Your Health: Get Involved!

Are you taking an active role in your health this year?  Do you pay attention to your body's needs?  There are few things in life that we are more responsible for than our own personal bodies.  Yet, it's so easy to expect others - like experts, like the media, like the majority - to inform us what to do about our health.  Sometimes, as with some majorities, the message we get is to do NOTHING about our health. Often, the other extreme is just as loud telling us to do everything imaginable to keep our bodies healthy.

The truth is we can learn from everyone and at the same time everyone is human and fallible.  We are all going to get it wrong every once in a while - at least!  The most important thing you can do for your health - as well as your family's - is to GET INVOLVED!

1) Ask Questions.  No matter the issue or the person you're consulting with, determine to understand completely what the problem is and all of the options available to correct it.

2) Eat. Sleep. Play.  A lot of our ailments can be improved with simple changes to how we eat, sleep and play (or exercise).  Before you try to mask a problem with pills or procedures, see if you can make some positive changes in a one of these areas.  Clean eating, plenty of water, adequate sleep and plenty of exercise does amazing things for your body.  Don't believe it?  Try it.

3) Research.  What do you know about the varying treatments available?  Look into the pros and cons of different areas, like herbal remedies, homeopathy, essential oils, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractors, medications, injections, surgeries, etc.

Your instincts and personal involvement are so important when it comes to your own health.  This year, determine to take action with your healthcare options.  In whatever way we can, we hope to support you in being the best and healthiest you in 2014!

Colon Health: That's Where the Party's At!

As we approach the new year, it's likely you've mistreated your body a bit in the past few weeks (maybe months?) and some detoxing or cleansing is in order.  We are diligent to regularly clean everything else in our life - hands, bodies, homes, clothes, etc. - so it makes sense to do the same for the inside of your body.  Just like the grime and muck of daily living can build up sometimes before we realize, the toxicity of our environments takes its toll on our bodies.  Here are just a few of the possible benefits you could experience with some internal cleansing:

-Improved digestion and elimination

-Better mental clarity 

-Energy levels usually improve

-Removal of waste/debris and toxic chemicals (like preservatives, artificial colors, pesticides, etc.)

-Increased nutrient absorption

And the best and most important place to start is the colon.  It might be an uncomfortable topic for discussion, but if your colon isn't healthy, you're uncomfortable on a whole new level.  When things are working like they should, especially when they have haven't been, suddenly there's all kinds of rejoicing!

Did you know that during active weight loss is an ideal time to cleanse and detoxify?  As your body burns up fat, it releases more stored toxins, which need to be removed before they get back into your bloodstream.  So, as you prepare to start that new exercise routine and healthy eating habit, throw in some intentional cleansing while you're at it for optimum benefits.

Cleansing Essentials
Every person's body has unique needs and conditions and there are dozens of herbal supplements and combinations that can aid intestinal health.  But for a basic understanding, here is a summary of the most commonly used products to aid a short term cleanse.  For more information about which is best for you, give us a call!

Probiotics - Our intestinal tract includes both good and bad bacteria.  Many things like diet, environmental factors and medications wipe out all of the good.  To build it back up, consider probiotics like Bifidophilus Flora Force, Probiotic Eleven, and Acidophilus

Fiber - Insoluble and soluble fiber are both critical to a properly functioning intestinal system.  Products like Nature's Three, Loclo, Psyllium Hulls Combination and Everybody's Fiber help to keep the movement regular.

Enzymes - Enzymes break down toxins and undigested food which helps your intestinal track stay healthy. Products like Food Enzymes, Proactazyme, and Hi-Lipase are great options.

Cleansers - In addition to fiber, a cleanser is needed to act as a stimulant to rid the bowel of toxic waste.  For a typical detox, LBS II, Intestinal Soothe & Build, All Cell Detox and Bowel Detox are popular combinations.

13 Super Brain Foods - by Nature's Sunshine


And finally, make sure you're drinking water, water and more water! Herbal supplements especially are more effective in the body with plenty of water AND extra water helps the toxins you are trying to clean out to move through faster.  Whether at the beginning of a new year or just some time in the next 3 or 4 months, do something to detox! Your bowels will thank you!

The Road to Health Accepts Baby Steps

Until changes become habits, they do your body very little good.  A sustainable program, something you will continue for more than a week, is what brings abundant living.  Too often, especially at the beginning of a new year, we vow to lose weight, exercise more, eat better, etc., but by March everything is forgotten.   This year, why not choose a better road to personal success. No goal of better health can be achieved over night or with drastic changes that your body resists. Baby steps are steps just the same. 

Instead of changing everything this month, commit to just one.  As you find small successes, continuing isn’t so hard.

- Drink only water.

- Eat raw fruits or veggies with meals.

- Exercise somehow every day.

- Eat meals from home.

- Maintain a supplement regimen  

Focus on one thing you CAN do and don’t get bogged down by the things you can’t.  Doing any one of these consistently can bring drastic improvements!

Lasting Changes

Here at The Herb Garden we've taken a hiatus from a few things, such as this blog, but we're back at it now and ready to take on the health of the world!! :) 

One of the things that has been on our minds is healthy habits and why making lasting changes is so difficult.  In our experience, one of the biggest culprits is an 'All or Nothing' attitude.  During the holidays or some vicious reminder that you've got to make some changes in your life, vows of conviction and the strictest of intentions are uttered.  Changes WILL be made! Yet, not even 2 weeks later, you have slacked off, given in and have mostly forgotten what the big deal was about anyway.  Just another happy new year, right? What goes wrong year after year? Perhaps its simply a case of trying to do everything at once and thus going nothing at all.  Changes are hard and near impossible when you implement multiple ones at the same time.  If you'd like to run a marathon, need to lose 100 pounds  or just have a journey ahead that seems too big, then try thinking of it in steps.  Instead of trying to lose 100 pounds overnight, just try the 1 pound.  Maybe you don't drink enough water. Use all of that conviction to accomplish one tiny little task before you attack the mountain. Drink 8 glasses of water a day for a week. Maybe drink ONLY water for a week. Whatever your changes you need to make, start small and you'll be surprised at not only how good you feel about your accomplishment, but how easy it is to add one more goal afterwards.

Consider baby steps like these:

-Add raw fruits or veggies to every meal

-Walk Every Day

-Read Every Day

-Meditate/Pray 15 minutes every day

-Work on that project 15 minutes every day

-Cut out one bad habit food item (candy, white bread, packaged snacks)

-Eat dinner at home instead of going out

-Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night

All of these suggestions are things we need to be doing, but if you're not doing any of them and try to add them all at the same time, the average person will quit.  Unfortunately its partly our nature and our society that just doesn't emphasize discipline and self-control.  But that doesn't have to stop us! Try just one of these things or something you know you can handle this next week. You will be surprised how far you can go with baby steps!