1. The most important thing that you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands...



By frequently washing your hands you wash away germs that you have picked up from other people, from contaminated surfaces, or from animals. We pick up germs everywhere on a regular basis, so if you do not wash your hands frequently you will infect yourself when you touch your eyes, your nose, or your mouth.

One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus.

Wash your hands frequently! Introduce the rule of every family member washing their hands when they get home. It is a quick and easy way to reduce the spreading of germs.

2. Put meals in a crock pot before you leave in the morning...

When you come home from a long day from where ever, the last thing you probably feel like doing is cooking dinner. So, we just throw together something quick and simple, therefore sacrificing our nutritional needs.

The real beauty of slow cooking is that a healthy, complete meal can be tossed in the crock in the morning and then ignored until dinnertime. This is a real plus for working families but also convenient for stay-at-home parents who may have enough to do without stirring and stewing over a more complex dish throughout the day.

3. Get unhealthy junk food out of the house...

You are most likely going to eat some regular junk food outside of your house, like at grandma's, or at some party somewhere. Given that fact, why keep junk food in your house? You can't eat what is not there, so set yourself up to succeed. Store healthy snacks instead.

Since we often eat without hunger (purely out of boredom or other emotional reason), we should have some healthy snacks in the house instead. You can go to any health food store and buy snacks that are made with natural ingredients, and that are low in fat and sugar.

4. Make exercise motivating by choosing an activity you enjoy....

Physical activity is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Not only does physical activity make you look and feel better, but it is also critical for improving your health and extending your life. Being active significantly lowers your chances of developing potentially fatal illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

In addition, remaining active throughout your life can help you stay healthy and disability-free as you age.

The real key is finding a physical activity that you enjoy and that you can do at least 3-4 times per week. If you are exercising out of necessity it will be short lived. Don't fake yourself out. The best form of exercise is one that you will stick with.

The ideal exercise regimen should suit your lifestyle, schedule, and present fitness level. Think about what forms of exercise you enjoy. You may love biking but hate swimming, for example. Also consider other factors. For example, do you prefer to exercise indoors or outdoors? Do you prefer exercising by yourself, or do you find that exercising with others is more motivating? Make it fun!

5. Use natural vitamin and mineral supplements...

Like the names imply, natural vitamins are in a form that occurs in nature while synthetic vitamins are manufactured in a laboratory. The only benefit of synthetic vitamins is that they are cheaper to make, therefore less expensive for the consumer. Natural vitamins are worth the few extra dollars they command.

Vitamins in nature occur within a family of micro-nutrients, trace elements, enzymes, co-factors and other unknown factors, that help them absorb into the human body and function to their full potential.

Natural vitamin supplements extracted from whole food sources maintain this delicate balance of complementary co-nutrients and are more biologically active.

Synthetic vitamins are usually isolated into that one pure chemical, thereby missing out on some of the additional benefits that nature intended. These man-made vitamin formulas often contain fillers, stabilizers and/or salts that decrease the content of what you want to ingest, may inhibit absorption and can actually deplete the body of other nutrients. Dollar for dollar, you may be absorbing more vitamins and getting more benefits from a natural supplement than the seemingly cheaper synthetic version.

Read supplement labels carefully to distinguish the natural from the synthetic. Some products marketed as "natural" only contain 10% natural ingredients. You're best bet is to look for food sources on the labels - things like citrus, yeast, fish or vegetable names. If there is a chemical-sounding name or no source listed, it is most likely a synthetic vitamin.

6 Drink plenty of water...

Water is excellent and necessary for the body and overall good health. Every part of your body needs water to work properly, and it needs a lot of water, so give in to it.

If you give yourself more water you will generally feel healthier and more fit because it flushes out toxins and other unwanted things lingering in your body. Water also replenishes fluids that help lubricate the internal components of your body, keeps you hydrated, reduces hunger (which helps with weight loss), helps to make skin look smooth and young, plus a load of many other benefits, probably even some yet to be discovered.

If you are not used to drinking water, it may seem hard at first. But, very quickly, you will enjoy the clean, refreshing way it makes you feel!

7. Get your hormones checked...

Low thyroid, low progesterone, and low testosterone are all very common and usually result in excessive weight gain, low energy, low libido, fatigue, muscle weakness, headaches, irritability, and a host of other symptoms.

Getting your hormones tested is very simple... All you need to do is order a saliva test kit, spit into a tube, send your tube to a doctor who understands bio-identical hormones, have him/her write you a prescription, and then have your prescription filled at a compound pharmacy.

I recommend everyone have their hormone levels checked once every year, especially if you are over 30 years old!

If you have any of the above listed symptoms, your hormone levels could have dropped off considerably over the years leaving you feeling like your half dead. I know, I've been there. It's worth doing!

8. Get regular physical check ups...

This includes the regular medical routine all men and women should have, plus regular dental cleanings, eye exams, and chiropractic adjustments. Don't wait until your sick. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

9. Search for natural remedies to what ails you...

Most people will let their doctor tell them what they need, or do not need. If you have a great amount of faith in your doctor, then that's good. But, most people will go along with whatever the doctor tells them without researching the facts on their own. It's your body and your health on the line.

Be open minded! There are a lot of natural products that can alleviate a lot of specific symptoms that you may be taking medications for. Medications can be very helpful in some cases but they are extremely toxic to the body. If you can find a natural replacement, or better yet, a natural cure for your health situation instead of a drug, then you'll be better off. Be proactive! It's your health and no one should care more about that than you.

10. Keep the stress away as much as possible...

It has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved stress. If you are experiencing stress symptoms, you have gone beyond your optimal stress level! You need to reduce the stress in your life and/or improve your ability to manage it.

First of all, determine what events distress you and determine how your body is responding to the stress.

Second, see if you can change your stressors by avoiding or eliminating them completely. Is there any way you can shorten your exposure?

And third, reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions. This is simply attitude. 10% of life is what happens to you, and 90% is how you react to it.

Some additional tips to help combat stress include; Exercise three to four times a week, eat well-balanced meals, maintain your ideal weight, avoid nicotine and excessive caffeine, mix leisure with work, take breaks and get away when you can, get enough sleep and be as consistent with your sleep schedule as possible.

Again, these 10 health recommendations will help secure your health, and help you to live your life abundantly!