5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Health Without Changing Your Diet

Domonique Tiera
Jan 1, 2019
3 min read

Updated: Jan 3, 2019

Changing your diet can be a daunting task. Even though eating a diet that is primarily centered around whole foods has been proven to be beneficial, in the holistic health world diet is only one part of the beast. According to Dictionary.com the word holistic is, "characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease." Taking this into consideration it can be concluded that there are other factors that may be just as, if not, more important than having the perfect diet.

It has been said time and time again that you can eat all the kale in the world, but if your mind and heart isn't right, then you won't be healthy. Health is more than what you eat, it is your thoughts, your emotions, and your spirit all wrapped in one. Too many times we get wrapped up in these diet labels thinking one or the other will make us superior, failing to focus on the other aspects of our health. The truth is health looks different for everybody. By incorporating these simple tasks into your everyday life you can find what makes you feel your best.

1.) Meditate

Quieting your mind for at least 20 minutes a day. It has been described that meditation is a way to connect with your higher self. Because of it's growing popularity in the US, there has been more scientific research aimed at discovering the benefits of meditation. These benefits include stress reduction, decrease anxiety and depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory and efficiency. Physical benefits include decreased blood pressure and heart rate, increased blood flow to the brain and carbon dioxide elimination (Sharma, 2015).

2.) Sleep Well

Sleep is similar to meditation in benefits. It is your bodies chance to rest and restore itself. While you are sleeping your body is able to fast and heal itself from whatever ailments you have at the time. Lack of sleep leaves your brain exhausted and unable to perform it's normal duties. Extended periods of poor sleep can cause hallucinations, depression or even mania. You cannot be truly healthy without proper sleep.

3.) Breathe Deep

Oxygen is essential to the human body. It has been said that the quality of your life is directly correlated to the quality of your breathing. Deep breathing allows us to get oxygen to every part of our body while getting rid of excess carbon dioxide. Benefits of deep breathing include stress reduction, improved blood flow and digestion and increased energy.

4.) Get Fresh Air and Sun

A little fresh air and sunlight go a long way. A lot of times the air in our homes is stagnant, heavy and filled with toxins. This can be a reason why you feel like crap after spending the whole day in the house. Getting outside and getting fresh air will help get higher quality oxygen into your body making you feel better. Sunlight helps our body create vitamin D, which is a crucial ingredient for overall health. Getting at least 15 minutes of sunlight per day can decrease inflammation, decrease blood pressure, improve mood and increase brain function.

5.) Be Kind

This is one of my theories (not backed by science), but I feel it is one of the most important. Well it has been proved that we store memories and emotions in our cells. Stored negative emotions build up and manifest in the form of disease or ailments within the body. Projecting kindness, love and compassion will rid your body of built up negative emotions and negative energy. You will begin to smile more, decreasing those frown lines and feeling better in general. What you put into the world is what you will get back, so make it a point to be kind to everyone and let go of grudges.