The 10 Key Areas of Focus for Increased Energy & Health

One of the biggest complaints people have in their health is the amount of or lack of energy they experience on a consistent basis. Most adults have energy issues at some point throughout the day. Not feeling refreshed and revitalized when waking up, 2pm slumps and exhaustion by the end of the day are all signs you are not experiencing the energy you could and should be experiencing. Lack of energy is a multi-faceted problem, meanings its root causes can be found in a variety of areas. This also means you must look at ALL these areas to increase your energy and better your health.

Dr. Herbert M. Shelton, who was the most prominent leader in the Natural Hygiene movement, a movement that advocates a nontoxic diet, primarily or exclusively made up of raw foods, comprised a list of basic requirements needed to obtain vibrant levels of health. These life requirements, if practiced consistently over time, help your body to build greater levels of health and energy. When you don’t pay attention to these areas, however, your energy levels fall and you create an internal environment that is not as healthy.

The 10 Key Ares of Focus for Increased Energy & Health…

1. Fresh Foods 

This is number one on the list, for all the reasons discussed in this book. Raw foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and sprouts, to name a few, but are any foods that are left in their natural state. These foods must be organic to have maximum benefit.  Toxins found in in-organic foods sap energy and decrease health.

2. Cleanliness Inside & Outside of the Body

You know the importance of a clean body on the outside, but often don't think about the cleanliness of the inside of your body. Toxins and wastes, not properly and periodically cleansed, build up in the tissues, causing a very unhealthy internal environment and a variety of health problems. Regular cleansing is one of the best forms of natural and preventative medicine.

3. Pure Air

Oxygen is of vital importance to your body. Our air quality, especially in urban areas is not so good. Poor air quality can contribute and exaggerate a number of health issues, including asthma and allergies. Taking time to be in areas where the air quality is clean and pure, is important as is taking time each day for deep breathing. Deep breathing allows your body to release accumulated toxins and revitalize from the inside out.

 

4. Pure Water 

Pure and plentiful water is an essential component to a healthy body. Most of us do not get enough clean filtered water daily. Dehydration is a common culprit for a myriad of health complaints from headaches and low energy, to aches, pains and emotional imbalance. A water filtering device is indispensable, and something every household should have. Unfiltered water contains both chlorine and fluoride which are known harmful chemicals to the human body,

5.  Adequate Rest & Sleep

The natural rhythms of the body are activity and rest. The body repairs, renews and regenerates when it rests and sleeps. Balancing a busy life with equal amounts of rest is imperative to good and lasting health. Sleeping well is also very important. Disturbed or disrupted sleep patterns can cause many health problems and significantly decrease your overall energy levels. Creating a calming period before bed can allow your body to unwind and balance your sleep patterns.

6. Sunlight

The outdated and incorrect "guidance" by the American Medical Association for years to always cover yourself or wear sunscreen at all times has had disastrous health consequences. Most of the population in the U.S. is now Vitamin D deficient, and is it any wonder why? Western medicine scared everyone out of the Sun! The Sun's light is important for numerous body functions, including circadian rhythms, immune system functioning, healthy bones, mental health and much more. Twenty to thirty minutes a day of Sun, on uncovered skin is recommended. You don't want to burn, but sunlight is imperative. Know your skin, and get the amount of Sun that is right for your body.  

7. Regular Exercise

 The Western lifestyle has unfortunately evolved into a very sedentary lifestyle. Exercise is important for the immune system, mental health, weight regulation, bone and muscle strength, flexibility and pretty much everything else. Walking is one of the best and easiest exercises to engage in daily, and helps regulate digestion and other body processes and functions. Weight bearing exercise is important for strong, healthy bones. So mix it up, and get moving!  

8. Emotional Balance

This includes freedom from addictions, high self esteem, a purposeful life and meaningful goals.  Everything in our body is connected. When our emotions are out of balance, everything else also becomes out of balance. A chaotic emotional life, equals a chaotic body and mind. Engage in yoga, meditation, relaxation techniques, and seek out the support and help you need to bring your emotional life back into balance.  

9. Nurturing Relationships

Having  people in your life that are supportive, positive and life giving is so important.  Just as we were told as kids, the people you surround yourself with will determine how successful you will be, success in every area of life. 

10. Preventative Health Care

Your body cannot take care of itself all by itself. What you give your body and do with your body on a daily basis has long lasting impacts on your overall health. Preventative health care is the idea of caring for your health in a balanced and ongoing way in order to avoid the development of sickness, disease and pain. When your body is in balance you do not get colds, the flu, allergies nor any of the bigger chronic degenerative diseases. Ensuring you are keeping your body in balance, giving it what it needs and avoiding bringing anything harmful in your body is the best approach to preventative medicine.

 Raw Vitality is a raw food and juice holistic cleanse that includes organic, whole foods, fresh living juices, medicinal herbs, balancing lifestyle practices, healthy stress management, consistent exercise and holistic living strategies. More then just a shake or pill-a-day cleanse, Raw Vitality teaches you how to eat and live in a way that naturally increases your health, energy and vitality. 

The eating and lifestyle principals taught through the Raw Vitality cleanse will allow you to create the vibrant health you so deeply desire and a lifetime of radiant health and beauty. Raw Vitality is perfect for those looking to balance their weight, increase energy, naturally address health symptoms, reverse & slow aging, create long term health eating and lifestyle practices, create radiant natural beauty and vibrant health!

Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitycleanse.com

Healthy Stress Management for Better Health & Increased Vitality

Medical research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests that up to 90% of all illness and disease is stress-related. It is estimated that 75-90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually and more then 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. Stress is literally tearing our health apart, yet it isn't something discussed at routine medical exams nor is healthy stress management practices something that is incorporated into most medical treatment plans. We are beginning to see some positive movement, with stress management techniques being suggested and practiced for cardiology patients, but what about all the other illness caused and complicated by un-treated stress? This is where healthy stress management practices become essential in living a naturally balanced and holistic lifestyle.

Most of us continue to increase the amount of stress we experience on a daily basis without really looking at or understanding how it is affecting our general health and well being. We know, through medical research, that prolonged and untreated stress has an extremely powerful and negative effect on health and well being. Untreated being the key word. Biologically stress actually begins to tear apart and wear out your body from the inside out. During stressful periods of time, the inside of your body is actually up to 32 years older than your calendar age! That would mean that if you are 35 years old, your heart, lungs and brain, during stressful periods of time, are close to 70 years old! How long and well will a 70 year old heart last as compared to a 35 year old heart? How about a 70 year old brain? Not nearly as long and not nearly as effectively. In a nutshell, stress ages your body rapidly, very rapidly. Prolonged stress can alter the body's immune system in ways that are associated with other "aging" conditions such as frailty, functional decline, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Research also suggests that stress impairs the brain's ability to block certain toxins and other large, potentially harmful molecules a condition common in Alzheimer's Disease. Stress can also intensify symptoms of autoimmune type conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. It also affects headaches, your risk of stroke and irritable bowel syndrome. The best way to deal with stress is to implement healthy stress management practices into your daily life.

Here is Your Body on Stress:...

Shrinks Your Brain

Even for healthy people, stressful moments can take a toll on the brain, a new study from Yale University suggests.

Researchers reported in the journal Biological Psychiatry that stressful occasions can actually shrink the brain by reducing gray matter in regions tied to emotion and physiological functions. This is important because these changes in brain gray matter could signal future psychiatric problems and chronic degenerative brain diseases, researchers warned.

Increases Risk for Developing Chronic Disease

It's not just the stress, but HOW YOU REACT TO IT, that could have an impact on your health in the future, according to a new study from Pennsylvania State University researchers.
Published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the study found that people who were more stressed out and anxious about the stresses of everyday life were, in turn, more likely to develop chronic health conditions (such as heart problems or arthritis) 10 years later, compared with people who viewed things in a more relaxed way. Feeling anxious and stressed is linked with a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack -- the same effect smoking five cigarettes a day has on the heart, the New York Daily News reported.

Decreases Immunity

Research shows that stress has an impact on the immune system, with one recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences even showing it can make colds worse. That's because when you are stressed, your body produces more cortisol, which can then wreak havoc on your body’s inflammatory process which lowers immunity and makes you more susceptible to infections. Stress has been shown to contribute to the development of heart disease, high blood pressure, many skin conditions, such as hives and eczema, is a common cause of everyday aches, pains, and health problems, such as headaches, backaches, stomachaches, diarrhea, sleep loss, and loss of sex drive and also weight gain.
On the other hand, healthy stress management techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, and exercise, have been shown to help reverse this effect, by increasing the number of infection-fighting T cells and feel-good chemicals called endorphins in the body, and prevent disease.

Causes You To Gain Weight

When your body experiences a stressful situation it releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is the famous hormone at play in the fight or flight response. Cortisol causes your body to increase blood sugar to provide immediate energy for the impending flee or fight. When all the energy is not used, excess blood sugar is stored as fat, to be used at a later time for energy. Some studies have shown that excess cortisol not only leads to fat deposits but that the hormone can also affect where the fats are stored. Researchers believe that individuals who gain weight due to cortisol are more likely to have abdominal fat. Studies also suggest chronic stress and excess cortisol can cause abdominal obesity in women.



Stress is often inevitable in life, how you deal with your stress, however, is completely under your control. It's important to look at your levels of stress often and make changes where needed to reduce the amount of stress in your life, while implementing consistent healthy stress management techniques such as deep breathing, exercise, relaxation, yoga and mediation. It is important that healthy stress management practices are consistent and constant, not just once and awhile. It is important that stress management practices are consistent and constant, not just once and awhile. The higher the levels of stress you experience the more important stress management practices will be in your life, to your overall health and vitality.

Raw Vitality utilizes some of the most effective, yet easiest to implement into your daily life healthy stress management practices such as: deep breathing, yoga, consistent exercise, outdoor walking and calming nutritional strategies designed to help you reduce the stress impact on your health and implement long term strategies to help you manage your stress effectively and health-fully after cleansing.

Healthy Stress Management Practices Utilized in Raw Vitality

Yoga

"The benefits of yoga include decreased stress and tension, increased strength and balance, increased flexibility, lowered blood pressure and reduced cortisol levels," says Beth Shaw, Founder/President of Yogafit Training Systems, Worldwide, Inc., in Torrance, Calif. Yoga's emphasis on breathing and the mind/body/spirit connection also yields strong emotional benefits. People who practice yoga frequently report that they sleep better and feel less stressed. "It helps you learn not to concentrate on things you can't control, to live in the present," says Mindy Arbuckle, yoga teacher and owner of Green Mountain Yoga in Arvada, Colo. "It seeps into the rest your life. You'll notice you're handling a stressful event more easily, whether it's family or work."

Exercise

Regular exercise helps to reduce your physiological reaction to stress. It also strengthens your heart and increases the blood supply to it, directly affecting your vulnerability to heart disease, one common long term side effect of stress. Exercise helps to increase feel good emotions and physically release built up stress. As you begin to regularly get rid of your daily tensions through movement and exercise, your energy and optimism will increase which will help you to remain calm and clear in everything that you do. Regular exercise lowers the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety, improves your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress. All this can ease your overall stress levels and give you a sense of control over your body and your life.

Deep Breathing

A profound insight by Ancient yogis' was the link between breathing patterns and state of mind. Shallow, rapid breaths—the way many people breathe most of the time—can, from a yogic perspective, be both a cause and a result of stress. Think of how you breathe if you are startled, with a quick inhalation primarily to the upper lungs. Physiologically, habitual rapid chest-breathing is a bit like getting startled thousands of times per day.

It is calming and relaxing to the entire body and mind to breathe more deeply than most people usually do. It turns out that slower, deeper breaths are much more efficient in bringing oxygen into the body while not exhaling more carbon dioxide (CO2) than is desirable. Rapid, shallow breaths, in contrast, tend to deplete CO2 levels, which has a number of negative effects, including promoting mental agitation.

Deep breathing also releases endorphins in your body, which increase your sense of well-being and make you feel more at ease.

Calming Nutrition

Most people tend to eat the wrong foods when under stress — coffee, sugar and processed foods, for instance, which actually cause more stress and puts the body into an agitated state. Caffeine, a stimulant, actually helps create the stress response. Studies show sugar might be a quick fix, but quickly turns into low energy which can create more stress. Food chemicals and other neurotoxins create stress in the nervous system and throughout the body. Switching to plant based, organic, fresh foods calm and restore the body and mind and help to counter act the effects of stress with their high nutrient quality. When under stress, your body uses nutrients more quickly, and fresh plant foods restore those gaps keeping your nervous system and body in balance.

Consistent healthy stress management practices are an essential key to living a vibrant and healthy life. Raw Vitality helps you learn how to do these stress management practices, and implement into your life on a daily and consistent basis.

Raw Vitality is a raw food and juice holistic cleanse that includes organic, whole foods, fresh living juices, medicinal herbs, balancing lifestyle practices, healthy stress management, consistent exercise and holistic living strategies. More then just a shake or pill-a-day cleanse, Raw Vitality teaches you how to eat and live in a way that naturally increases your health, energy and vitality. 

The eating and lifestyle principals taught through the Raw Vitality cleanse will allow you to create the vibrant health you so deeply desire and a lifetime of radiant health and beauty. Raw Vitality is perfect for those looking to balance their weight, increase energy, naturally address health symptoms, reverse & slow aging, create long term health eating and lifestyle practices, create radiant natural beauty and vibrant health!

Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitycleanse.com

Spring IS the Time to Cleanse

Spring is a time of renewal, of change. As the Earth begins to renew so do our bodies. Our internal rhythms are naturally balanced to the external rhythms. Just as spring is the time to air out and clean your house from the long winter months, the same holds true for our bodies. According to Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine the body energy mirrors the seasons. Ayurveda sees spring as a time of transition: early spring is Kapha (because of cooler temperatures and rain), later spring is more Pitta (because of warmer temperatures), and Vata is involved because of the changeable nature of the weather. The increasingly longer daylight hours, along with warmer temperatures, gives new energy. 

Winter is the time to nourish the body and let it rest, to conserve and build our vital energy. During this time of rest for our bodies, food and other nutrients can become undigested and stagnate. Ayurveda maintains undigested food stagnating in the system "ama" is the root cause of disease. Ama is experienced as fatigue, heaviness, constipation, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, and bloating. When the body becomes unbalanced because of poor diet and lifestyle and/or negative thoughts and emotions, this first affects "agni", the body's biological fire, which governs digestion and assimilation of food. When this process is weakened or disturbed, digestion is further impaired and food is not digested properly. These undigested food particles accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract and turn into ama, which is sticky and toxic. When this goes on long enough, these toxins are absorbed through the intestinal wall and overflow into other body channels. You can tell if ama is present if you can see a thick white coating on your tongue. Spring is the time to clear ama out of the body.

Spring is also the time of year in which the liver’s energy is resurging. Nature gives us cues that it is time to cleanse by providing fresh new plants that assist our bodies in the cleansing process including dandelion and thistle. These two plants are especially beneficial to the liver. The liver does the the brunt of the detoxification process in the body, as it converts toxins into easily removable substances and helps eliminate them from the body. The liver also helps filter pollution and other environmental toxins in our foods and environment. Fresh new greens begin to grow in Spring, helping to alkalize our bodies and remove the acidic wastes and toxins that may have become stagnant and stored during the winter months. Both of the ancient healing systems, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, say that Spring is the time for cleansing, especially for the liver and the digestive system. This serves to flush out the system from the richer, heavier foods of winter.

Regardless of whether or not you smoke, drink, eat right or exercise, the truth is we live in a toxic environment. Toxins are found in the air we breathe, pesticides, herbicides, food additive and preservatives in food, and biological chemicals found in plastics, personal care and household products. We are part of our environment, not separate from it, so if our external environment is polluted so is our internal. Cleansing is one of the best approaches to preventative health care and an important component in a healthy, natural lifestyle. Spring is the optimum time to cleanse and detoxify.

The benefits of cleansing include:

• Increased energy
• Better sleep
• Improved digestion
• Reduced allergies
• Weight Loss
• Disease prevention
• Health Symptom Reversal

Align offers two natural approaches to cleansing and detoxification. Our 30-day Raw Vitality Cleanse is an in-depth cleanse that aims to cleanse all areas of the body, holistically and naturally over a 30 day period of time. The 30 days also allows you to put into place healthy nutrition and lifestyle practices that you can carry forward in your life long beyond the period of cleansing  Our Raw Vitality 7-day Power Detox is an accelerated cleanse, allowing you to flush toxins and restore balance to your body in a shorter period of time. The 7-day cleanse is intense and powerful. Both of our cleansing processes are holistic and include a focus on nutrient-dense fresh foods and juices, consistent exercise, healthy stress management, holistic living practices and organic medicinal cleansing herbs. 

More then just a shake or pill-a-day cleanse, Raw Vitality teaches you how to eat and live in a way that naturally increases your health, energy and vitality. 

The eating and lifestyle principals taught through Raw Vitality cleanse will allow you to create the vibrant health you so deeply desire and a lifetime of radiant health and beauty.  

Get a free taste of Raw Vitality with 10 Fresh, Fast & Healthy Raw Vitality Recipes at www.rawvitalitycleanse.com