Please enjoy these five easy tips for cultivating health and happiness.

From the perspective of Energy of Mind Holistic Counseling:

1) Hydration—Water is life!

We should drink a large glass (12-20oz) of warm water, or weak green tea, first thing every morning.

Enough is enough—Half of our bodyweight in pounds, is the number of ounces of water that we should drink each day (we may need a bit more if we are sweating a lot or drinking caffeine).

Don’t sip! Sipping all day overtaxes the digestive system and the kidneys. We should drink all of our day’s hydrating liquid as meals (after our previous meal is digested and at least 30-45 minutes before our next meal).

Soup heals—We can make all of our meals into “soups” in our stomachs, with a sip of warm water, broth or green tea, with every few bites of food.

Water-plus! We can add trace minerals, a bit of salt, lemon (for those who tend to run “cold”) or lime (for those who tend to run hot), to enhance our absorption of liquids.

Broth—we can make long, slow cooked broths (with organic stock bones is best), and add it to our sauces, rice, crock pots, etc. We can drink it as a complement to our meals, or as a meal by itself. We should always have broth on tap!

2) Food—feed your body not your brain!

Eat real food. If we can’t pronounce it and it’s English, we should avoid it. Less ingredients is more. We should use real herbs and spices, and lessen our use of packaged, processed food and added sugars/sweeteners.

Protein, fat and veggies, for the first meal of the day after a water meal. Wait on the coffee and carbs until mid-morning (if necessary).

Don’t overeat! Stomach: 1/3 food, 1/3 liquid, 1/3 empty (for digestive enzymes)!

3) Dry brush.

Our skin is our largest organ and is our interface with the world. Our skin is directly connected with our nervous system and our nervous system regulates…everything.

Dry brushing revitalizes our whole being, sloughs off dead skin, creates appropriate boundaries and develops rapport with nature and our environment.

Get a brush with strongish bristles and brush vigorously (making skin reddish) from top of the head all the way down to the bottom of the feet before showering. Feel invigorated! And, don’t skip any spots.

4) Do nothing, at least once a day.

We should take at least a few minutes, to do absolutely nothing, each day. We should learn to meditate and do it daily. We should rest and nap whenever we can fit it in.

We should recognize wasted time and energy (excess televsion, internet, gossip, etc.), and do something more productive, by, ironically, doing nothing, for no reason.

5) Contribute!

There are no truly selfless acts, because compassion is the greatest thing that we can do for ourselves. Still, for best results, we should try to pitch in however we can, without expectation, recognition or reward.

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Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

{Photo: xavivix via Flickr}