Small and Simple Daily Decisions for a Healthier You

The struggle is real.

Disease can be overwhelming with its many medications, laboratory tests and medical procedures.

Despite all these, some patients are still not recovering fast enough. 

I feel for them. 

When I was younger, I saw how hard it was for my father and the family when he had a stroke. I also get sick from time to time when I forget to take care of myself.

As I've mentioned before, sickness comes when we are in dis-ease. And we'll continue to be sick unless we decide to get better. 

Your body is your business. And the best person who could make you better is you. 

I love how Stephen Covey said it: "The key is in our decisions, not our conditions." 

Yes, the mountain of sickness can be overwhelming, but this mountain can be moved if you start doing something about it. Small repeated actions done daily will eventually break that big thing.

For those who don't feel health pressures yet, you can take charge of your body now. Don't wait for sickness to creep in. It doesn't have to be big bold steps, but you can start little by little.

The level of your health is a direct result of our daily decisions. Small steps made consistently every day will lead to strides of recovery and wellness. The journey towards being fully healthy and alive begins now.

Here are some daily decisions you can apply.

When done regularly, you'll be on your way to fullness of health.

☀️ Win your mornings.

Stretch! Upon waking up in the morning, stretch out your arms and open your body wide. You can even do this while still in bed, while sitting down or standing up. This immediately jumpstarts your blood circulation and wakes up your muscles from slumber.

Subconsciously, you are also opening yourself up for good things coming, and stretching helps you to let go of negative feelings like sleepiness and laziness.

Use the first 15 minutes of the day to your advantage. No newspapers, TV or gadgets please. 

Use the first few minutes of the day to visualize the outcome of your day. You can do this in a quiet time, meditation and in prayer. 

You may do deep breathing while doing this. Make oxygen more available in your body, while exhaling carbon dioxide. 

Take calamansi juice first thing in the morning and a bowl of fruits an hour after. It gives you an early immune system boost and it's good for your digestion.

⛹🏻 Move it!

There's a saying that your psychology affects your physiology. What your mind focuses on, the body will follow. That's why when we feel low and sad, our body tends to be heavy and sluggish. 

But because of this same body-mind connection, we can also play it the other way around: We can use our physiology to affect our psychology. Meaning, even if we are not in the mood, just move! Action influences your emotion.

Get up, make your bed, get dressed, eat well, and be on your way to a productive day. Harness the power of inertia. Even if you take it slow at the start, keep it going and you'll eventually catch up to make your day a good one. 

If you find yourself sitting down most of the day, have some stand-and-stretch breaks. 

Walk more by taking the stairs or parking your car farther.

Being on the move burns calories, improves your blood circulation, keeps your mind sharp and stretches your bones and muscles.

🖐🏼 Slow down.

Do you feel tired most of the time? Do you get minor illnesses like cough and cold often? Do you experience hyperacidity or migraines and can't seem to control them despite meds or alternative therapies?

Your rate of activity might be too fast that your rate of recovery cannot catch up. 

Take small breaks in between your activities within the day. 

Chew your food well and enjoy your meal. 

Take six to eight hours of uninterrupted hours of sleep daily. 

Get some vacation once in a while. 

Disconnect from social media and your gadgets. 

Take time to date your loved ones. 

Wind down in the evening, leave work for tomorrow, pipe in some music and relax. 

You get tons of health benefits just by slowing down.

🍅 Eat to be nourished, not just to get full.

When you create or order your meals, choose what will give you good nutrition. Categorize your food choices as either "forward food" or "backward food." Ask yourself, "Is this food helping me move forward to better health or backward to feeling unhealthy?" 

Remember, you are what you eat. Eat junk, and you feel junk. Eat healthy, and you feel healthy. 

Forego processed food and go for nutritive meals. 

Take fruits in the morning, vegetables in the afternoon and dinner.

Let it become a way of life. It's your daily food choices that will build or break your body in the long run. 

And oh, maybe you should stop asking why real food is expensive and start asking why processed food is so cheap. 

It's not just about feeling full and satisfied; it's about feeling strong and nourished.

🥰 Surround yourself with positivity.

Say yes to nourishing food and to a nourishing environment. Get some vitamin sun; it's a natural antidepressant. 

Clean up your house or workplace. A cluttered place is a product of a cluttered mind. 

Think positive thoughts. Remove the toxicity from your mind.

Use positive words. From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. Do positive actions. 

Surround yourself with a positive environment. 

Spend time with positive people. 

Live a balanced lifestyle. Choose your friends wisely. Get deposits of love from family and good company.

👉 In a nutshell, take good doses of healthy habits daily. Do it consistently and add more healthy habits as you go. Over time, all these would lead to your transformation of your body, mind, heart and spirit.