5 Ways to Live Disease Free and Healthy

Above money and all other things, the most important thing you have is your health. While Americans continue to be tricked, and pulled back and forth by corporate interests, health care costs will remain privatized and very expensive for as long as possible. There is no better time for us to be conscious about our bodies and make a strong initiative to live healthier, drug free lives. Without a doubt, the very best way to personally tackle the health care problem is to improve your health. You don't have to train and diet like an Olympic athlete. Improving your health to a better disease free life is easier than you think.

There are many things about the current healthcare and drug industries that many people may not understand. Because the drug and health industries have been primarily about profit in this country, they don’t make drugs or perform procedures with the intentions of curing anyone, but instead have us cope with diseases and ailments as “functionally ill” life long consumers of pharmaceuticals. Your prolonged sickness is profit, so an industry meant to help you won't. Prescription drugs is a booming business that keeps creating and promoting more drugs that don't cure anything, but help alleviate symptoms. There's no better time than the present to think about your health and independence from being chained to costly prescriptions or medical procedures.

Living healthier is an unspoken obligation of every living person. Many ancient philosophers taught about the responsibility and importance of maintaining good health. Buddha once said, “To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” Below are just a few ways that we can all make part of our routines to definitely ensure a healthier, happier life.

This isn't taught much in school, but many diseases come directly from what we ingest and how we treat our bodies. From Diabetes to chronic fatigue syndrome, many ailments and conditions are easily preventable and are a direct result of our diet and bad eating habits. We sometimes eat in ways that cause deficiencies of important vitamins and nutrients, and intake too much of other things like sugars, fats and cholesterol. Like the old cliché saying “you are what you eat”, the very best way to great health is eating responsibly. We don't have to change our lives drastically at all. Below are a just few simple things that are not too difficult to try and incorporate into our lives.

• Drink More Water

Drinking lots of water helps a great many things. Water flushes out your system helping to remove waste and toxins from the kidneys and body. It improves your skin and hair, and it alleviates everything from heartburn to constipation. The pharmaceutical industry will never admit that to you. The benefits of drinking water is truly an endless list. People have been drinking soda and very sweet, fake juices way too much, to the point that it has replaced water almost completely. Drinking water is essential to looking and feeling better. Regardless what your eating habits are, drinking a lot more water in addition to whatever it is you do makes your health a whole lot better. An added bonus would be to avoid fluoridated water and alkalize your water with lemon or baking soda.

• Eat Less Sugar and Junk Food

Everyone already knows this very well. Eating junk food and empty calories is very bad for the body, causes obesity, depression, fatigue, clogged arteries and puts people at risk for various health issues. An overindulgence of sugars, sodium, fats, and foods with lots of preservatives can easily become addictive. It’s all poison so pull it under control and moderation. Many people may never cut it out of their diet completely, so the best thing to do is to remain conscious of how much you’re ingesting and keep cutting down.

• Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

With the exception of those who have certain allergies or conditions, we all know the foods that we should be eating more of. It’s good for the body to ingest more fresh natural foods like greens, nuts and fruits. They provide proper nutrients, energy and roughage for the body to operate more efficiently. Cutting out more junk food and implementing fresher, natural foods should result in very noticeable improvements and will enhance the way you feel. Cutting out junk and choosing healthier alternatives makes an immediate noticeable difference in the way you feel.

• Eat Less Meat

Despite our brainwashing into a meat-loving culture, a lot of meat isn't good. Especially how the meat is prepared in this day and age. Many of the animals are treated terribly, diseased and full of poisons. It'd be wise to reduce meat consumption toward a more balanced diet including more raw fresh foods.

• Less Ordering Out

People should eat out or order food less and try to make more home cooked meals. When we order in or eat out, we have less control over how the food is prepared. We’re completely removed from the preparation process and don’t see how fattening or unhealthy the food is made. Eating out and ordering in often hemorrhages money and packs on pounds. It’s good to buy more groceries and prepare food at home using healthier cooking methods.

Most of our indigenous ancestors were nimble hunters, gatherers, fisherman and people who lived off of the earth. Most food was natural, and our bodies were more in shape and conditioned for physical labor. Nowadays, most of us are employed by jobs that require us to sit for several hours, and then we come home and do more sitting, eating (many of us foods that aren’t healthy), watching TV, internet surfing or playing video games.

The good thing about modern culture however, is that we have much better hygiene, health consciousness, and medical knowledge, all which enable us to live a lot longer. Combining the great things about our pasts with the good things about our present would lead to long, happier, healthy, disease free lives. Alongside dieting, exercise and activity is one of the best ways for most of us to keep our mind and bodies in the peak of health.

Exercise is different for every individual and there are exercise regiments that work better for some more than others. Some people may not be challenging themselves much and others can be in danger of doing too much. Regardless, proper exercise has an abundance of positive effects. Exercise is good for the heart, lungs and muscles. It’s even good for mental health and the self-esteem.

• Any Amount Will Do

There are many misconceptions with working out and a lot of excuses made. You don’t need to work out like Manny Pacquiao. All people need to do is increase walking or any amount of physical activity as much as possible and every little bit counts. It is much better to do something than nothing at all.

• Exercise Responsibly

Never just go out and exercise blindly. Start out very slow and keep building up. If you’re new to working out, start out small and get to know your capabilities before doing anything ambitious. Make sure you always stretch and hydrate, especially for those working out harder. You can do this before, during and after. You should also “warm up” and “cool down”, which usually means a light jog to get your body sweating and ready for a work out, and a light jog to calm the body and lower your heart rate after a workout. If this is done you’ll most likely prevent injury.

Because we've evolved into a very physically inactive people, it is very important to compensate for this by keeping our bodies strong and fit through regular exercise.

Americans fare the worst in this category. We live in a society in which we devote most of our lives to working, and many people aren’t getting enough rest. This is extremely problematic for several reasons.

Lack of sleep is very bad for overall health and can even make people more susceptible to colds and diseases. It varies with each individual, but the normal amount of sleep sufficient for most is between 6-8 hours each night. Some may need more, and others can get by with less. Ample sleep recharges us, helps with memory and concentration, and speeds up healing during sickness or injury. Lack of sleep can result in fatigue, irritability, and weight gain.

Sleep is essential and perhaps the most important thing we can do for our health and well being.

Keep vices, bad habits and addictions to a minimum. Alcohol, cigarettes and certain types of drug use are toxic to the body. For those that have no intention of stopping any or all of the above, the next best thing is moderation. Always hydrate after nights of alcohol, and eat foods rich with the vitamins and minerals that these habits may take away.

Everyone who smokes already knows that they probably should stop, so there's no need to preach. If you smoke, obviously try to quit or cut down. If not, you probably have more reason than most to implement the other practices above like a good diet, exercise and getting good sleep. The same goes for drinkers.

Alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and smoking have various adverse effects on health and can lower life expectancy. Quitting or cutting down is a definite step in the opposite direction toward better health.

For those that do not smoke, drink, or casually use recreational drugs, don't be too quick to judge or put your noses up. Everyone has vices that can sometimes be even worse than the aforementioned things. There are many habits that aren't good for us that people still continue. Incessantly eating cookies, cakes, soda, chips and other forms of junk food or sugary products are also very bad and toxic to the body. Sugar is a bad and prevalent addiction that skates along without the negative stigma of drugs. No one is above anyone else; What's bad for the body is bad for the body, and everyone can benefit from moderation.

Meditating and relieving stressing is very important for overall health. Medical studies have proven that regular meditation relieves stress, hypertension, blood pressure, and helps expel negative energy. Meditation is an extremely relaxing tension reliever that people would begin to enjoy or look forward to at the end of a stressful day.

Many people get turned off to things like meditation because they find it very hippie-like or new age-y. Regardless, meditation is very practical and the benefits are very real.

There are many ways to meditate and it isn't a strange or difficult thing to do. You can go to a quiet place and close your eyes with soft music, natural sounds, white noise, or complete silence. Breathe very slowly inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, all while imagining a paradise in your mind's eye. With thoughts of peace and oneness with nature, the goal is complete relaxation, stress relief and balance.

In the same manner of regular meditation, prayer, solitude, and religious faith often give people the same kind of release and relief from stress that can improve health. Studies show that prayer and worship have a very similar effect as meditation Spiritual balance is extremely important, and those who pray and worship from a peaceful foundation refresh themselves in a way that is very good for the body, mind, and soul.

Through regular meditation, one may experience improvements in persona, intuition, attitude, and happiness. People downplay the importance of

things like this all the time. In truth your balance and mental health is vitally important to you and stress leads to many health issues.

For those who don't adhere to a religious faith or who have never meditated, it isn't a frivolous new age hobby, it has many serious and real health incentives and it's never too late to start.

The Health Care and Drug industries have a lot of money. Through the use of lobbyists, media outlets, bought off politicians, and propaganda machines, they’ve convinced half the nation to be terrified of universal health care. Even though several other countries already have universal healthcare successfully, its discouraged and downplayed in the states because it threatens a multi-billion dollar industry that has been oppressing Americans for decades. And because health has become a for-profit business with rising costs, less and less people are able to be covered.

Quite frankly, we’re one of the most obese and unhealthy countries in the world. We also have some of the worst corporate franchise foods. And we also have some of the most aggressive marketing and promotion tactics, and some of the unhealthiest eating habits. England, Canada, Cuba, India, France and several other nations have universal health care. It’s the most important basic human right that shouldn't be a for-profit business in a tax paying society. There’s irony in the fact that we’re embarrassingly one of the most notable countries in the world without universal health care, but an unhealthy people in need of health care the most. We can change that.

Our health and well being shouldn't be reduced to capitalism or profit. Living healthier and owning your health is another priceless form of freedom for this day and age.

No matter where you stand politically, everyone can agree that health is paramount and should be a daily commitment and responsibility. Following or incorporating all of these things above is a guaranteed course toward better health, and away from the pharmacy and doctor's offices. Health is wealth. It's never too late to start investing in it.