Finding Balance in My Life

With all the health and lifestyle recommendations I post on my site, people must think I live a blissfully perfect life. Well, I don't know anybody that close to perfection, especially me. I readily admit I cave in to occasional sugar-cookie and potato-chip binges (gasp — white sugar and carcinogens!) or sit at a computer all day without blinking. BUT overall, I usually seek to maintain balance in my life in the easiest, most natural way possible.

I'm 45 and have stayed the same weight all my adult life, about 110 lb. I hardly have any graying hair. And — with the exception of red wine and chocolate intolerance (which is slowly disappearing possibly thanks to coconut oil) — I don't have any health problems. I must be doing some things right, but exactly what they are, I'm not quite sure. So here are my typical health habits.

Skin Care

I don't use soap on my face — just rinse with water. Especially since I live in an incredibly dry climate at 5,000 feet, my skin can easily get dried out. Your own skin oil is probably nature's best moisturizer for your face, and washing with soap strips your skin of this important emollient. My husband's mother may have proved this theory true — she had oily skin all her life, and at 80+ still had incredibly smooth skin.

To supplement my skin's oil production, I use a squalane oil (made from olive oil) I purchase on eBay. Squalane is a natural component of skin oil. I apply the oil by massaging it in for about two minutes to get a healthy glow on my face and improve circulation. Any time you increase circulation in any area of your body, you initiate healing and restore good health. So I will also do an all-over dry skin brushing for a couple minutes every evening before I go to bed.

Supplements

I essentially try to use as few regular supplements as possible, but the ones I choose are derived from a more natural, organic substance rather than a synthetic source. I supplement with a multi-vitamin, specifically Nature's Way Alive! Whole Food Energizer (sorry, don't mean to plug, but this is the best I've found yet) and Vibra-Gest live food plant enzymes by Nature's Plus. The only other regular supplement I take is cayenne pepper, usually in capsule form, or eating lots in hot sauces or added to foods. Cayenne pepper is another one of my circulation-boosting therapies. (I have a theory that cayenne boosts my metabolism and keeps me skinny!)

There are some other foods I typically use as "medicine," or to keep my body's functions regulated. What's important to me is that if I don't like the taste of it, I won't consume it!

1. Virgin coconut oil. Provides medium-chain fats that are typically missing from diets; it's not the same type of saturated fat nutritionists warn you to stay away from. This fat also has numerous other proven healing properties, such as anti-microbial effects, and produces more youthful, glowing skin. It also has been shown to improve the HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio. A lot of people cook with it or use it externally on their bodies. I just ingest it — 1 liquid tablespoon (in the winter I have to heat it up slightly to melt it) and chase it down with water…not too bad, actually. More info about coconut oil can be found on the website of coconut oil expert and author Bruce Fife, ND: CoconutResearchCenter.org.

2. Oil pulling with sesame oil. Nobody is exactly sure why this works, but swishing a certain type of oil (either sesame or sunflower, but some people have successfully used other types) in your mouth for at least 10 minutes is said to "pull out" bacteria and other toxins in the oral cavity, especially around the teeth and gums, and by pulling them out of your mouth keeps them from getting to other areas of the body. Many people claim a multitude of health benefits.

3. Flax seed. I just eat this by the tablespoonful, followed by lots of water, in between meals. It has a pleasant, nutty flavor. It's made up of mostly fiber and contains beneficial lignans and omega-3 fatty acids.

On an as-needed basis, I'll use milk thistle, horse chestnut, reishi mushroom, astragalus, ginger root, oil of oregano, baking soda, raw garlic, raw honey, castor oil, and cilantro pesto.

Diet

I eat just about anything so that I can enjoy a wide variety of delicious foods (especially chips and salsa), but my main diet consists of fresh fruits (apples, pears, clementines, musk melon, grapes, avocado) and veggies (celery, carrots, lots of greens, broccoli, green beans, squash, turnips), nuts (raw walnuts, sunflower seeds), berries (blueberries and strawberries), green tea and herbal tea with fresh ginger (along with filtered water, this is about all I drink), seafood (shrimp and fish), kefir, olive oil, and occasional raw cheese. My goal is to eat at least 50 percent fresh foods each day — fresh fruits in the morning and a big salad to accompany dinner. I try to buy organic but it's not always possible to find fresh (and economical) choices.

I usually eat little dairy (other than the above-mentioned sources), legumes, grains and breads, meat, pasta, and eggs.

I stay away from soda, artificial flavorings and colorings, additives, artificial sweeteners, and GMO products (however, this doesn't mean I don't occasionally ingest them).

Environment

My cleaning and personal care products are usually "green" and as pure as possible without synthetic chemicals, scents or added colors.

Exercise

About 5-7 days a week I'll do walking (up to 30 minutes/day), stretching, some yoga, and toning exercises that target just about every muscle of the body (about 15 minutes/day), such as sit-ups, leg-lifts, push-ups, and — my favorite quick, easy, and most effective exercise — the plank. Kind of a lazy-man's shortcut to the best overall muscle-toning in the shortest time possible!

Mental Health Practices

Meditation (20 minutes/day), affirmations (5 minutes/day), and quiet solitude in the evenings are my most important factors to all-over good health. And going out and enjoying the healing power of nature is an absolute must. But most of all, I avoid stress and worrying about stuff I can't control.

So I spend about an hour almost each day beyond my normal routine to take care of myself, and if time is money, then I think this is the best investment in my health I can ever make.

My desire to share my health habits isn't to convert anyone to my way of living or preach about the "right way" to live vs. wrongful choices, but it may give you some ideas that spark a sense of needed change within you and assist you to break through some health barriers you've come up against. Know that "my way" isn't the only way, and if you're genuinely searching for an answer to one of your health problems, my advice is to do what I do — "ask and ye shall receive" — which is asking the Universe to guide me to the solution I need for my particular issue. And at the most appropriate time you'll be guided to just the right remedy or health practice — when you least expect it.