10 Steps to Ultimate Health

Have you every agonized over a complex problem or situation for hours and hours only to find the answer right under your nose? Yeah, me too. Well, we as Americans appear to fighting tooth and nail with the complex issue of health and wellness. Been sick recently? Know someone who has cancer? Arthritis? Asthma? Acne? Yeah, me too. Along with these ailments heart disease and obesity are leaving millions of us on drugs, out of work and stressing the health care system. Time for a change. Time to fight back. Knowledge needs to be you weapon. Your answer is now right under your nose.

There are very few guarantees in life. There are also very few rights. Health, wellness and vitality are certainly not guaranteed and are not a right. These are privileges that need to be earned through hard work, patience, persistence and planning. Unlike the drug ads that you see on TV or in the glossy magazines a miracle pill or cure is not in the pipeline. The cure to what ails you, or the vitality and energy that eludes you, is hidden in the mirror. It is within you. Time to unlock the beast.

What follows are 10 simple suggestions to being a better and more healthy you. No guarantees here. It is up to you; take it as far as you wish. Do just one or set your sights on all 10. Your choice. Choose wisely. The road is a bumpy one but the destination is worth it.

1. Shut off your cable TV. Yeah, you read right. Cable TV has several negative affects on you and your family. For one it sucks you in when you could be doing something else. Ever claim that you don=t have time for something but manage to watch CSI every Thursday night? Funny, huh? The second major is issue is the ads. Get a stop watch. Turn on the TV and hit "START". The first time you see an add for either a drug or junk food hit "STOP". Exactly. The Alternative? There are several subscription DVD services out there where, for less than $20 a month you can watch all the CSI you want. My house has gone through several periods without cable TV. We never shriveled up and died yet from a lack of CNN, The Weather Channel and Seinfeild re-runs.

2. Don't take drugs. This is a biggie. I'm not talking about crack or heroin here. Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, Celebrex blah, blah, blah. Drugs lead to dependency, liver problems, side effects and scores of other health issues. Every hear of Vioxx? A couple of years ago Vioxx was a safe pain reliever. Now Celebrex is having problems also. Oh, by the way, both these drugs were found to cause heard problems. Yeah, in 1999. I can refer you to the actual article. The issue of drugs is bigger than the scope of this article. The point is that drugs make people sick. Healthy people don=t take drugs. Take that how you will.

3. Avoid or eliminate caffeine. No study ever done (and there have been thousands) have ever shone that caffeine has a positive impact on your body. Not a one. Caffeine = stress. Ever try to not drink caffeine for a couple of days? Caffeine is a drug that is unhealthy for your body. Did you know that caffeine stays in your body for 60 days? Not good.

4. Avoid or eliminate dairy. Studies have shone that dairy consumption leads to a host of diseases and problems including back pain, allergies, asthma, osteoporosis, acne, Alzheimer's, "A.D.D.", bed wetting, colic, Crohn's Disease, diabetes, depression, ear infections, head aches, heard disease, heartburn, iron deficiency, kidney stones, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis and SIDS. Check out www.notmilk.com if you don't believe me. Why do people think daily is good for you? Follow the money. Again, beyond the scope of this article.

5. Eat plenty of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These foods are the building blocks of life. Raw foods have vitamins, minerals and enzymes that aid in digestion and help to ward off illness. Try eating some raw food at every meal throughout the day.

6. Avoid or eliminate soy. This one gets me in trouble. If I can=t have soy and dairy then what can I have? When people say that to me I have to laugh because I picture people sitting around eating nothing but milk, cheese and soy burgers. Please refer to www.thedoctorwithin.com or www.mercola.com for the entire picture on soy. To summarize soy is an overly processed, highly contaminated food that contains many "anti-nutrients" that contribute to many physical problems.

7. Exercise for an hour ever single day. Lift weights, ride a bike, rock climb, hike, run. What ever. Just move. Sixty minutes every single day of the week.

8. Get plenty of fresh air and sunshine and drink plenty of pure, clean water. These elements have been with us since the dawn of time. Don't ever discount the positive effects of water, sunshine and fresh air. The sun is great as long as you don't burn and the water is best either bottled from a good source or purified with a high end water purifier or softener.

9. Do Yoga. Not only does Yoga provide you with a time to relax and reflect but also it provides you with a base of flexibility that could help your body to feel better. Try it, you'll see.

10. Lastly you should see the following professionals: a chiropractor, a personal trainer and doctor of natural health. Unfortunately, like almost all professions you're going to find good ones and bad ones. If the professional you see doesn’t help you set good goals and provide you some natural and healthy means to get to where you need to be then keep shopping. The goods ones are out there!

Do one of the above steps and see how you feel. Try two or three or all ten. Do your best and start today. Sickness and disease are not unavoidable. You can be healthy. Now you have the tools. Go out and make today the day you make a difference in your own life. Do it for you. Be strong.