health-tips.eu

Welcome to our new eGuide “secrets of youth“

8 steps to a longer and better life! Rejuvenate yourself and stay younger.

Learn in short and precise words about 8 important ways that help you stay as young and happy as possible, as long as possible.
No non-sense, only highly effective tips that are compiled after careful observations, experiences, scientific research and actual tests.

1. Joy
Quality friends, healthy family relations, music you love, do something you like for a living…

Remember we are human beings – not human doings. Avoid stress and destructive atmosphere. Don’t think problems will fix themselves! Take actions to resolve sources of problems in your life, even if it means quitting a job and completely changing your life.
Start doing it now…  The longer you feel miserable the weaker becomes your power to act.

2. Sleep
Make sure you get enough sleep. I strongly disagree with the claim that just 6-8 hours should be sufficient. Also try to going to bed earlier – around 10 optimally.

Especially if you do hard work or a lot of sports, more sleep is needed.

My advice would be around 10 hours. Remember that humans evolved in tropical regions where it is dark for about 12 hours. Fire and artificial light was not used until very late stages in human evolution. Something as important and profound as the need for sleep does not change that fast. That’s not how evolution work.

Try to sleep on an empty stomach – you should not be hungry, but try not to eat a lot the last few hours before you go to sleep.

Stay away from caffeine and alcohol at least 7 hours before bedtime. With either of these substances – or any other powerful stimulant in your blood, you sleep pattern will dramatically change and your deep sleep shortened. This is not something you want on a regular basis! During deep sleep, growth hormones are released and your body repairs and rebuilds.

3. Water
Are you (de)hydrated?

A simple test is to ask yourself how many times a day you need to go!?… Between 7 and 10 times should be fine. Also the color is an important indication of your hydration level. Your urine should have little or no color, except perhaps in the morning or first time after exercise.

An important tip here is to drink ½ liter of water before you go to sleep and again just when you get out of bed – 30 minutes before your breakfast.

4. Diet
Raw Fruit and Vegetables!

Have you ever questioned your diet!? Asked yourself what you would eat if you were on your own in the wild? Do you look like a predator that is capable of chasing down an animal? Try to catch a wild rabbit! Good luck! We are back to evolution and it has been well proven that humans were almost exclusively fruit (and vegetables) eaters, until very late stages of our evolutionary development. As we all know, recent science also prove that a high percentage of meat, dairy products and other animal food sources in our diet, is responsible for most of our “lifestyle” diseases.

Because of the well documented science plus my own personal experience where I have seen people with different serious illnesses healed through a strict raw fruit and vegetable diet, I have to recommend a diet based primarily on organic fruit and vegetables with as little animal sources as possible.

Also all kinds of grains are not something I see as a natural food source. The science tells the same story, but I will cover this aspect in another post in my blog.

5. Exercise
Back to evolution once again! Throughout our evolution, moving our bodies has been a natural and necessary action when collecting food, avoiding dangers, etc. Important systems as the lymph are based on our body being active. Not only the lymph is depending on what we now call “exercise” so if you want to stay young, you need to stay active – every day! As you perhaps realize 5 minutes a day is far from enough.. On the other hand it’s not hard to get enough exercise.

A brisk 30 minute walk will do you a lot of good.

I recommend finding an active hobby that you find really fun. Optimally this will include step 1 and form a strong positive synergy. An example could be riding your mountain bike in the forest, playing tennis, badminton, or whatever… Try to pick something that requires a relatively high hart-rate, unlike bowling for instance.

6. Mindfulness.
Start noticing the world around you more – ‘wake up’.

Ever come across this concept before!? It’s becoming increasingly popular these days.

Let me describe the essence:

A wise man once said: “make everything you do a mediation”. This means focusing on what you are doing right now. There is nothing more important than this very moment. You might be thinking a little planning probably wouldn’t hurt? True! Then focus on your planning. Not on what you’re having for dinner later, except of course if that is what you are planning for! Get the idea?

Think about kids. They are almost constantly completely absorbed by what they are doing.

Mindfulness is remembering how your mind worked as a kid, remembering what it’s like to admire and be fascinated by things around you, noticing details, focusing.

Don’t train your mind to multi-task. Your brain isn’t build to work that way and it will not do you good.
Another way of expressing what mindfulness is about is getting of AUTO PILOT. Wake up and notice the world around you. Notice the colors, details, feel your emotions. Be more alive!!

7. Stop abusing your body
Since you are still reading, this is probably common sense to you, I will mention it anyway.Avoid anything that affects you body though chemical stimulation.

- Tobacco
- Coffees and soft drinks with caffeine.
- Refined sugar

This will burn your candle in both ends, and dramatically shorten your life.

8. Breathe…
How often do you breathe relaxed (where your belly is moving in and out)The power of deep and natural breathing is overlooked and forgotten by most people. If your body is stressed your breathing will probably not be deep and relaxed.

Try to focus on your breathing now and then and try to make it deeper, more relaxed and notice your belly moving. Relax your chest and the rest of your body. Notice if any part of your body is tense.

Do this, as often as you like to loosen up and do at least 5 really deep breaths.

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A few words…
I know it’s almost impossible to follow all these “steps” in a normal life.
Of course a great night out with friends is worth “breaking” the sleep rule now
and then.
Use these advices – which are what they are – with common sense.
If you have questions ask away in the discussion bellow.

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity,
answered:
“Man………because he sacrifices his health in order to make money…
Then, he sacrifices money to recuperate his health……..
And then…….he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the
present;
The result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really
lived.”

A little bit of inspiration!