We’re all on our own health journey. 

Whether you’re just recently incorporating exercise into your life, or finally learning how to prepare vegetables in a way you really like, it takes time to learn about yourself and what your body needs.

It also takes experimentation to understand what foods are best for you or how to best create an exercise plan that works with your schedule and body mechanics.  

These things don’t just magically happen, though, of course.  We have to learn about ourselves, and then break down the areas where we want to change or improve into small digestible parts, so we can avoid the all-or-nothing mentality. 

And even when we finally feel like we’re in our groove, we know life can get in the way. And you have to course-correct and adjust.  You need to be flexible enough to know when to make shifts and not cling to any one way of eating, just because it’s what you’ve always done.  Not only do circumstances change but your body changes too, which means your nutritional needs may change.

So, in celebration of whatever path you’re on or what stage of health you’re exploring, here are 6 ways you can live healthier right now.

1. Learn and use stress-reduction techniques that work for you.

Mental health and chronic stress is a calamity in the US and worldwide.  According to the American Psychological Association, a whopping 75% of Americans reported having moderate to high levels of stress in the last month and almost half reported feeling heightened stress in the last year in particular.  We’re stressed people!  No matter if you’re a high-powered attorney, a stay-at-home mom or anything in between, this year has tested our capacity for stress to the limit.  What’s important here is that what works for me to relax and decompress may be completely different for you.  I personally love warm baths, nature walks, sound baths, yoga, a weighted blanket and meditation to help me calm me when I have a racing mind. The point is, stay open-minded and try a lot of different methods before you settle on a routine.  You may be surprised about what resonates with you.  But, make no mistake, this is the number one way to get healthier this year, as chronic stress affects all aspects of our lives and makes a huge impact on our physical health and well-being.

2. Optimize your gut health which will support every other function in your body

Often called your second brain, the enteric nervous system, a.k.a your microbiome, is extremely important for regulating mood, sleep, digestion, as well as even affecting food cravings and immunity.  Making sure you have both a strong population and diversity of good bacteria alongside a strong gut lining is critical in making sure you are adequately absorbing, digesting, metabolizing and assimilating the nutrients in your food into your body.  

As many of you know, I use a diagnostic in my practice called Ixela which examines your microbiome and how well your overall gut health is functioning.  If you’re wondering if an imbalance in your gut bacteria could be the culprit in some of your symptoms, you definitely should consider taking the test.  It’s a simple at-home pin prick test that is mailed to your home.  

Click here for more information about Ixcela, and if you choose to purchase a kit, use the pro code MAJEC2020 to get 20% off of your kit.

3. Up your variety game

Not only is it important to eat a lot of plant-based foods, specifically loads of veggies and fruits, it's also important to include a lot of variety in those foods. Your gut bacterial loves lots of different kinds of plants and helps to release short-chain fatty acids which are essential for lowering inflammation in your body and releasing enzymes that aid in the digestive process.  The more variety, the better they thrive and colonize in your gut to help protect your health.  Also, the phytochemicals in different colored fruits and vegetables work synergistically to support your health. This means that the compounds in the green vegetables, for instance, will have different but complementary compounds to the red- or orange-colored vegetables and fruits.  So, getting variety in colors accounts for better overall health.  Easy, simple win too.  

4. For busy people, focus on short bouts of exercise

Do you find that exercise is the one last health habit that you haven’t been able to tackle?  Try breaking up your exercise into smaller bouts.  Some studies have shown that you can derive the same health benefits from 5-10 minute bouts of exercise as you can from 1- 50-minute bout.  So, if you’re crazy busy and then too pooped at the end of the day, adding in a few shorter bouts throughout the day could be the exact solution for you.  It may not feel as emotionally satisfying to break up the exercise into chunks, but if it’s a question of either doing an hour or doing nothing, I hope you see that this is an excellent alternative.

5. Learn conscious eating

Mindful and intuitive eating is not just a trendy catch-phase of the last decade. For me, learning the foundations of both have accounted for so much of the success my clients have seen in the work we do together.  Even just slowing down as a first step can reveal so much about you and give you insights about what is at the root of your struggles with food.  Some of you know I launched a virtual summit last May all about that topic that over 1000 people attended.  That’s not because conscious eating is trendy, it’s because conscious eating WORKS.  The Summit, called the Conscious Eating Collection normally sells for $97 but if you continue reading below you’re going to see how to get this incredible series of over 30 expert talks, workshops, panels and resources for less than 40 bucks.  Go on, read #6!

6. Grab the Ultimate Bundles Healthy Living Bundle and get resources on all of the above and more.

For the 3rd year in a row, I’m excited to partner with Ultimate Bundles, this time in their 2021 Healthy Living Bundle, with over 43 products worth $1918.35.  Lots of my readers are struggling with chronic illness, sleep deficiencies, and hormone imbalances. So I was really excited to see that the 2021 Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle has categories focused on those specific topics, PLUS brain and mental health too… As I mentioned, my summit, The Conscious Eating Collection, is included in the bundle this year!  You get 43 resources to refer to as you and your family make healthy baby- steps toward feeling as well as possible. With a library of health resources wide and diverse, it can meet your needs when you run into a new health concern, or as you master one area and are ready to move on to the next.

When you buy the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle you’ll get access to:

📚20 eBooks

🖥 18 eCourses & summits

💌 3 printable packs & workbooks

Best of all, you can get it all for just $37.

So, there you have it: 6 viable, actionable, and easy strategies to start living healthier this year.  

Which will you try?

Which sound the most intriguing to you?

Let me know in the comments below.