of your health goals and I wish a wonderful new year filled with peace, health and vitality!