Health Cafe Journey

root   n . 1 Part of a plant that provides support, draws water and nourishment, and stores food.  2 Source of action. 3 An essential part. Let's review what I've addressed in separate blog posts about how to achieve optimum wellness. I believe there are four essential parts to being healthy. I call them  roots . If you make healthy choices in each root area, you will achieve optimum wellness—feeling supported, watered, nourished and full of energy. The four roots of optimum wellness are  diet ,  exercise ,  sleep  and  attitude . Root One: Diet It is not a coincidence that disease is on the increase at the same time our diets consist of more artificial and sugar-ladden ingredients, meats and dairy laced with antibiotics and hormones. Cancer has now become the number one killer. And, its a big money maker for the health and pharmaceutical industries. Here's a list of things to avoid in foods: Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans ...

Problem We live in a fast-paced world, filled with technology that consumes us and projects that drive us. Our desire to get the most out of every day pushes us to compromise on a very important aspect of health—sleep. Thinking you can get by on a few hours of sleep, you push ahead and grab the coffee or energy drink to prop yourself up. It becomes such an ingrained pattern, you fool yourself into thinking you can do this. Who needs sleep? Poor sleep can disrupt every aspect of your health. Here are a few things caused by too little sleep: Contributes to widespread pain . Sleep deprivation increases stress hormones, which result in fewer new brain cells . Contributes to hunger, which can result in over eating and gaining weight. Leads to premature aging due to interference of growth hormone production released by the pituitary gland during deep sleep. Increases your risk of dying from any cause .  Solution Stop!!! Adequate sleep is part of a healthy lifestyle. If you don't get enou...

Exercise is one of the four roots of optimum wellness , but too few of us treat exercise as important for health. How many tell themselves they are too old to start exercise— that's for young people . Well… tell that to Olga Kotelko , who, at 94, began exercising at the age of 77 and hasn't stopped. She is so into exercise that she competes in senior track and field events and has amassed a collection of 200 medals. Exercise is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. Along with diet, sleep and attitude it's a root to good health. Exercise contributes to being and staying healthy. So what motivates you to get out and exercise? For me, its knowing I feel so much better when I exercise. My main source of exercise is running. I really don't like running, but I know its a quick way to get exercise with the most benefit. I currently run at a small lake about a mile from my house. The residents keep it interesting—copious Canada geese, a few mallard ducks and groups of coots are v...