Two Simple Self Care Activities for Better Health
"What price can you place on your own health?" -- Gary Lindner
Two Your Health
In a recent interview, I was asked, “What are the two most important things a person can do to improve their health?”. The interviewer was shocked at my answer after I gave it, and responded that she thought that diet and exercise would have been my response. For decades we have been taught that the keys to good health are diet and exercise. These are important but in comparison to other self-care modalities, their importance becomes less significant.
My advice to someone wanting to improve their health is to stay well hydrated and get a good quality night’s sleep.
Water Matters
Water is not just a beverage choice, it is an essential nutrient. We have been saying this for years and the reason why is we tend to choose just about everything else to drink other than water. That is the main reason why over 75% of us walk around dehydrated every day. Water is quantitatively our most important nutrient. In the past, scientific interest regarding water metabolism was mainly directed toward the extremes of severe dehydration and water intoxication. There is increasing evidence, however, that mild dehydration may also account for many morbidities.
We lose 10 cups a day of water through normal physiological processes, such as respiration, excretion, and perspiration. Failure to drink sufficient water has been linked to fatigue, joint problems, weight gain, type2 diabetes, headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure, and kidney disease.
Gina Bria, cultural anthropologist states, “Dehydration is the mother of all epidemics and is the first step we need to take in addressing chronic disease”.
My recommendation is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Keep water with you as you go through your day and sip frequently. When we experience thirst, we are already dehydrated. Good hydration is the first step to good health. Also, everything else we do in our self-care regimen is more effective if we are well hydrated.
Sleep Matters
When we think of what we need for survival and good health, our first responses would be air, water, and food. However, sleep, like food, water, and the air is essential for survival and good health. We have known about the importance of sleep for a long time and have also become aware of health ramifications when we don’t receive optimal sleep. Poor quality or lack of sleep has been linked to many conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems and poor sleep health resulting in sleep deprivation, which has a high correlation to depression, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, neurocognitive disease, and even cancer. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has pointed to a “global epidemic of sleeplessness” with roughly two-thirds of adults sleeping less than 8 hours a night.
Sleep is often considered an unproductive part of our day and we often forgo sleep in favor of other activities. According to the World Health Organization, you are likely part of the “sleep loss epidemic”. There has been a global rise in sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, but also, those who have the capacity to sleep well just aren't sleeping enough.
Sleep is the single activity that we spend the most time doing in our lifetimes. We spend one-third of our lives asleep and for good reason. William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, is one of the world's leading authorities on sleep. He is sometimes referred to as the father of sleep medicine. To quote Dr. Dement, “Healthy sleep has been empirically proven to be the most single important determinant on predicting longevity, more important than diet, exercise, and heredity.”
My advice is to make sleep a priority, schedule it as you would any other important activity in your day, and get eight hours of quality sleep per night. We have blogged about tips for a better night’s sleep and links can be found at Selfcarehub.com. Sleep Matters discusses the health ramifications of poor or inadequate sleep and offers tips for a healthy, rejuvenating quality sleep.
“Dehydration is the mother of all epidemics and is the first step we need to take in addressing chronic disease”.
- Gina Bria, cultural anthropologist
The Nikken Wellness Home
Quality Sleep
A Wellness Home is the healthiest and safest place for you and your family. It utilizes Nikken Active Wellness products and technologies that address specific areas of concern.
We need sleep to be healthy, happy, and productive. Without it, we suffer consequences both physically and mentally. Sleep is the most important determinant to being healthy by choice, so, choose to get enough quality sleep.
Sleep is not only about how many hours we sleep, but more importantly about the quality of sleep that we are receiving. A significant component of sleep quality is dependent on our sleep environment. For that reason, the foundation of the Nikken Wellness Home and our personal choice is the Nikken Kenko Naturest Fit Sleep System. It uses natural materials and simple principles to create Adaptive Sleep Technology. This includes self-regulating temperature control, advanced magnetic technology, and passive massage to provide a natural, relaxing sleep environment for a deeply restful, rejuvenating sleep. For an excellent review of the Nikken Kenko Naturest Fit visit The Nikken Kenko Naturest Fit, Nurture Your Nature.
Healthy Water
One of the most important aspects of the Wellness Home is to provide ourselves and our families with clean, healthy water. This has been discussed frequently and more information can be accessed at Water Matters.
Filtering our tap water is convenient, cost-effective, and the best way to provide ourselves and our families with healthy water. Our personal choice for water filtration is the Nikken PiMag Waterfall. Imagine if we could create fresh spring water in our own home or office? This is the strategy behind the Nikken Waterfall. The Nikken Waterfall System is an advanced, technically sophisticated, well-designed countertop home filtration system that converts tap water into fresh spring-like water. Using a multi-stage filtration process that cleans, alkalizes, mineralizes, ionizes, energizes, and oxygenates the water, the Waterfall produces a light, velvety fresh-tasting water which is highly absorbable and healthy.
Put simply, the Waterfall produces water the way nature intended water to be. Free of contaminants but maintaining an alkaline pH with minerals that are added back after the filtration process. The water is run through a magnetic field that provides a water structure as it occurs in nature.
The PiMag Waterfall has a modern, compact profile and fits conveniently into most kitchen environments. All Nikken water products are designed to the highest standards, using recyclable non-leaching polymers, and free of BPA and other estrogenic chemicals.
As a self-care advocate and a proponent of the Nikken Wellness Home for nearly 24 years, I recommend Nikken’s PiMag Waterfall and the Nikken Naturest KenkoFit sleep system. Stay well hydrated and get at least eight hours of quality sleep per night and
BE HEALTHY BY CHOICE, NOT BY CHANCE.
