Five Free Ways to Boost Your Health Right Now

Fasting

Not eating, abstaining, forgoing food, and cleansing are all forms of fasting (hunger strikes don’t count). Fasting has recently surged in popularity, but it’s a practice deeply rooted in human history. As a species, we’ve fasted for thousands of years; we are hunter-gatherers; we had to fast between hunts, growing seasons, and many other reasons. Fasting is hormetic stress and enhances metabolic flexibility and cellular repair. The trick is to not dive deep into fasting too much too soon. At the same time, you don’t want too much or too little. Start with intermittent fasting, like the 16:8 method (fast for 16 hours, eat within an 8-hour window). This can help improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and promote autophagy (cellular repair).

Relationships

Monday mornings often bring the highest stress levels, and it’s no coincidence that most heart attacks happen on Monday morning. We are all wound up tightly and don’t take proper measures to release stress. Stress affects every hormone and cellular process in your body. Constant stress will kill you; too little stress can do the same. There’s always a balance between living life. The right answer lies probably around living on the edge. In a sense, we are all riding a wave, and to keep upright, we have to be on guard and relaxed. Human connection is vital for mental health, reducing stress, and enhancing quality of life. For example, without distractions, we should talk with our spouses for at least 30 minutes daily. Historically, we’ve done this at the dinner table, which the French call “à table!” But recently, these moments have been interrupted by digital devices. With the advent of constant connectivity and media, we sometimes find ourselves lost without that relationship-building connection. Engage in activities that foster connection, like shared activities and conversation.

Exercise

The Nobeloreate and physiologist Albert Szent-Györgyi once said, “In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.” If a shark stops moving, water stops flowing and delivering oxygen, which means a dead shark. We have to move to keep living. We are the only machines that make perpetual energy. A simple example is that by moving, the cellular metabolism creates the heat that warms your body. Less movement results in less heat and energy. Longevity depends on our cells optimally using oxygen to produce energy. This is called the consumption of oxygen or VO2 max. Excellent studies show that when we keep our VO2 max up throughout life, we add life to life. Exercise is central to adding life to life. It’s not just about physical health but mental and emotional well-being. Incorporate daily movement, walking, stretching, or more vigorous activities. Even simple activities like gardening or dancing can suffice.

Sleep

Sleep is the cornerstone of health and where it all happens. We tear down our bodies every day, but the repairs happen at night when we are asleep. If we don’t sleep, we will die. It’s well known that night shift workers get cancer, chronic disease, and more by not sleeping when they are supposed to. Humans must sleep some hours per day. Sleep is where your brain makes sense of everything that happens, taking your mind out of the fog; it figures out the problems at night and repairs itself, all while you sleep. We all sleep differently, but we can’t live without it. Establish a regular sleep schedule, create a restful environment, and limit exposure to screens before bed to enhance sleep quality.

Meditation and Breathing Techniques

It is important to lie still and let your brain think about nothing. We still have no idea what our brains do in life. However, we know that calming it down, or at least our perception of calming it down, strengthens health. You can control your heart rate, breathing, and even your temperature through meditation. Practice mindfulness or any form of meditation daily, even if just for a few minutes, focusing on breath or a mantra.

Breathing

Learning to breathe correctly can improve your health. Breathing is the art of taking in the oxygen from the air and breathing out carbon dioxide produced in our bodies. Breathing is unconscious, but we can also control it. We can put more oxygen into our bodies through deep breathing techniques. Carbon dioxide does so many things it deserves its own article. Certain breathing techniques can stimulate your immune system and protect you from getting sick. Controlled breathing can enhance oxygenation, reduce stress, and even boost the immune system through practices like Wim Hof’s method.

And a special thanks for Dr. Scott Sherr of Troscriptions and the Smarter Not Harder podcast for giving me the idea to write this article!