FIVE things to incorporate today to boost longevity
The idea of ‘longevity’ is having a moment right now, and it’s a good thing that people are becoming curious about it, talking about it, and looking for ways to implement daily rituals into their lives to become healthier, and age healthier. These are steps in the right direction.
Longevity means living a long life, not just in years, but living better, for longer. It’s about supporting your body, mind, and spirit so you can feel vibrant, strong, and grounded in your body as you age without losing energy, mobility, and mental clarity. I often get asked by people, what are your top 5, non-negotiable wellness tips? While it’s reaallly hard for me to compact the answer into 5 things, as I can write for days and days, I truly believe the foundation of health and aging healthfully starts with these 5 building blocks below. If you can commit to incorporating these 5 practices into your daily life for the next week, you are off to an AMAZING start. And if you’re already doing these all, even better. Now, we build.
WHOLE FOODS > Processed, packaged foods.
This seems obvious to some, but I really mean this in every sense of the sentence. In order to feel alive and lively, we need to eat live foods. Whole Foods are as close to their natural state as possible, free of added sugars, chemicals, or artificial ingredients. The health + well-being of our body literally depends on it. Think fresh veggies, fruits, quality proteins, whole grains, legumes, and nuts + seeds.
GETTING 7-8 HOURS OF QUALITY SLEEP, NIGHTLY.
One of the biggest challenges that my clients seem to face is not getting enough good quality sleep, which then creates a ripple effect into all of their health practices the following day(s). Many people are in a state of fight or flight all day, their body has been running a mile a minute, making it hard to slow down the body and mind when it’s time to rest your head on your pillow. To support yourself in getting a good, restful night of sleep, it starts with supportive wind-down rituals. Warm lighting at night, no screens 30-1 hour before bed, and if that means keeping your phone in another room or across the room, then do it. Create a soothing, relaxing sleep environment for yourself- sound machine, essential oil diffuser, hot tea, and even incorporating inverted legs up on the wall 15 minutes prior to bed to promote lymphatic drainage in the legs + feet. Another non-negotiable in my bedtime routine is putting on a piece of Dream Recovery Mouth Tape. Mouth tape helps your body breathe through your nose instead of your mouth, allowing the body to drop into the parasympathetic state, giving yourself the space to rest + digest, and getting into more R.E.M. at night.
DRINKING HALF YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN WATER, DAILY.
This one is self-explanatory. BUT an easy way to calculate how much water you should drink daily is taking your body weight + dividing it by 2. If ones’ weight is 165, drink 82.5 ounces of water daily.
What is essential for every single function in our body. It aids in digestion, detoxification, and brain function, mood, energy levels…. and on and on. On top of this, water supports hormone balance, and improves sleep.
TIP: add a pinch of fine ground Celtic sea salt + lemon into your water for added electrolytes + hydration.
MOVE YOUR BODY EVERY DAY.
If possible, I urge you to incorporate some type of movement into your daily schedule. Whether it be a 20 minute brisk walk, a 60 minute workout class, or spending 30 minutes at the gym, just move. Our bodies were not created to be sedentary, they were made to move. Movement is highly important for a number of reasons, with a few being boosting circulation for heart health, increasing focus and feel-good hormones, and regulating our nervous system. Movement is not just about fitness, it’s about keeping the flow in your energy, emotions, and systems from becoming stagnant, this is when the issues occur.
TAKE STEPS IN REGULATING YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Think of the nervous system like the command center for your body. It regulates how you respond to stress, how you digest food, how you sleep, how you heal, and even how you feel in your body on a day to day basis. When it is regulated, it is in between a state of ‘fight or flight’ and ‘rest and digest’. In this middle ground, you experience more clarity, calmness, emotional resilience, better sleep and digestion, increased energy, and better ability to connect with others. You feel truly safe in your body.
When the nervous system is dysregulated, you might feel anxious, fatigued, overwhelmed, inflamed, or disconnected, and systems are not working properly or in their full form. You want to be able THRIVE, not just survive. A regulated nervous system encourages long-term health and hormonal balance, essential for us women.
The steps you can take to help regulate your nervous system are:
•Incorporating daily breath work into your schedule
•Attending sound baths
•Connection through community, touch, quality time, etc.
•Grounding with the earth’s surface, barefoot
•Resting, and giving your body what it needs when it asks for it
•Walking outside
•Slowing down more often
•Protecting your peace + energy, saying no to things that are not an energetic match
•Eating nourishing foods
If you’ve been trying to create healthier routines but keep falling off track, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself anymore.
I offer free 1:1 health consultations for those interested in holistic nutrition coaching. Together, we’ll explore your current habits, health goals, and the deeper root cause of what’s keeping you stuck.
This is for you if you’re craving:
•A customized wellness plan tailored to your body, your lifestyle, and your unique needs.
•Consistent, compassionate accountability, with no guilt or shame attached. Just grounded, consistent support.
•A chance to finally feel balanced, energized, and in rhythm with yourself— helping you heal from the inside out.
Sign up for a free consultation here.
