“Little hinges swing big doors.”
Imagine this:
You wake up feeling refreshed, without an alarm clock.
You got between seven to nine hours sleep and only got up once, or maybe not at all last night.
When you get out of bed you go to the kitchen and pour yourself a big glass of pure filtered or spring water and drink it all down. Maybe you add some lemon to alkalize, or if it’s filtered water you add some sea salt to help with better hydration, mineral balance, adrenal support, and energy at a cellular level.
Then, you find a quiet place to meditate. Maybe on a cushion or comfortable chair or sofa and you sit with your spine erect, head floating up toward the sky. Even better, maybe you sit outside with a cup of green or herbal tea.
You start by taking some relaxing, soft belly breaths in though your nose, and feel your facial muscles melt and your shoulders drop.
After five, ten or twenty minutes — or however many minutes of meditation and following your breath — you get up and put on some comfortable clothes and your favorite walking shoes.
You’re going to meet a friend for a morning walk in a local park, or maybe just around neighborhood streets. If you’re unable to walk at this moment, maybe you find a nice seat outside to get some morning sun, maybe do some stretching, or maybe you meet your friend for tea. Or, if your friend lives in another place, maybe you can connect by phone for a remote walk and talk.
You make a point to walk or sit without sunglasses to get some morning sun in your eyes.
By mid-morning you’ve already completed all seven foundational habits and you are energized for the day and well-prepared for a good night’s sleep tonight.
This is the power of healthy habit stacking:
Research confirms that when we get 6 or fewer hours of sleep in one night, our inflammatory genes turn on. When we get more than 7 hours those inflammatory genes get switched off. It turns out sleep is the most important healthy habit for healing and optimal health.
Harvard Medical School writes, “Drinking enough water each day is crucial for many reasons: to regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.” How much is enough? It might look like half your bodyweight in ounces. For me that’s about 65 ounces. This includes water, tea and herbal tea.
A large and growing body of research confirms the numerous health and wellness benefits of meditation including, stress reduction, strengthened immune system, improved sleep, better emotional regulation including reduced anger, anxiety and depression, and greater focus, discipline and clarity of mind.
Proper deep, diaphragmatic breathing in through the nose to belly has a myriad of health benefits including improved oxygenation, digestion, stress reduction, and nitric oxide production, which lowers blood pressure, improves brain health, and boosts immune system function.
Research is clear: social isolation may be the biggest stressor that we can face. By contrast, research shows that being part of a supportive community is critical for good health. Strong social ties reduce your risk of disease and increase the rate of survival for many chronic conditions.
We were made to move and when we don’t, our muscles atrophy, our fascia hardens, we can become frail, and we increase our risk for numerous negative health consequences including premature aging, autoimmune disorders, and Alzheimers. So, even if you have some pain in your joints or feel super tired during the day, move even a little to lubricate your joints, strengthen your muscles, increase your energy, and sleep better at night.
There are increasing numbers of studies pointing to the numerous benefits of getting outside, including vitamin D production, elevated mood, less pain, and faster healing. You can reset your circadian rhythm and increase melatonin production just by getting some morning sun in your eyes. Zach Bush, MD reminds us that just by soaking in nature’s macrobiome we help replenish our depleted microbiomes which is beneficial for all things health related.
When you tend to these foundational elements, over time they become habits you can’t imagine doing without and you will literally be stacking the deck of health and wellbeing squarely in your favor.
And I can promise you this. As your sleep improves, as you breathe more fully, learn to quiet your mind, hydrate better, move more, connect well, and spend time in nature, your health challenges will diminish, your resilience will increase, and so will your mood and emotional wellbeing. And that’s a recipe for optimal health and longevity.
Which foundational element will you try, or what habits will you stack? If you have an autoimmune condition, I urge you to keep moving forward, no matter how small the steps.
Take good care!
If you live in the continental U.S. and are ready, willing, and determined to be well, I offer Functional Medicine Total Health Transformation Programs over Zoom. I collaborate with skilled naturopathic doctors (NDs) who are experts in resolving root causes like gut issues, chronic infections, toxic burdens, and hormonal imbalances, which are almost always part of the autoimmune puzzle. Together we provide comprehensive, customized treatment plans, and collaborative, caring support. If you are ready to beat autoimmune and reclaim your best life please book a 30–minute consultation with me to gain clarity, confidence, and explore the possibility of working together. You can do it, we can help. 💗
This comprehensive book is the first to explore all six of the critical lifestyle factors that are the root causes of autoimmune conditions – and the sources of regaining health. Foreword by Mark Hyman, MD
Palmer is a certified Functional Medicine Health Coach who has helped thousands of people reverse autoimmune conditions based on her own two-decade battle to successfully beat multiple sclerosis (MS). She’s the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Beat Autoimmune, which has a powerful foreword by Functional Medicine pioneer, Mark Hyman, MD.
