These suggestions are known to promote health, well-being, and sustainability, and thus contribute to a more vibrant longevity with less physical and emotional pain, more joy, and better internal and external alignment. They are confirmed by modern research, ancient wisdom, and by my own, and many others’ personal experiences. Obviously, the choice is yours to do, as the Buddha is often misquoted to have said, what fits with your own common sense. However, if you read what the Buddha ACTUALLY said in the Kalama Sutta (advising the Kalama people against blind faith) you will see that he is imploring people to be skeptical of a range of misinformation (including their own “common sense”!), and to confirm for one’s self that the information is skillful (leading to growth), blameless, praised by the wise, and conducive to welfare and happiness. In other words, use critical inquiry, ethical discernment, experience, and guidance from the wise to determine if some information or practice is useful for you. Lastly, be kind, gentle, and patient with yourself if you choose to integrate these suggestions into your life. It has taken me years and even decades to create healthy and sustained habits and keeping a positive, growth mindset is essential for managing the meandering process of changing old habits and establishing new ones. In time I aim to include reliable sources to support each suggestion, but I encourage you to research and investigate further, within, and without.

Reducing or eliminating meat (especially red meat) from one’s diet, and replacing lost protein and nutrients with plant-based foods has been shown to contribute to personal and global health. Not only is industrial meat farming heavily contributing to the growing environmental crisis with excessive water use, Methane production, and deforestation, meat (especially mass-produced American meat) is also a significant cause of inflammation, a catalyst for Alzheimer’s, and a source of general dis-ease in our bodies.

Filtering our drinking water to remove impurities and toxins, especially lead, PFAS (forever chemicals), and other dissolved solids, is shown to be beneficial.

Drinking enough (contaminant-free) water daily is essential to the healthy function of our body. The general rule of thumb is to drink half your weight (in pounds) in ounces. (I weigh 200lbs, so I aim to drink 100 oz. of contaminant-free water each day).

Getting adequate daily movement, or at least 3-4 times a week is known to be essential for healthy bodily systems, mental well-being, and a reduction in a range of health risks. 45-60 minutes a day of physical activity is a central catalyst for the proper function of the body and all its systems.

Eliminating processed foods has a double benefit – keeping harmful ingredients out of your system is essential for long-term health, and removing financial support from manufacturers of processed foods is a small but meaningful way to refuse to support a food industry that aims to profit with complete disregard to our health.

Following the Mediterranean diet (a.k.a. the anti-inflammatory diet).

Assure your vitamin D levels are adequate. Research shows that keeping your vitamin levels roughly between 40 to 60 ng/mL (100–150 nmol/L) significantly reduces inflammatory conditions. Obviously confirm this with your doctor and your specific health circumstances, but also be your own advocate as many doctors are not fully aware of the data that correlates vitamin D levels and disease.

Add fermented food to your daily diet. Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kombucha, and other fermented foods support the gut’s biome, disrupt harmful microbes, and strengthen the gut barriers, which all in turn positively impact the brain function in healthy compound production, and lowering inflammation.

Conserve water. As a limited, precious resource, water conservation is essential both for long-term human (and all other creature) survival, as well as for the cognitive and energetic knowledge that supports our integrity as earthlings. Turning off the water while brushing teeth, soaping hands, body, and dishes all add up to significant reductions in water use

Reduce, reuse, and also recycle. While recycling paper and glass are recycled in the US at about 68% and 25% respectively, plastic is only recycled at about 9%. Therefore reducing and reusing materials, especially plastic, is both a cost reduction to you, and a significant support to the environment. Save money, help the environment, and live in greater alignment with your soul by rinsing and reusing your Ziplock bags, saving and reusing your Saran wrap, and saving and reusing your unsoiled trash can liners.

Compost!! There are few individual actions that general as large of a positive impact as composting. Composting food instead of putting it the trash keeps the Methane created by rotting food out of our atmosphere (a toxic gas 25 times more harmful than CO2) AND returns nutrients to the soil. In my opinion, anyone who is concerned about global warming but doesn’t compost yet is overlooking a significant internal conflict, which is yet another hinderance to well-being in itself.

Refuse plastic straws and perhaps even ask your local establishments that use them to discontinue.

Practice using self massage. Your hands are literally always there so you technically have an on-hand massage therapist at your disposal that PERSONALLY knows your every ache, pain, knot, tightness, and comfort threshold. As a former massage therapist, I find this free, available tool is surprisingly rarely practiced. Start simple with massaging each hand, or massaging your neck by bringing your hand up to your ear, and continuing to move it back so fingers are on far side of neck and thumb is on close side of the neck. Now squeeze gently and rub! I am a big proponent of massaging the tissue between the ribs to help expand the lung capacity (in conjunction with my next note about specific and deliberate breathing practices), as well as of massaging the jaw, neck, scalp (by gently squeezing the hair near the scalp), hips (especially the tissue on both sides of the torso between the top of the hip bone, all along the Iliac crest, and up to the lowest rib. Don’t forget your legs and feet…Knot 2 tennis balls in a sock (or harder ones, if you’ve deemed them better) and place them on the floor or a yoga mat, and gently roll your back up and down so the tennis balls are massaging the muscles on each side of your spine. These are especially good with undoing deep, persistent knots in the hips. Move gently around delicate tissues, and use your feet, elbows, shoulders and head to support pain free movement over the balls. Go light with this tool with no more than 2-3 minutes at first and gauge results slowly. It should NOT be painful. If you’d like a demonstration, come to one of my classes on Sundays 11-12.