Ten Free things that Can Improve Your Health

I’m the queen of cheap and free. I love to do things that are free because I am cheap, and I love to offer you ideas that are free. It’s always good news to find that there are free things you can do to improve your health—things that don’t cost a dime. Some of the best things in life are inexpensive. Here are ten free or inexpensive things you can do to improve your health.

Drink water to properly hydrate. I harp on this all the time. Hydration is key to every cell, organ, and system in your body working properly. Yes, proper hydration allows every cell, organ, and system to work as God intended. If you are not properly hydrated, which is generally defined as drinking half your body’s weight in fluid ounces daily, your blood pressure goes up, your kidneys struggle, your colon can’t move waste out of your body, your brain can’t think, your lungs can’t breathe as well, and your bones become less dense. I think you get the point. How many times has your doctor told you to drink more water? Water is an essential nutrient that every part of our body needs.

Get morning sun to support your circadian rhythm. Hydration in the morning is important to replenish fluids from the overnight break in drinking fluids. But in the am, you also need sunlight to shut off melatonin in the brain and set your day. Early morning sun tells your body it’s time to ramp up cortisol. As the day progresses, cortisol production decreases, and when nighttime falls, our body prepares to sleep. It is during the night when melatonin reaches peak production. This hormone boosts our immune cells and is a known cancer fighter. Many people run off artificial energy found in drinks such as coffee pumped with caffeine. It’s best to avoid excessive caffeine, and let your energy come from proper hydration and the sun.

Make sleep a priority. This one is closely related to number 2. It is during the night when melatonin, a hormone that boosts our immune system and is a known cancer fighter, reaches peak production. In deep sleep, our body repairs, regenerates, and detoxes. And this includes detecting and killing cancer cells. Sometimes the cure for our health is as close as our pillow—and it’s free. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times sleep has saved my day.

Start or end your day with prayer and studying God’s Word. There’s no better way to calm anxiety and generate hope than to receive encouragement and instruction from God’s Word. Prayer and meditation also help to calm the emotional brain as we confess our sins and ask God for help and guidance to navigate this troubled world. I have to give a plug here. This year, I’m reading through the Bible with the Bible Recap App which you can download for free. Tara Leigh Cobble gives great insight on the daily reading with hope given each day called “A God Shot.” Spending time in prayer to God also lifts your spirits.

Try intermittent fasting 1 – 2 days each week. This is when you cease from eating for 14 – 16 hours. For example, if you eat dinner at 6 pm, then you don’t eat again until 12 noon the next day. This is a 16-hour fast. You refrain from eating anything with calories, but you only drink much-needed hydration. Some people use this to lose weight, but as a cancer survivor, I use it to extend autophagy. Autophagy is a self-preservation mechanism in which your body removes damaged or dysfunctional parts of cells to regenerate newer, healthier cells. It’s like hitting a reset button for your body. Research suggests that cancer cells can be removed through autophagy. I’ve done an entire video on intermittent fasting and autophagy called “Six Benefits of Intermittent Fasting”

Use relaxation and breathing techniques. My favorite thing to do when I’m stressed is to ride a bike, take a walk, soak in a hot tub, or listen to music. It also helps to do deep breathing. I usually breathe when doing my exercises, but sometimes I simply breathe in to the count of 4, hold for the count of 4, breathe out to the count of 4, and hold again to the count of 4. This is called box breathing. Find what works for you, but generally these things cost us nothing.

Exercise and move daily. Why? Because movement is key to a healthy life. It’s when you stop moving and become sedentary that many health issues begin. Your lymphatic system (part of immune system) is your trash disposal system, and it is the only system in your body that only works when you move. All of the other systems in your body like your circulatory system, digestive system, excretory system, skeletal system, brain and nervous system, respiratory, and endocrine system work more efficiently when you move throughout the day. As I mentioned earlier, I love to walk each day. Walking is one of the best ways to enhance all of these systems in your body.

Eat a whole foods diet rich in nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber. The Standard American Diet is a highly-processed diet. One thing I learned in the cancer journey is that God did not create our bodies to eat processed foods. He created whole foods for us to eat in Genesis 1:29. These seed-bearing plants are now proven in research to boost our immune system, fight cancer and many diseases, keep our heart healthy, and boost cognition. I can’t say this suggestion is free because food costs money. But we can choose foods that are healthy that provide these benefits at a low cost like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. We can grow some of our own food, and we can make wise choices that enhance our health rather than damage our health.

Nature bathing. This is nothing more than exploring God’s creation and basking in its glory. We love to do this as a family when we explore national and state parks, ski, or simply take a walk in a nearby forest. There’s just something about God’s creation that calms our spirit and points us toward God. I’ll never forget reading the story of a man, Galen Clark, who had an incurable disease. He decided to live out his remaining days in Yosemite National Park. He beat all the odds and lived there for 24 years. He became known as the guardian of Yosemite National Park. You can read about his story if you visit the park. There’s just something about basking in God’s creation. It’s no wonder Yosemite is our favorite park that we’ve hiked to the top six times.

Cuddle with your children and/or pets. Hugging or cuddling drives oxytocin in our bodies. Oxytocin stimulates the part of our brain that contributes to relaxation, trust, psychological stability, and reduction of stress response and anxiety. It also induces an emotional sense of safety and high levels of prosocial behaviors.

Some of the best things you can do for your health cost little to nothing. Many are free. And these same ten things can be used in the cancer journey to improve your prognosis. So consider this free advice for free things that are proven to improve your health and longevity. Yes, some of the best things in life are free.

What are some free things you do to enhance your health?

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Ten Free Things that Improve Your Health

For Your Health,

Ginny

Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, a finalist in Serious Writers Book of the Decade, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com. Ginny is on YouTube