"A man's health can be judged by which he takes two of at a time - pills or stairs." John Welsh

I will take the latter of the two!

Through my journey of health and fitness, I've enjoyed self-experimentation with nutrition and workouts, life style changes, and countless challenges. I've also attended numerous seminars and lectures by fitness experts such as Paul Chek, Charles Staley, John Berardi PhD, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I would like to share with you 10 simple steps to follow that will allow your body to express it's optimal health, so you can enjoy a lifetime of wellness and happiness. Live it, love it, and let me know what you think:

1.    Eat like your great - grandmother. Don't eat anything she wouldn't recognize as food. Enjoy plentiful plants and animals, fruit, nuts, seeds, and berries. Limit your intake of man-made, processed, or chemically engineered food-like substances. These render your body starving for nutrients and craving more simple sugar as energy, promoting excessive insulin production, fat storage, and insulin resistance - the precursor to type 2 diabetes.

2.    Move your body. Stay upright, stay on your (bare) feet, and become locomotive.

3.    Get plenty of sleep. Listen to your body, nap once in a while, and get up at the same time every day. Avoid the alarm clock, it's stressful and induces a stress response of cortisol and adrenaline, your body's fight or flight mechanism, not a pleasant way to start your day.

4.    Play like a kid. Play releases endorphins, promotes health and happiness, acts as exercise, and creates lasting relationships. "Those who play together, stay together."

5.    Get some sun. Your body converts sunshine into Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a mother-hormone involved in the production of other vital hormones, it helps prevent cancers, encourages cellular function, and promotes strong healthy bones and muscles.

6.    Lift heavy things. Push, pull, squat; challenge yourself periodically. Strength train two or three times a week. This can be done at home, at a gym, or anyplace suitable such as a park.

7.    Go "all out" once in a while. Do something simple, intense, and brief once a week. Try to run or sprint, enjoy an elliptical machine, bike, or jumping.
 
8.    Use your brain. Read, challenge yourself to a crossword puzzle, jigsaw puzzle, or learn a new hobby. This will increase your cognitive abilities, improve your memory, and keep you sharp as a tack.

9.    Beware of poisonous things. Artificial sweeteners, nitrites, high fructose corn syrup, and other chemically engineered food-like substances are dangerous. They may build up in your body and, over time, damage cells, organ systems, and inhibit normal body functions.

10.    Don't sweat the small stuff. Simply be the best YOU that you can be. Accept yourself for who you are and what you do. Enjoy life, love your food, and focus on 90% success.

For, in the end, it's the journey you are going to remember and be remembered for!