37 Healthy Habits That Will Keep You In Top Shape
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The other night, I had a fever. You know, the kind of fever that makes every moment last forever, that pains your whole body just enough to deprive you from all forms of sleep and makes you sweat like a long distance runner? Well, I had that. Yet, it was pretty much all gone 24 hours later. The fever, the runny nose, the sore throat, all gone.
It made me think that that fast immune response had to do something with the healthy habits I accumulated over the years. So here is a very incomplete list of some of the things that have helped me to stay in top shape for the past 2 years. Of course, feel free to add to it and make it better!
- Stay away from Sugars
- Opt for Organic, fresh and locally grown foods
- Eat most of your food Raw (chicken is not suggested of course)
- Only eat when you are hungry (don’t eat simply cause “it’s time”)
- When you are thirsty, drink water
- Chew your food at least 30 times before you swallow it
- Take the time to savor your food and focus on the action of eating
- Choose your foods according to the season
- Trade you coffee for a high quality green tea
- Trade fruit juices for water
- Have your dose of sunlight everyday (to stimulate your vitamin D levels)
- Take a walk everyday
- Smoking is outdated, just stop it for your own sake
- Learn to breathe correctly; for the bottom to the top of your lungs
- Wake up with the sun
- Go to bed when he goes
- Sleep in total darkness
- Stop criticizing and start edifying
- Accept that you deserve to be healthy
- Embrace your current health for what it is, it will only make it better
- Understand what your body was designed for; to heal itself
- Learn to take a break
- Learn to observe yourself
- Go on vacation
- Forget yesterday and tomorrow, live in the Here and Now
- Stay in touch with your friends, even if you are “busy”
- Listen to Music that make you happy
- Keep on learning new things
- Remind yourself to have Fun
- Practice Yoga
- Meditate even if it’s only 5 minutes a day
- Speak your mind; do not let anything inside too long
- Sing in your shower (even if you can’t sing!)
- Have sex
- Be grateful for your body/mind complex that serves you everyday without asking questions
- Love someone
- Smile
Zasta
107 Comments
June 10th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Ug. A third of good advice, a third of no brainers, a third of wishy washy crud.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Keep this in mind:
4. Only eat when you are hungry
Don’t over eat and don’t just eat to eat true. But try to eat at least five times a day. 3 meals and 2 snacks in between. Hunger is a sign that food needed to be consumed a while ago.
5. When you are thirsty, drink water
When you are thirsty you are dehydrating don’t wait to be thirsty drink enough water throughout the day.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Excellent tips.
Thanks
June 10th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I would have thought that half of these could come under the simple “be and optimist” title?
And i would that some of these would have an effect on the immune systems response to an illness.
especially ones about breathing, as if cells weren’t getting enough oxygen for there respiration you would know about it, lactic acid is something you always feel.
I also think that some of them could do with a bit of rephrasing, and maybe a sentences explanation, cause i find myself asking, for example after “always sleep in total darkness”, why?
But ultimately you’ve done a good thing in posting this and i’m sure its doing the greatest good for the greatest number
keep them coming!!!
p.s. sugar is vital for respiration, your body breaks down carbohydrate into sugar every day, so there is literally, no way your gonna stay away from sugar ; )
June 10th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Don’t forget to smoke a little pot now and then too.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Staying away from sugars is exceptionally important. However it is important to remember that foods such as potatoes, bread, rice, and other high starch foods are essentially sugars. Many people do not realize the amount of sugar they are eating.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:59 am
@yannis
Hunger is a sign that you need food, NOT that food ought to have been consumed a while ago. Eating when one is not hungry is a pretty reliable way to gain weight instead of maintaining a healthy weight. People from many cultures around the world eat when they are hungry, until they are “not hungry” rather than eating until they are “full,” as Americans tend to do. These cultures tend to be the ones that seem to stay healthy magically, despite eating “bad” foods.
June 10th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I guess when you go to bed when the sun goes down and wake up when the sun comes up you’ll never have sex (point 34) in the dark. OK with me.
newyorkdude
newyorkdudeinindia.blogspot.com
June 10th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I did find most of these tips to be very helpful. Thank you for posting them. I often find that I do things like this, not just to tell everyone else what to do, but to do it for myself. It’s a good reminder for yourself, and sometimes there’s an off chance that someone will gain something from it.
And I think the sugar thing really means stay away from granulated sugars. There is plenty of sugar in fruits and some veggies. But it’s good for you sugar, so it’s okay.
I like the have sex tip. Too many people forget the benefits of having sex. Poor dears. They don’t know the good health they are missing out on.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
@farhan You are welcome farhan, I’m glad you appreciate these humble tips.Welcome to the conversation!
June 10th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
@lad
The tip about breathing involves what yogis call the “full yogic breathing”. You fill you belly with air, then you mid chest and you finish with you upper lungs. Breathing fully like this for a minute or two stimulates your lymphatic circulation. That has a major impact on your immune response notably on the thymus gland. I totally agree that these tips are short and they would benefit more elaboration. I will surely write more posts that will be based on some of these tips.As for the “always sleep in total darkness”?Our body circadian rhythms are hyper sensible to luminosity. If you have even the slightest source of light in your room when you sleep, that is enough to disrupt these natural rhythms and affect your pineal gland in it’s production of melatonin and serotonin, the 2 major sleep hormones.Thanks a lot for your very constructive comment lad!
Hi lad, welcome to Zen Happens!
June 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
@Lizzy
Hi Lizzy, welcome to Zen Happens and thank you for your comment!
@nascar
Absolutely true! The average American diet (Canadian in my diet) is filled with sugars. Most people don’t realize this.
Thank you for your comment and welcome to Zen Happens!
June 11th, 2008 at 3:28 am
This may be a good list for one person but the next may find it useless. The problem with lists is every person is different and they are addicting and I had to read it.
June 12th, 2008 at 3:11 am
This is the kind of flabby post that will kill your blog fast. Here’s a hint: if your post reads like your reader is a dummy, you’re doing something wrong.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Thanks for taking the time to stop and comment opinionated.
I completely understand your point about list post. The is not much explanation to all this cause that is not the intention here. I created this list to give a quick reference that you can go to and pick randomly for your own benefits and experiments.
I believe list post have their right and place if you don’t abuse of them.
Thanks for the tip
June 12th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Perfect examples of “Easier said, than done.”
June 12th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I’m curious, do you go to bed when the sun sets and rises even during the winter? I can understand going to sleep at 10pm in the summer (as “he” sets), and getting up around 6am or so. Unfortunately, in the Winter, the sun can go down earlier than 5pm here in Santa Cruz, CA. It then rises later as well, giving you way to much sleep. Do you really think folks should sleep with the sunset/sunrise scheme? Isn’t there a better way?
June 12th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
@opinionated: You got a point! But you can’t please everyone… maybe you found this post flabby, but other people found it useful. If you felt like a dummy reading this post, I assume it’s cause you already knew all of these, which is great! guess you’re a healthy guy/girl (sorry, can’t tell if you don’t put your real name in your comment)
June 12th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
@Ross
Hi Ross, that is an exellent question!
The purpose of sleeping and waking with the sun is mainly linked to our normal circadian rhythms that are directly influenced by the amount of light that our body perceives. In your case as in mine in Montreal, Canada, winter offers a lot less daylight than summer time. So it’s fine if you are up before the sun and after it depending on the season, you body will ajust. The idea is not to go to bed in odd hours such as 2am and waking up at 11am when the sun is beaming high.
For me, the best way to deal with winter is to try to have as much sunlight as possible. Winter is also a slow season where lot of people tend to sleep more. It is mainly our computer screens that keep us up late.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Ross and I hope that answers your question!
June 14th, 2008 at 12:06 am
coffee? Could you define what is wrong with coffee against the evidence??
June 14th, 2008 at 12:35 am
@Nck MartinI don’t think there is anything wrong with coffee in itself, apart from the fact that many people have too much of it. I simply see green tea as a better alternative.Of course, we’re not referring to the cheap green tea bags you can find everywhere now, I am talking about loose leaves on a quality Japanese green tea like matcha or sencha type. These have incredible antioxidant power and far less caffeine than coffee.http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm
June 14th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Islam has given us solution to every problem of our life.In case of health & Medicine, its called that Black Seed or Kalonji (Nigella Sativa) has cure for Every disease on earth, except death, in it.Now i m looking forward for a time, when scientists will prove that what was said about this black seed, was right. for reference,u can see
http://www.crescentlife.com/di.....alonji.htm
http://www.paklinks.com/gs/showthread.php?t=156985
June 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I’m wondering where this idea that our body is faulty in some way that it won’t tell us we are hungry or thirsty until it is way past needing food or water. It just doesn’t make sense. That idea is pretty old anyway. I haven’t heard it in a while; I have read statements that it turns out not to be true. The reason it concerns me is all these people carrying around water bottles with them everywhere and enriching the corporations who sell this fake pure water, having convinced people they have to be drinking continuously. And people carrying around these “fake” energy bars so they won’t get hungry or feeling they need more protein during the day. I would say we have been convinced enough that we “need” this stuff to put millions into the coffers of Proctor and Gamble, etc. From personal experience this is not necessary. When you need water and you need food your brain will tell you unless you have some kind of illness that interferes with this natural process.
June 16th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
note to self: stop enjoying life
June 16th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Great insights. Thank you. Very helpful
June 17th, 2008 at 11:05 am
@Andromeda10
Thanks for the kind comment and welcome to Zen Happens!
@sir jorge
Thanks for your thought.
On my side of things, I never stopped enjoying life when I started introducing healthy habits in my life. In fact, life as just got better and better the more I added some of these into my daily life.
To me, it’s all a matter of balance.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Wow, he…he… I like this list, It makes me laugh and at the same time it gives useful information.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:04 am
I need some help on number 34
June 18th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Great list! Although some people may think some of these are no-brainers, I think we all need to be reminded of each of these things from time to time.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:28 am
@sonia
Thanks for taking the time to comment Sonia. Like you said, lots of these things should be like second nature but we have the wonderful capacity to deny and forget.
Welcome to Zen Happens!
June 18th, 2008 at 11:43 am
If I went to bed with the sun and rose with him too, I’d never sleep in the summer and I’d sleep all day in the winter. That’s life in northern Canada.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
@Scrapmaster
Indeed, living in northern Canada makes it pretty weird to follow that advice. What I try to do is to wake with or at least not too long after the Sun gets up and most importantly, sleep in total darkness to encourage the normal circadian cycles.
The idea is to live as close as our bodies are biologically designed for.
Thanks for your comment!
June 18th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Stumbled Upon your 37 Habits … Thank you!
June 18th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
@Ira
You are more than welcome. Welcome to Zen Happens!
June 19th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I love these! In fact, if it’s ok, I am going to link to your article on my blog.
They may be simple, and we’ve all heard similar tips before, but it never hurts to remind ourselves. Love it
June 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
ya eating when your bored is a common thing and getting being thristy and hungry mixed up is also common have a drinkof water before you eat you might find your just thristy .
June 19th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
@dpearce
Thanks for your kind comment!
You are also welcome to link to my article. Welcome to Zen Happens
June 19th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Hmmm!
doing 35 out of 37 of them – two I missed out on were taking a vacation and having sex. pretty obvious what I need to do then
Thanks for the prompt
Geoff
June 19th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
@geoff
hahaha Thanks for the comment geoff and good luck with the two remaining numbers!
June 20th, 2008 at 12:56 am
One more very important one, find one thing every day to laugh about.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
@Joe Touchole
You are absolutely right! I’m surprised I missed that one…I love to laugh
Thanks for adding to the post and welcome to Zen Happens!
June 20th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
It s not that I totally approve of such ideas, but I ll keep them in mind as a sort of checklist. ZEN ideas …
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Does anyone actually believe this stuff? Sounds like 10,000 years ago stuff?
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 pm
@Social: 10,000 years ago people used to die at what? like 30 y/o? what kind of comment (stuff) is that?
June 27th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Isn’t this list like a ‘duh’ list? People know what to do, it’s a matter of acting upon it. And, I can’t imagine someone actually following each item.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
@Kelly
Thanks for your comment Kelly
Well, if all that is “duh” for you, that surely means that you know how to take care of your health.
Yet, you would impressed by the amount of people who don’t know that grains and fruits contains sugars or that mistake an avocado
to be loaded with protein when it is in fact filled with fats. Good fat, nonetheless.
As for following each items, well, I wont claim to do that myself. I believe it’s all about balance!
Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
June 28th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I “Stumble Upon”ed this page. I found it both informative and delightful.
Thanks for your work!
June 28th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
@hepsmom
You are more than welcome! I am glad you appreciate my work.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
sugars from fruits and whatnot are actually good for you. they support cell growth.
sugars from sodas, candies, etc are what’s bad for you.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
please CtB … Two thrids negativity is not needed for those of us who just stumble upon this site. Way to make a first impression.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I Stumbled upon this site.. Nice.. i like em.. i admit its hard to follow each.. but these are just reminders.. of course everybody knows what to do.. they just don’t do them… thats where something like this comes in.. but.. people are only gonna do what they like.. if anybody thinks following a healthy lifestyle means not enjoying life.. thye’re too used to the unhealthy way.. cheers!!..
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Here’s a few more
38. Avoid blows to the head.
39. Refrain from falling from a great height.
40. Battery acid is not good for your skin.
41. Try to avoid extremes of heat and cold. This can prevent burns and frostbite.
42. Don’t eat too much
43. In fact too much of anything is a bad thing. (If it does you no harm then it’s not to much)
44. People were not built to be cannonballs.
45. Eat cake and pies in moderation.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 am
Chew your food 30 times? No thanks…. that’s enough to turn anything in your mouth into an unpalatable mush- especially if you take small bites. Definitely not necessary for good health. Chewing excessively will not help your food digest any better, if that’s the rationale behind this supposed “tip.”
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:13 am
Hey! Looks like the stumbleupon people caught on. I’m from stumbleupon too! (sounds like stumbleupon is another planet) Anyywayss. I love the article. These are great tips.
I wish I could stop being lazy and smoking all day and actually did these!
I was thinking about writing one down for everyday in a calendar (or a workout routine like in my case).
I write down what excercises im gonna do each day on my bberry phone.
So i might write one down for each day =).
Now thats proactive!
P.S. It’s 3:12AM right now, I’m really bored and not doing 15, or 16. Wish me luck!
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:44 am
1.Hmm, Suzanne let me guess ,, you hate corp`s,yes your brain tells you your hungry but the human brain also has a great inclination to over rule and re/mis prioritize things i.e. even a dog knows when it`s time to get outta the sun.
2.Norman ,i`m with you matey`
3. i just like the chicks tushey in the pic
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
ok so i stumbled upon this also, and im greatful for the helpful reminders!
but i noticed that a couple people asked about the sleeping in total darkness thing.
Its important because total darkness helps to relax the mind, and go into a deeper more fufilled sleep. for example falling asleep with the tv on destracts the mind. Light keeps the mind stimulated. sleeping is so important because thats when you body takes time to recuperate.
um im not very good at explaining things. i hope that helps
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
You are NOT dehydrated when you are thirsty. That is a normal body signal.. You should not drink when you are not. Nor should you drink when yoiu eat food. It’s a bunch of propaganda that you need to drink water. If eating the proper foods you will rarely need to drink water. If you pump it in all day it slows down weight loss if you need to lose and if you drink tap water the inorganic minerals contribute to body pollution.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am
nice tips. i came stumbling upon here. i remember most of these tips are made a part of habit for children in Muslim countries like rising early and sleep early…eat only when you need to eat and dont over eat and take simple foods. apart from this we are even taught to how to eat and drink like dont eat or drink while you are standing, how to sleep and so on. islam recently has been under all sort of troubles because some of its own people and even western media policies and the positive side has been shadowed deeply. In any case cheers for the nice post
July 6th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
@bones
thanks for your comment!
hehe
Humor is always welcome here
July 6th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
@Christie
Thanks for taking the time to comment christie
The idea here is that digestion starts in the mouth. You saliva secretes some enzymes that play a major role in the digestive process. The more you chew your food, the less your organs will have to work to transform them into energy. Of course, 30 times is a rough guideline, you may chew a banana 10 times and that would be more than required. The idea is to break down your food enough for your saliva to mix correctly with it and thus help to prevent many digestive ailments such as bloating or the typical post meal dizzyness.
Thanks again for sharing your opinion.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
@Topr
Thanks for your comment Topr
I agree that integrating some good healthy habits is not always easy.
Maybe you could start with one that really means something for you and establish youself a routine that you could follow every day?
Best of luck (or should I say determination) to you!
July 7th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Going to bed with the sun and up with it wouldn’t get me much sleep in the summer, this close to the polar circle. And try to sleep for more than 10-12 hours in the winter? Go to bed when you are sleepy and do some asanas in the morning to wake you up.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
remember your sesquiterpenes intake also
July 8th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
this list is god-awful. terrible, actually.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Eat organic foods?
tofu Eater.
America is one of the healthiest countries in the world.
one of the reasons is that Genetically modded > organic.
Period.
remember all those E Coli outbreaks we had?
1 out of 6 or 7 were from Industrial Farms.
the other 5 or 6?
from organic farms.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
# Opt for Organic, fresh and locally grown foods
I’m glad you are doing well financially, but such foods tend to be very expencive and difficult to obtain. There are no organic food stores in my area, and I do not own a car. I been to such stores a few times, and prices are so high, I can go broke just feeding myself, not to mention paying rent, bills, buying clothing, and other necessities.
# Eat most of your food Raw
Please elaborate? There are very few foods I can think of that most people can eat raw. Short of Veggies and Fruits, just about everything else undergoes some forms of cooking or processing. If that is not done, eating raw foods quickly leads to diarrhea at best, but it can be much worse.(I speak from experience)
# Only eat when you are hungry
I know several people that barely ever get hungry, and if allowed will eat only once or twice a day, if even that. I know these people are clearly not well, although they do their best to live “normal” lives, and unless you know them you wouldn’t see anything wrong with them. However, it’s a no brainier that if these people were not constantly reminded to eat more often, they might not have been alive today.
# When you are thirsty, drink water
What kind of water? Tap? Spring? Boiled?
I used to drink soda.. Media said it’s bad, I stopped. Tried juices, many sources say water is better, so I stopped. I started drinking Spring water. Media said it’s bad too. I stopped. I then switched to boiled water from the kettle. Media once again said it’s bad. Tap water is said to contain lead, so it’s bad too. What the heck do I drink then?
July 9th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Did you ever think that maybe you didn’t have a fever, instead you had food poisioning from eating your foods raw O.o
July 10th, 2008 at 4:44 am
If I woke up when the Sun rises and go to sleep when it sets, I wouldn´t be able to get to work/school in time. And in winter the night is longer and it gets dark earlier, so I should really go to bed at 5 pm or so? Too much sleeping in winter and too less in summer… because summer nights are short.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Excellent list; I continually try to do all these…have trouble with the chewing thing and the smoking thing…and I have a couple more to add:
- get a dog! Unconditional love at its finest.
- give thanks every day, no matter what, to the universe for allowing you to have your life.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
@Claudia
Thanks for taking the time to comment, it’s very appreciated!
Gratitude could definitely get on this list. It is the kick start of abundance.
@Maximus
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Eating Raw can get people confused. If you read carefully, I wrote “Eat MOST of your food raw”.
The idea is that when you cook vegetables, fruits, meat (here is a whole debate right here), you decrease their macro-nutrients value and limit your capacity to absorb them. Eating raw is a whole movement unto itself and it’s only getting bigger. I don’t eat everything raw but I try to avoid cooking what can be avoided.
How about Sushi?
@shiltsa
Thanks for your comment!
There has been lots of questioning about this one. If you take the time to scroll through the comments, you may find some answers. I will probably dedicate an article to that topic.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
@lbex
# Opt for Organic, fresh and locally grown foods
You don’t have to be wealthy to eat organic, I am not. I have subscribed to a program with a family farm that grows organic and that will deliver to my door a basket with various fruits and vegetables(7) for $37CAN a week. I can also choose to have it every two weeks if I can’t eat it all in time. I assume you can find a similar service in your area if you just take the time to search a bit.
# Eat most of your food Raw
Good point. This topic needs elaboration. Eating all your food raw would make no sense if you are planing on eating rice, corn and legumes. These things need cooking. On the other hand, if you choose to opt for fruits, vegetable, nuts and even some meats, you can minimize cooking a lot. Cooking meat is important if it comes from a large chain store as it has been there for a while and the raising methods can be questioned. On the other hand, if your meat is locally and organically grown with all the required certifications, basically from a source that you trust, you could probably make yourself some steak tartar if you choose to. Think about sushi; it’s fresh, it’s raw and very popular.
# Only eat when you are hungry
I don’t know about your friends, but I know that our body is designed to tell us when we are hungry. An average individual will feel hunger as a signal that food will be required soon to ensure full body functionality. Again, the idea here is to avoid snacking for no reasons, eating consciously and listening to what your body is telling you. It’s no about skipping meals and fighting against your will for a few cookies.
# When you are thirsty, drink water
Good question. If I have to choose between tap water and bottled water, I choose tap water. The shocking reality about bottled water is that it is more than often tap water without any taste. The regulations about the quality of these waters if highly questionable. I personally use a Brita filter that removes heavy metals like Lead, Copper, Mercury, Cadmium and Benzene. It also reduces the smell and taste by removing chlorine and zinc in the water. You can find them in various sorts and shapes. Some will hook directly to your sink, some will be in pitcher format.
I hope that answers your questions, thanks a lot for taking the time to stop and comment!
July 10th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Thanx for replying Zasta.
I will look into organic food delivery services. Didn’t know about this stuff.
As for the raw food, I always prefer to eat raw whatever can be eaten raw. I keep arguing with my parents who always prefer to cook their veggies instead of eating them raw. They cant stand garlic, and onions… I always eat all my veggies raw, and I enjoy salads.
The eating only while hungry is something that can be debated for a very long time. It’s difficult to find the truth here. I remember reading an article about proper eating for athletes… If I remember correctly, it said that if we don’t eat at least 3 times a day we are making a mistake. The article further advises to eat more than 3 times, up to 4-5times, but in smaller quantities, because this supposedly boosts metabolism. It is written, that when we eat less often, the body assumes that the food is scarce and starts storing more fat, ultimately resulting in weight gain. It is supposedly the reason why those of us who come from work late, open the fridge, and try to “compensate” for that breakfast or dinner we couldn’t properly have at work, end up growing a belly and whatnot.
The water issue is quite difficult though… Tap water is different everywhere. Some regions have cleaner water, some have water that’s unsafe unless you boil it. I heard that my area has water containing lead, so I only drink spring water and boiled water. I pass these through a brita pitcher filter before drinking. There are people that say all this in nonsense, and live to a hundred while drinking, smoking and doing drugs. I prefer the golden middle – I try to eat right, sleep enough, and exercise while not going overboard with any of this.
Thanx for making this site. I find it quite interesting and will be checking back every now and then.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Thanks for the list. I do have to say that I was once quite the coffee freak . I wouldn’t think any thing about two maybe three pots a day. Never mind the quite often visits to the coffee shop while at work for ice coffee. I have since discovered green tea and find it to make me feel so much better.In fact, I have also learned to enjoy all varieties of tea as well. I do feel a whole lot better. For one thing , when I drink coffee, I will load it with creamer and sugar, vs. tea I drink plain. I seem to remember something said once about clear liquids being a better choice. Also , I would like to make mention the amount of heartburn I would deal with when drinking so much coffee, Not worth it. I am not saying that i don’t drink coffee anymore,lol , I don’t think I could do that . But , i have cut back to one or two cups In the course of the day and some days none at all. And I have discovered, i can survive with out it. Thank you for this list, i do enjoy little reminders such as this on a regular basis. Keep on smiling
July 20th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
@turkey
Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment!
I do agree with you that too much coffee is not conductor to a great health. I do also appreciate many tea varieties like oolong (wulong), pu erh, black, white their many branches.
Again, thanks for the comment and welcome to Zen Happens!
August 8th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Great post! i especially found it where you stated.
August 16th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
don’t listen to the advice of others when they write it up in a list of how life should be…. communism works in theory…. and im too fat to do yoga, i’m happy, don’t even listen to this advise, just yourself will do.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
@Luke
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Luke.
I think we each have different background and circumstances and that one advice will not work for everyone. When I write, I do not intend to tell anyone how life should be, I come with my personal experience and I write in hoping that theses articles can make a difference on someone’s life. I am aware that not everyone will appreciate the content of this website and I would be a fool to try to please everyone.
I’m glad that you are happy in your personal life and I understand that you may be of those who do not need my advice.
Oh and no matter how fat you are, I can assure you that yoga is accessible to everyone. It is way more than just exercise.
September 6th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
For the most part your list is good, but I have a few issues with some of them.
3. Eating raw food is ok as long as its fruits and vegetables in today’s world.
4. Eating only when you are hungry is bad advice, your body goes into starvation mode at this pointt.
5. Waiting till you are thirsty to drink is to late, your body is now slightly dehydrated.
20. Why would you embrace you bad health, just admit to yourself that you need to improve your health. And set an action plan to do it.
And you left out a very important thing that will insure good health in old age, weight-bearing exercise at least 3 times a week. This will insure protection of lean muscle mass and bone density as a person ages.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
excellent blog, I love the pic of the gal most :} I do my best to stay away from sugar but it taste so goooooddd!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
@jeremy
hehe Thanks jeremy. I think the picture is one of the reason why this post was so popular.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:34 am
“Stay away for Sugars”……{{{ I think you meant//mean::: “Stay away FROM sugars.” YES??? Cheerio, Tom……..}}}
October 31st, 2008 at 10:55 am
@Thomas
Hey Thomas, thanks for your remark. That hilarious, you are the first one to mention it and it’s so obvious.
I will correct that right away!
Thanks again
Zasta
November 1st, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Thank’s for sharing! Very interesting and useful!
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 am
raw foods = good. I cant eat vegetables any other way.
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
@Raffaella
Thanks to you for leaving that kind comment! I’m glad you like the article.
Zasta
November 5th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Man, I am totally just quit smoking because it is outdated, I’ll just stop it for my own sake. Christ, it’s just that easy. What was I thinking all that time being out of vogue. Not to mention the money wasted and health risks. Albeit the money and health is secondary to being a part of the “in” crowd. After all that got me to start in the first place, it should get me to stop too!
Thanks for that little nugget of genius.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:36 am
@Tony
You are welcome Tony, I thank you for the comment!
I wish you the best luck in your smoke free breathing
November 6th, 2008 at 5:10 am
This was an absolutely ridiculous, absurdly inaccurate (or at least ill-thought out) list. Title it 37 tips YOU do to keep healthy, or something, but not suggested tips for everyone. Some of them don’t apply, some of them are contradictory to other tips on the list, and someone them have nothing to do with being healthy.
In short, this sucked.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
@Molly
Molly, I thank you for taking the time to stop at my blog, read the article and give your opinion.
In a way, you are absolutely right! These are tips that I use to keep myself healthy. It does not mean that all the list will be good for everyone, even if many of these point are backed up by solid science. It is also obvious that lots of people reading this liked it, if I base myself on the buzz this article created and on the comments I have received.
Would you be so kind as to clarify what you mean here?
“some of them are contradictory to other tips on the list, and someone them have nothing to do with being healthy.”
Perhaps I did not express these point with enough details. It is, after all, a list post.
Since to me, it’s all about balance, I have to thank you again for bringing that balance by questioning my writing and it’s content.
Zasta
November 7th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Hm.. the sun goes down at 4pm in the winter months here.. I will not be following his example
November 10th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Wonderful tips Zasta, thank you very much….. i’ll try to follow the aforementioned tips to live a healthy n happy life…
November 10th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
@anivamainali
Your welcome! I am glad you appreciate the tips. Thanks for taking the time to comment
November 10th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I am not sure who is in the picture, but you need to pull your should blades back and down in updog. Your shoulders are in your ears.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
@heather
You are absolutely right heater. As a yoga teacher myself, it’s the first thing that struck me in the picture. Yet, I resonated well with what I wanted to express in this post. I guess she just a model that has been told to mimic a posture, not a yogini.
February 8th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
It is great advice to really live. Thank you!
February 14th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Great list, i will make an effort to do everything on the list this month!!!!!
February 19th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
@Personal Trainer
Thanks! I would suggest that you AVOID trying to do everything at the same time. Except if you already have more than half the list covered in your daily life. To induce change or form some new behaviors, the key is focusing on one thing at a time and make sure this one thing is sinked in your being before moving on to the next.
All the best to you,
Zasta
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
interesting list, another one maybe to look at the balance of carbs and protein in the diet This wasy avoid a diet that is cereals/toast for breakfast, then jackey potaoe for lunch, then pasta for dinner.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Sorry, organic is bullshit and most of your “advice” is pretty lacking. The last 10 are uninspired, as well.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:29 am
@Middz
Well, your comment seems very “inspired” if may use your own words. So is your email adress that I of course, won’t mention.
So, according to your point of view, organic is bs. I would love to have you go a little bit further in the subject. Could you explain
why you think it’s what you call it? I like any opinion, if you can support it, that is.
Thanks for taking the time to stop here, read my articles and actually take the time to post a comment. Your effort is welcome.
Zasta
April 1st, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Most of the points you make are common sense the problem is most people dont have common sense..
April 28th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
@dianette
Thank you for your comment!
I agree that many people may not seem to have the “common sense” to apply what seems obviously right for their own life or health. Still, I believe that everyone deserves a chance to learn and improve their daily habits!
Zasta
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:19 am
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful and beneficial to your readers
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
@Hearing Aids
Thank you for taking the time to comment, it is really appreciated.
I must admit that I have had a big writer’s bloc, or I should say plainly that I am not a writer. The kind comments
on this blog keep me coming back to write more about my experience and your comment certainly gives me a good
reason to do so. I will consider sitting down and creating some hopefully valuable articles again.
Thanks
Zasta
June 5th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I hope you will sit down and create more valuable articles. Your advice is helpful and it takes real courage to put your ideas out on the internet for all to see. I’m still trying to find the right internet voice myself. I don’t have writer’s block but zen philosophy is new to me. Good luck.
June 20th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Grammar police!!!
It’s all good advice–I’ll grant you that–but you’re guilty of many common grammar mistakes that drive me nuts in blog posts. Since I genuinely like the contents of your blog, I thought I’d have some fun and go over the slips for you and your readers’ edification. Some of these rules are set in stone; some are more stylistic points. I’m sure people will disagree with a few. Comment at will. But remember: “Stop criticizing and start edifying.”
About the list overall: since each item (thankfully parallel) is a complete sentence, you can put a period at the end of each one, but that’s somewhat optional.
As for each offender:
1) Stay away from Sugars [No need to capitalize "Sugars."]
2) Opt for Organic, fresh and locally grown foods [No need to capitalize "Organic." Common practice is to put a comma after "fresh."]
3) Eat most of your food Raw (chicken is not suggested of course) [No need to capitalize "Raw". Put a comma after "suggested."]
4) Only eat when you are hungry (don’t eat simply cause “it’s time”) [Use "because" instead of "cause."]
9) Trade you coffee for a high quality green tea (Proofread!!!! You have a tendency to use “you” when you mean “your.” Hyphenate “high-quality.”)
11) Have your dose of sunlight everyday (to stimulate your vitamin D levels) ["Everyday" should be two words in this context: "every_day."]
12) Take a walk everyday [Same here: "every_day."]
13) Smoking is outdated, just stop it for your own sake [Comma splice! Two complete clauses(sentences) should be separated by a period or a semi-colon.]
14) Learn to breathe correctly; for the bottom to the top of your lungs [Wrong place for a semi-colon. See above. Proofread! "For should be "from."]
16) Go to bed when he goes [He who? My boyfriend? He works nights.]
18) Stop criticizing and start edifying [That's what I'm trying to do.]
20) Embrace your current health for what it is, it will only make it better [Comma splice. A mess of ambiguous "it" pronouns at the end.]
21) Understand what your body was designed for; to heal itself [Again, wrong place for a semi-colon. A colon or a double dash would work. A comma might even be better.]
25) Forget yesterday and tomorrow, live in the Here and Now. [Capitalization. Comma splice.]
27) Listen to Music that make you happy [Capitalization. Proofread: you need an -s on "make."
28) Keep on learning new things [Like grammar.]
29) Remind yourself to have Fun [Capitalization.]
31) Meditate even if it’s only 5 minutes a day [Comma after "Meditate." Good, proper use of "it's" by the way!]
32) Speak your mind; do not let anything inside too long [This is good semi-colon use, but don't you mean "keep" instead of "let?"
35) Be grateful for your body/mind complex that serves you everyday without asking questions (I'd use a ", which" instead of "that" here. Every_day!!!]
37) Smile [I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think you have some good potential as a writer!]
June 20th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
@Teacher Neil
Thank you. I could have deleted your comment but for some reason I read it with such a big smile and it made laugh about my own mistakes. I think you wrote it with respect and a good intention behind it so I’m more than happy to post it here.
When I wrote this article (It’s one of the first one on this blog), I did it with very little enthusiasm and faith towards it’s potential popularity. I just jotted down a bunch of idea without reviewing them (including proofreading!) and I never expected that it would end up being my most popular article. I recently decided to revisit the post and to elaborate on all the points here. You can be sure that I will correct those mistakes.
I wont debate anything you mentioned. I will only say, in my defense, that I am primarily Francophone and English is my second language.
Thanks for taking the time to help me with this!
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