The 6 Steps to Building the Foundations of Health!

"It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has," Hippocrates

As a C.H.E.K Practitioner and BodyTalk Practitioner, I work in the field of rehabilitation, sports conditioning, weight loss and optimising health.

The approach I have successfully used over the years does not include diagnosing or treating symptoms. Instead the focus has been on building health from the ground up.

Having spent the last 11 years working in the field of health and fitness, experience tells me many people require a paradigm shift to improve their health.

What do I mean by this?

The majority of people believe that if they have no symptoms, they are therefore healthy. For instance, if you have health check and you have no positive results, then you are given a clean bill of health. However, a lack of symptoms does not equal health. There is a huge gulf between ‘optimal health’ and ‘symptoms and disease’.

In the majority of cases it can take 10-20 years to go from having optimal health to experiencing symptoms.

To help you to build optimal health, this article will reveal the secrets to optimal health.

But, what is optimum health?

Optimum health has been described as:

• Functioning at our best physically, mentally and emotionally.

• Optimal physical functioning means being energetic, active, full of vitality, free of aches, pains, illness and disease.

• Functioning optimally mentally and emotionally implies that we are cheerful , optimistic , enthusiastic , eager , free of stress , kind and loving , and having peace of mind.

Are you ALL of those things most of the time?

No? Then perhaps you do not have optimal health. Would you like to have optimal health?

Yes? So how do we achieve this?

Thomas Edison once said, “ The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease” .

As a C.H.E.K Practitioner I work as Edison suggested. I use the Foundation of Health principles as taught to me by Dr. Clifford Oliver, the co-creator along with Paul Chek of the C.H.E.K Institute’s Holistic Lifestyle Coaching Programme.

Once you put these foundations in place, you will notice an improvement towards optimal health as described above. However, Dr. Oliver suggests, “If any of the Foundations are missed off it is like having a dam with a hole in it.” Therefore, it is important to incorporate all the foundations into your lifestyle. I tell my clients, “Building health is like building a Skyscraper. The bigger the foundations you lay, the higher and stronger Skyscraper you can build”.

So what are the 6 Steps to building The Foundations of Health?

They are:

• Positive thoughts
• Breathing
• Hydration
• Eating right (for your biochemical individuality)
• Exercise
• Sleep

So now you’re thinking, I know how to do all that. Why should I waste my time reading this article? It may not quite be what you are thinking.

So let’s look at each area in a little detail.

Positive Thoughts

It is believed that we have between 60,000-72,000 thoughts per day. Everything we do in life begins as a thought. The thought then becomes a word and then an action. Some thoughts however, never become actions. Without a thought, nothing would ever get done.

Our thoughts are integral to everything we do. Many experts believe that many chronic diseases are caused through our thoughts or beliefs.

Every cell in our body has an intelligence and is listening all the time. So be careful of what you say!

It has been shown that people who believe they will be successful or lucky usually are. Those who believe they will not be successful or lucky, are usually unlucky or unsuccessful. So be careful what you wish for life, because you will probably get it, whether it is positive or negative.

We also know that those who regularly set positive goals are likely to be successful. If you need help in setting goals, a Life Coach can be very helpful.

Breathing Right

Breathing is essential to optimal health. We can only go 3 minutes without oxygen before brain cells begin to die. Also, with each breath our body scans itself to see if there is any disease requiring attention.

Breathing rate affects our pH balance. We should breathe between 12 and 16 breaths per minute. I see many people today breathing too rapidly (often due to a stressful lifestyle).

We should also use our diaphragm for breathing. Breathing is the primary function of the diaphragm. Many people however, use what is known as accessory respiratory muscles to breathe which causes those muscles to become over worked. We call these people chest breathers, because they breathe through the chest and not the abdomen. These people often complain of tension in the shoulder/neck area.

Diaphragmatic breathing also massages the intestines, which helps with the flow of food through the body (known as peristalsis).

To re-learn how to breathe correctly, Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong classes can be very effective. Singing lessons or working with a C.H.E.K Practitioner can be equally effective too.

Hydration

In today’s society the majority of people are dehydrated most of the time.

Hydration we know is directly linked to performance and if you can exercise more, your chances of a great physique or optimal health are therefore increased.

There are only 3 types of water that I recommend. Reverse Osmosis filtered water or Evian or Vittel bottled water.

Why do I recommend these? Unlike most carbon filter systems, reverse osmosis will actually remove from the water the contaminants that most water authorities in this country add. Reverse osmosis will remove virtually all contaminants from the water, including chlorine and fluoride, especially when combined with a pre- and post-carbon filtration system.

Tap water should be avoided because it contains chlorine and may contain fluoride. Chlorine and fluoride are toxic substances that, with ongoing consumption, can have dire consequences for the body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it has the wrong ionization, pH, polarization and oxidation potentials, and can drain your body of necessary minerals. Distilled water has been connected with hair loss and tooth decay, which are associated with certain mineral deficiencies.

Drink water at room temperature if possible, as ice-cold water can harm the delicate lining of your stomach and reduce the time taken to re-hydrate as the body has to heat up the water before allowing it into the stomach.

Evian and Vittel are recommended as they have a good mineral content and they do not hang around on stores shelves for too long. Bottled waters in plastic containers when left on the shelves for too long begin to leach plastic into the water.

The dry residue mineral content in Evian and Vittel are 309mg/L and 403mg/L respectively. Ideally, you should drink water with a minimum of 300mg/L. If your water contains less than 300mg/L, you can always add a pinch of non-processed organic sea salt.

To ensure you are consuming enough water, a minimum of 0.033 litres per kilogram of bodyweight per day is a good guide.

Beware that fruit juices, sports drinks, fizzy drinks, alcoholic and caffeinated drinks will use more water to digest them than it is adding to the body. Therefore, these drinks will dehydrate you, not re-hydrate.

Eating Right

As we are all bio-chemically individual we all need to eat a diet that is right for us. So how do you know what to eat to optimise your own health?

By taking a Metabolic Typing test. This can be done either at a Basic, Intermediate or Advanced Level.

The Advanced Test which I recommend is done with a Certified Healthexcel Metabolic Typing Advisor. You can find a Certified Advisor at www.bodychek.co.uk .

In simple terms, your genetics and environment influence what foods are right to optimise your health, weight, mood, creativity and performance. Metabolic Typing has also been used to help reverse some chronic diseases.

In very simple terms those whose family originated in colder climates and had game meats in their geographic location do best on high fat, high protein and low carbohydrates. These are known as Protein Types.

Those whose families where from warmer climates and had no game meats to hunt do better on a high carbohydrate, low fat low protein diet. These are known as Carbo types.

For more information check out William Wolcott’s book “The Metabolic Typing Diet.”

It is also essential to eat whole organic foods as our ancestors would have done thousands of years ago. Avoidance of processed and commercially farmed foods is crucial to optimal health despite what you might hear in the media.

Exercise

There is no doubt that exercise is crucial to optimal health. However, again there is so much contradictory information around exercise.

Generally speaking we do not exercise enough. However, exercise has drug like effects on the body. Therefore, it is important to ensure you are doing the right type of exercise.

Exercise is a stress to the body. We have to be careful that we do not over-stress an already stressed body.

One way to evaluate how much stress your body is under is to take your heart rate first thing in the morning for 5 days. From the 5 readings, calculate your average heart rate. If your heart rate goes 5 beats over the normal range on any one day you should rest on that day or just do Chi Cultivating exercises.

Chi Cultivation exercise gives the body energy instead of using energy. Examples of Chi Cultivating exercises are Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong or even Meditation.

Practically everyone I see in my clinic requires a corrective exercise programme. This involves lengthening only the muscles in the body which are tight and strengthening the muscles that are weak. Corrective exercise optimises posture which helps to reduce aches, pain and injuries, improve performance, improve energy and decrease the likelihood of future injury.

Many people believe they must do lots of aerobic exercise to be fit and healthy. This is not necessarily true. A workout with weights in a circuit format has been shown to be at least as beneficial and takes less time to achieve the same benefits. Aerobic exercise does also release stress hormones into the body which are tissue destroying. If you enjoy aerobic exercise or sports just ensure you get adequate rest and nutrition.

Exercise can only be beneficial if you actually do it. Therefore, ensure you choose types of exercises that you know you will enjoy. Seeking the help of a C.H.E.K Practitioner to help you put an exercise programme together is highly recommended (see www.bodychek.co.uk or www.chekinstitute.com/prac.cfm ).

Sleep

Everywhere in the universe there are Circadian Rhythms. For example, planet Earth orbiting the sun, the moon orbiting Earth, tidal flows, the four seasons and sleep wakes cycles.

Sleep is something we have control over and is essential to optimal health, yet very few people today understand what good sleep is.

For instance in 1910 we slept on average 4,370 hours of sleep per year or 9-10 hours per night. Today it is 2,555 hours of sleep per year or 7 hours per night. (Taken from “Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching Level II” Programme, C.H.E.K Institute, 2005).

In evolutionary terms we have developed in sync with the seasonal light/dark cycles. Our natural rhythms are still the same as they were 10,000 years ago. We would rise with the sun at dawn and go to sleep soon after dusk.

Whether it is light or dark and the time of day effects are delicate hormonal balance. Therefore, it is essential we sleep during the dark hours and be active during the lighter hours.

Coffee, cigarettes, sugar, bright lights and electrical sockets can disrupt your sleep/wake cycles

Also if you consistently go to bed too late it entrains the body to do so making it difficult to get to sleep at a reasonable time. I suggest to my clients that they slowly phase in earlier bed times.

So What Should You Do?

• Get to bed by 10-10.30pm and sleep for a minimum of 8 hours
• Minimize exposure to bright lights 2 hours before bed time
• Sleep in a totally dark room.
• Avoid the consumption of stimulants after lunch
• Eat right for your Metabolic Type especially at dinner
• Drink plenty of water.
• Exercise
• Unplug all electrical appliances in your bedroom including clocks

Summary

By putting into practise the 6 Foundational Principles of Health, you will no doubt improve your health and wellbeing.

By:

• Thinking right and setting goals
• Breathing diaphragmatically
• Ensuring you are well hydrated with good quality water
• Eating whole non-processed organic foods which are right for your metabolic type
• Exercising right for your body’s level of stress and
• Sleeping from 10pm-6am each evening

Once you put the Foundations of Health into practise you will notice:

• Energy increases
• Aches and pains reduce
• Performance improves
• More mental clarity
• Stress reduces and
• Life becomes easier.

Give it a try and if you need some help, feel free to contact me.

In health and happiness,

Leigh Brandon

Disclaimer
No person should rely on the contents of this article. We expressly disclaim all and any liability and responsibility to any person in respect of anything contained in this article. It is advised that you always follow the advice of your Doctor.

To find out how we can help you further, call us on 0870 486 2470 or email us at info@bodychek.co.uk.