It's A New Year: Tips to Help Keep us Healthy on All Levels for 2024

A typical year usually brings with it a renewed enthusiasm for goal setting but 2024 may feel different for many people.
Despite our ever-shifting world of uncertainties, goal setting can have great value and give a sense of self-determination and resolve to make positive choices on mental/emotional and physical levels in order to adapt to the various changes and challenges life may bring. Note: Spiritual health is different for each individual so I will not speak further about that but as to say just find time to commune with something greater than yourself even if it is nature.
What is most important for you? For me, if I go through the list of possibilities that I would like to change, improve upon or have in my life, what I have learned is that without my mental/emotional, physical and spiritual health, I am unable to accomplish as much if anything, help others, nor can I see or appreciate as readily the blessings I do have.
There are many factors that affect our health including: stress, the environment, food choices, lack of exercise, our thoughts and words and more.

Everywhere we turn these days we are bombarded with negative news from various media sources and it is challenging for many to not absorb the negativity, pain, chaos and suffering of so many in the world. As a result, many people are feeling more stress, anxiety, sadness or helplessness. These emotions can have negative effects on our health, no matter how much good fuel and nourishment we provide the body. The emotional body is more powerful in that if we think. For this reason, I am going to provide an overview on the importance of how our thoughts, words and beliefs help to shape our reality whether it is our health or our life in general and the collective.

Each and every cell in the body is perfectly aware of our thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Our beliefs originate from what we hear – and keep on hearing from others, our own thoughts and feelings about ourselves and the world. Belief-reinforced awareness can eventually become our biochemistry.
DNA and genes do not control our life. But instead, DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell including energetic messages emanating from our own positive and negative emotions. Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors, beliefs, thoughts and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work.

In my clinical practice, when I heard patients repeatedly say things like “I am worried sick about…” “I can’t” I hate myself when” etc. I would give them a little exercise and ask them to count how many negative thoughts they had in one afternoon. It was shocking for them when they realized how many negative thoughts or statements they had in a short time, either about themselves, the world, or others. Once they realized this, they could start to change how they thought and the words they chose.

Thoughts are powerful messengers affecting every cell in our body. Think and imagine what you want to see in the world at large and in your own life – and try to ignore or do your best not to absorb the negative news and words of those around you.

The greatest remedy against stress, poor health and dis-ease is our ability to choose one thought over another.

Listen carefully to your spoken and unspoken thoughts and words and where they are leading you.

Goal Setting for greater Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Strength.

Food: Keep it Simple. Follow an eating program similar to the Mediterranean diet – fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, chicken, healthy fats and oils (avocado, olive, flax, etc). Eat organic when possible.
Foundation supplements include: A good multivitamin and mineral; omega-3; vitamin D. If fermented foods are not part of your regular diet then using a probiotic periodically is helpful.
Supplements that support calmness are very important in our world today. Some of these include: L-theanine, GABA, ashwagandha, magnesium and more. There are different combined formulas available – speak to staff at Vitamin Shop.
WATER: Drink at least 1.5 litres of filtered water daily.
Exercise: It doesn’t take much – a minimum of 15 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise — only 8 minutes a day of vigorous-intensity exercise is required to reduce illness
Spiritual focus: Prayer, meditation or simply a quiet contemplative walk in nature, can help us maintain our inner spiritual strength.
Gratitude journal: Write just one sentence for each of five things you are grateful for every week. The Attitude of Gratitude has been linked to better health, sounder sleep less anxiety and depression, long term satisfaction with life, and kinder behaviour towards others.

A miracle is a change in our consciousness nothing more.