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5 Essential Zen Habits for Balanced Living balanced living

“Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” – Robert Fulghum

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Anastasiya Goers of Balance In Me.

Do you sometimes wonder whether your life is in balance? It is easy to know if you lead a balanced life because if you do then:

• you enjoy every moment and every second,
• you can cope with any difficulties,
• you can be happy without any reason to be happy,
• you can be yourself and love the person you are.

Today the world constantly tries to throw you out of balance and sometimes no matter what you do you still feel like your life is going in the wrong direction (I know I feel this way sometimes.) Balanced living might seem like one of those theoretical terms that nobody can put into practice but in fact there is nothing simpler than living a balanced life.

It might take some work at first but once you get in the flow and discover the simple ways to steer your life in your desired direction you will feel empowered. You will be inspired and energized by every day of your life. Your life will be full of amazing adventures and events that will make every day memorable. You won’t be wasting your life anymore or spending gloomy hours contemplating about the misfortunes that might have happened on your way.

Does balanced living mean that your life will be full of only positive people and events that will bring you happiness every moment of your life? Not at all.

Balanced living is when you can always offset any negative events in your life with positive ones. It is also when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Balanced living is when you are happy working and playing equally. If you picture happiness and everything great in your life as a diamond, then any negative things that may happen are just the setting that makes this diamond shine only brighter.

If you want to live a balanced life then there are 5 essential habits that you need to develop.

1. Awareness and mindfulness. Awareness is the key to balanced living because it lets you see every moment of your life and appreciate it. A mindful person lives in the present and does not get obsessed with the future or the past. It’s important to plan for the future and learn from your mistakes in the past, but it is even more important to appreciate who you are right now and find joy in this state.
      When you are aware of this moment you are calm and you do not make any decisions that you might regret later.
      When you are mindful you are in balance with the universe.
 2. Appreciation of your body. By “appreciation” I mean taking care of your body. If you are grateful for the very first gift that you received in your life (your body) then you must take care of it. It means making healthy choices in life, exercising and being generally active, eating a balanced and healthy diet, letting your body rest when it’s tired and pampering it every once in a while.
      Your body is the tool that lets you experience so many wonderful moments in life and you need to do your best when taking care of it.
      Clearly, balanced living is not possible without a balanced body.
 3. Creativity. Every day we face a lot of challenges and choices in life. Some of these challenges might be easy while others will be more difficult. If you approach each of your challenges with creativity then your life will be filled with adventures. Conversely, if you turn off your creativity, then your life will turn into torture.
      Creativity is a wonderful tool that lets us turn our dreams into reality, turn play into work and work into play, and enjoy life even when it seems empty.
      Creative people are the ones who can make the exquisite setting for the diamond of their life.
 4. Patience. With patience we can overcome almost anything whilst without it we can ruin almost anything.
      Patience can help us turn our dreams into reality (losing weight, starting a business or blog). It can help us be better parents, spouses, friends and even strangers (sometimes a smile from an understanding stranger can make the biggest difference when you are having a bad day). If you are patient you do not have to worry about the minutes spent in traffic or in the line at the grocery store. With patience you can see results in all your endeavors and you do not have to spend the precious time of your life getting mad or infuriated.
      Patience leads to mindfulness and mindfulness brings you in balance.
   5. Simplicity. Simplicity is probably the most important part of life balance. When you build your life around simplicity you reduce the number of out-of-balance things that can disrupt your happy living.
      In balance everything is simple. There are two opposites (like black and white) and you just have to pick something in the middle:

• Simplify you work schedule so that you do not have to think about a hundred things at the same time.

• Simplify your relationships by connecting with people you truly care about and getting rid of the ones you don’t.

• Simplify your diet by choosing simple healthy ingredients that are part of balanced nutrition.

• Simplify your social media exposure and enjoy living life and getting things done rather than wasting time online.

Simplicity makes life balance simple.

These habits have been my lifeline for many years and I cannot imagine a balanced (and happy) life without them. Living in balance is easy and very rewarding because your life becomes the one of joy, happiness and serenity. If you put some time and effort into turning your life into a balanced direction then you too will live a truly Zen life.

"A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. The inverse proposition also appears to be true: A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be made to work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system."

5 Ways to Be Invincible

5 Ways to Be Invincible

Do you think the following habits would enhance your chances of living a long, healthy and productive life?

• Exercising for 2 ½ hours each week
• Maintaining a healthy body weight (BMI under 25)
• Eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day
• Not smoking

If you’ve passed the 1st grade, you probably do.

So, why do only 3% of Americans engage in all of these behaviors (based on one study sample)?

Yup, I said 3%.

How can I be invincible?

Will you ever get cancer or heart disease? What about diabetes or high blood pressure? Maybe you’ve already been diagnosed with one (or all) of these conditions.

1 out of 2 people in the U.S. die of either cardiovascular disease or cancer. Last time I checked, that’s half of us.

Oh, and don’t forget about diabetes, booze, cigarettes, and kidney disease (from high blood pressure and high blood sugar). These are what we die from today. And these are highly preventable diseases.

Comparatively, in 1900, some of the major causes of death included influenza, pneumonia, infectious diarrhea and tuberculosis.

If I’m diagnosed with cancer or cardiovascular disease next week, I won’t be surprised.

I had many childhood years of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cow’s milk, candy bars and Easy Mac. Then I had my bodybuilding days with loads (seriously, loads) of cheap chicken, steak and milk. And even now – I eat desserts with added sugar, I put Earth Balance margarine on my vegetables and eat refined flour sometimes.

Sure, when I compare my nutrition habits to most of North America – they’re stellar. But that’s not saying much.

Am I really doing enough with my daily habits to prevent lifestyle related diseases? I mean, even beyond eating, do I live a “disease preventing” life? What’s my exercise like? Stress levels? Sleep? And so on.

The contribution of environment and lifestyle

Some say that our daily habits don’t matter and genetics determine everything. But looking to the human genome for solutions to most of the chronic illnesses we face is overemphasized in today’s world.

Studies show that as we migrate from one country to another, our chances of being diagnosed with most chronic illnesses are determined not by the country we come from but by the country we migrate to. Other studies with twins suggest that genes aren’t always the source of chronic disease.

Cancer

Only 5-10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetics. The remaining 90-95% are rooted in our environment and lifestyle.

Of all cancer-related deaths, almost 30% are due to tobacco, 35% are linked to diet, and 20% are due to infections. The remaining deaths are due to factors like radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants, etc.

Experts predict that just modifying our diet, body size and physical activity could prevent 30% to 40% of cancers. If that sounds daunting, merely increasing our fruit and vegetable intake alone could prevent 20% of cancer cases.

If we could eliminate all forms of cancer, life expectancy would rise by almost 3 years in the U.S.

Cardiovascular disease

While you were reading the first part of this article, about 6 people died from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the U.S. That’s 1 death every 37 seconds. This means 2,400 Americans die from CVD each day.

Test time:

Add together the following

• the number of people each year who die from cancer +
• the number of people each year who die from lower respiratory diseases +
• the number of people each year who die in accidents +
• the number of people each year who die from diabetes

What does that equal?

The number of people each year who die from CVD.

It’s no comparison. CVD is far and away our biggest killer.

1 in 3 adults has high blood pressure. If we kept blood pressure and cholesterol controlled, insulin sensitivity high, and didn’t smoke, our median life expectancy would increase 10 or more years (compared to those who don’t meet those criteria).

In 2008, the estimated direct/indirect cost of CVD was about $475 billion.

Medications and Money

49% of Americans take prescription drugs. Adverse reactions to these drugs may be the 4th to 6th leading cause of death. 32 million Americans are taking 3 or more medications daily.

In 2007, we spent $287 billion on prescription drugs, 5 times as much as in 1993.

And it’s funny, I hear lots of talk about “health care reform” in the U.S. Yet, I don’t hear much about preventing lifestyle related diseases in the first place.

We require lots of health care because we have lots of diseases brought on by our lifestyles.

You’re healthy? Think again

“For many people with high cholesterol, diet and exercise alone may not be enough.”
– Lipitor (cholesterol medication) website

First the drug companies say it – then we start believing it.

People now say:

“Diet and lifestyle changes weren’t enough for me, so I had to start taking medication.”

Let me translate that:

“I didn’t come close to making the necessary changes with my food intake, exercise and life – pass the pill container.”

It’s great if someone switches their margarine, eats Cheerios instead of Frosted Flakes, and orders salad with dressing on the side. That makes everyone sleep better at night… but let’s get real. Those are tiny changes.

When it comes to preventing the big boy diseases, those tiny changes probably won’t scratch the surface. To get big changes with our health, we must make big changes to our habits and lifestyles.

“Eat a balanced diet”

At the end of virtually every article that talks about chronic disease – there’s some generic recommendation to “eat a balanced diet.”

That’s boring and conjures of images of reduced fat ice cream, a tall glass of orange juice and high fibre cereal.

5 strategies to help you live forever

So, how can we be proactive with disease protection?

Well, luckily we’ve got a crack team of experts at our disposal, here at PN HQ. And they can be trained to respond in short, pithy sentences!

I asked them:

If you could only choose 5 top strategies to prevent disease and enhance wellness, what would those be?

Dr. John Berardi

1. Keep your body weight and body fat in check

While we like to talk about exercise and nutrition as the key factors in disease prevention, one huge factor in health is body weight. Simply put, even if you exercise and eat well, if you’re still overweight/overfat, you’re at risk.

If you’re exercising and eating well, yet your body weight and body fat are too high, you’ve gotta get that body weight down. As a good rule of thumb, to prevent a host of scary, lifestyle-related disease, men should be around or under 15% body fat and women should be around or under 23% body fat.

2. Exercise as often as possible

In most cases, doing some form of exercise every single day is one of the best prescriptions for health and disease prevention.

Of course, while an optimal exercise program includes a mix of strength training and various intensity “cardio/energy systems” workouts, this isn’t always practical. If you have to, walk for 30 minutes around the block. Or jump rope for 15 minutes.

Just be sure to exercise. As often as you can. Based on the research, at least 5-7 hours of exercise per week is ideal.

3. Eat lots of fruits and veggies

As a society, we eat too few plants. That’s reflected in our waistlines and our disease prevalence. Both epidemiological and experimental research shows that eating more veggies and fruits lends us a huge amount of prevention. So what are you waiting for? Start increasing your intake today.

Shoot for 10 servings (in most cases 1-2 cups = 1 serving) of fresh or frozen veggies and fruits every day.

4. Take your supplements

Sure, supplements aren’t necessary if the diet is complete. The only problem? In my entire life, I’ve only met a few folks with a complete diet.

Many of us have borderline or full-fledged deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, and key phytochemicals. By including a broad spectrum multi-vitamin, an omega 3 supplement, and a green food product, we can help prevent key deficiencies that lead to poor health.

5. Prioritize sleep and rest

In Western society we prioritize long hours and hard work over sleep and rest.T his can be a problem when it comes to health and longevity.

Sleep and rest help us keep a clear and focused mind – leading to more productivity and better relationships. Sleep and rest help us dampen down stress – allowing us better control over our hormonal physiology.

For health, people should be getting, on average 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night. (If you don’t get this kind of sleep, it’s not because “that’s all you need.” It’s because you have sleep issues that need correction. And you need to speak with a professional.)

Further, you should build in about 30 minutes of restful activity each day. This could mean a nap, a hot Epson salts bath, a sauna or steam, meditation, quiet reading, yoga, etc.

Amanda Graydon

1. Colorful veggies

Never miss your veggie quota for the day. If you are falling short, finish the day with a Greens+ smoothie. Try to include a veggie of each color of the rainbow. This is good not only for health but ensures a higher veggie intake (8-10 servings per day).

2. Sleep

Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night and a 15 to 20 minute mid-day nap.

3. Almond oil

Use almond oil as a moisturizer to ensure proper skin hydration, especially in the winter. Almond oil is more effective than expensive lotions on the shelf.

4. Kicks

Switch up shoes regularly. Get some for power walking, a pair for leg workouts, a pair for circuit training, and a pair for all other workouts. This helps to improve performance, minimize injury and add style to your workout.

5. Dental hygiene

I feel that some diseases can be prevented with simple dental hygiene. Try using a pre-rinse before brushing, a Sonicare brush (the old style just doesn’t cut it), floss (5x/wk), and then finish up with a Listerine rinse. I do this 2x daily (morning & before bed). My dentist has always been impressed with my Chiclets — and no cavities to date.

Ryan Andrews

1. Eat a whole food, plant-based diet

“One who eats whole food will be strong & healthy.” – Okinawan Proverb

This includes plenty of veggies, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts/seeds, and green tea each day. And don’t forget to observe hunger/fullness cues. If you’re not hungry when you start eating, how will you know when to stop?

2. Get physically active for at least 5 hours each week

Think of it as daily gym class. Find activities you enjoy. Free weights, body weight exercises, yoga, sports, stretching, high/low intensity conditioning, walking to work, biking to the store, jogging with the dog, soccer with the kids, dance class, etc.

3. Put others first

“You ease someone else’s burden, and yours gets a little lighter.” –Victoria Moran

This can be volunteering, tithing, babysitting, picking up trash, smiling, complimenting, donating, helping, etc. Do this and life gets better.

4. Use natural/organic body products

Sure, what we eat/swallow is vital. But what about the items we use to brush, bath and moisturize? Our skin is our largest organ, what we apply to it enters our body.

5. Prioritize contemplation & sleep

Take time to meditate, contemplate and/or chill each day. Think about why you do what you do and how to improve. Challenge yourself to keep an open mind. Go outside in the fresh air and sun as much as possible – most stressors get tiny when we’re under a big blue sky. And aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

Note from Ryan: All of these things matter when we do them with consistency, for life. And remember, engaging in positive daily habits is simple when you have incentive to do them.

Erin Weiss - Trainer

1. Walk

As much as I can, whenever I can. I walk the dogs, my kids to the sitter or school, to the store, just to get out of the house, or as an excuse to listen to my iPod. At least half of my weekly activity comes from walking.

2. Boost vitamin D

With the walking, I aim to get out a few times each day for Vit D; I supplement during the colder/shorter days of the year.

3. Manage stress

I adjust nutrition and training as levels of stress change, and based on tracking of recovery measures like sleep, energy, mood, etc.

4. Focus on quality of food

Make eating choices based on the most nutrient dense foods and those from local, organic and extensively farmed sources as much as possible.

5. Stay social

Making time to be with family and friends, even when life is busy, helps to keep health in balance.

Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon

1. Sleep

Sleep more. Nuff said.

2. Stress

Purge stress ruthlessly from your life. 90% of it is either imaginary or self-imposed anyway.

3. Self care

Put health and self-care first on your priority list and mean it.

4. Get & stay lean

You don’t need to be a magazine cover model. Just carry an appropriate level of body fat for a healthy, fit person.

5. Connect

Connect meaningfully, lovingly and positively with others… and yourself.

6. Purpose

Have a purpose. People without a purpose stay sicker and die sooner.

7. Green & leafy

If it’s green and leafy, eat lots of it.

Note from Krista: Sorry, I cheated. I couldn’t narrow it down to 5. But I’m not going to get stressed out over that (see #2) because these are important to share (see #6). Plus, Carter’s balances it out.

Carter Schoffer

I don’t have 5 – but I have 2 that are extremely important.

1. Take ownership of yourself (body, mind, life, etc)

It isn’t about blame but it is about responsibility. It isn’t about fairness or deservedness but it is about consequence and accountability. At first this may seem gloomy and overwhelming but when fully appreciated it’s incredibly empowering.

2. Avoid anything that needs to label itself and/or sell you on the fact that it’s healthy, full of goodness, etc.

Chances are, if it needs to claim it’s healthy, it’s not.

Dr. Bryan Walsh

1. Clean living

Minimize exposure to toxins and chemicals.

2. Healthy eating

Whole, organic, unprocessed food.

3. Consistent movement

Regular, functional, sweat-producing exercise.

4. Balanced biochemistry

Blood sugar, gut health, stress physiology, brain function.

5. Happy spirit

Unending compassion, respect, and gratitude for yourself and others.

The Clinic on CNN: How to Live Longer

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References

AHA Heart disease and stroke statistics:

http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/123783441267009Heart%20and%20Stroke%20Update.pdf

American Institute for Cancer Research: http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/

Amin AR, et al. Perspectives for cancer prevention with natural compounds. J Clin Oncol 2009;27:2712-2725.

Anand P, et al. Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes. Pharm Res 2008;25:2097-2116.

Danaei G, et al. The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. PLoS Med 2009;6:epub Apr 28.

Reeves MJ & Rafferty AP. Healthy lifestyle characteristics among adults in the United States, 2000. Arch Intern Med 2005;165:854-857.

Categories: Advanced Diet and Sports Nutrition Blog, Food and Nutrition, Psychology and Lifestyle