Top 2 New Year’s Health Tips from Amadea

What are my top 2 New Year’s health tips this year? As an Ayurvedic educator, Polarity therapist, and human, here are my votes for this coming year’s most effective re-balancing actions in this moment.

First of the top 2 New Year’s health tips

Stop sugar. I mean white sugar, for at least 30 days. Less time than this, it can be harder to see a difference and easier to rebound. This choice supports your immune system, your heart, your blood sugar metabolism, kidneys, liver, and overall mood. You can quit cold turkey. (Here’s help for how to work with sugar addiction from an Ayurvedic perspective.} Or you can use Ayurveda’s ¼ – ¼ -1/4– ¼ system of cutting back. Each day cut down ¼ of your normal intake. Stick with this reference point, cutting out another ¼ of your normal intake of the substance you want to cut out until you are to zero. Your 30 days start here.

What about other sweeteners? It depends on how much distraction and stress they create for you. If you can handle 1 – 2 teaspoons per day of raw honey, maple syrup, or organic coconut sugar, bless it and include it. Some people find stevia is least imbalancing, and less likely to trigger sweet binges. Xylitol is excellent for the health of your dental microbiome, yet if your gut is gassy, this sugar alcohol might only increase the tendency.

Fruits? If you are in a cold clime, fruit is best eaten alone and cooked in this season. While fruits do contain an abundance of simple sugars, especially dried fruits, they are also packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are unprocessed sweets. Unless you personally find them disruptive, I would say eat them moderately, with respect, no need to cut them out.

Second of the top 2 New Year’s health tips

Start walking. Need I say more? It’s a tough time of year to do this, granted. Yet, it can be enormously effective. I am reminded of a lab technician I met years ago; I was getting a blood test for an insurance policy. She was a woman of size, and as my phlebotomist for the test, she briefly started sharing her story with me. She’d lost 150 pounds so far,she said. Wow. How? I asked.

Two things, she said. I cut back on the portion sizes of the lunches I bring here to work. And I started parking twice as far away from the lab as I used to. That’s it.

Nothing else, no secret supplements, or diets or anything? I asked.

No, she said. Just smaller lunches and walking.

How long did it take you? 

Two years so far. I’m still doing it. I feel much better.

I was impressed. Her methods were so simple and effective. All it took was patience and persistence, which she had in abundance. To have such wisdom is possible, as she was clearly demonstrating.

It’s why this picture of the Jnana mudra accompanies this blog. Jnana is Sanskrit for wisdom. May we all have the wisdom to do simple things this year that are profoundly healing. May we have the stamina to hold with our wisdom. May we have the trust in ourselves to know that such stamina and wisdom can manifest in us. 

All best wishes to you in this New Year and every year. 

PS: if you asked me for more top 2 New Year’s health tips, my third without a question would be Unplug at night.

Jnana Mudra with two image thanks to iza Bruen Morningstar

For simple healthy Ayurvedic free-of-sugar recipes, see Easy Healing Drinks from the Wisdom of Ayurveda, Delicious and Nourishing Recipes for All Seasons

Other healing resources to check out: Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners and The Ayurvedic Cookbook

Amadea and Ralph will lead Inclusion as Medicine: Working with the Seven Chakras for Healing this coming year, Feb. 15 – March 29. As part of our multi-leveled learning process, participants will apply and practice one mudra and mantra for each of the seven chakras. Early registration is January 15. For more info, click here.