Functionally Fit Grandma – 5 Healthy Habits I Learned From My Granddaughter

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• 5 Healthy Habits I Learned From My Granddaughter

It has happened.  I have turned the corner on my youth and am now a first time grandmother.  Our family has been blessed with the arrival of Grayson Charley Alexandra, daughter to my daughter, Rachel.  And I am newly committed to maintaining and even increasing my wellness.  My daughters have always been my reason but now, I feel a greater need to be as fit and healthy as I can.  What’s your reason?

When I looked into the sweet face of my hours old granddaughter, I swore to myself that my wellness efforts would now have an entirely new meaning.  All the time I was worrying about how to “look younger, feel better or lift my booty,” adds up to nothing when I think about how important it is for me to keep my body functional.  What good are buff glutes if the hips don’t work?  What good are ripped delts if I can’t lift? What good am I if I don’t maintain a functionally fit body?  And brain?

See also: 11 Wellness Trends

Finding THE REASON—the main driving impetus for pursuing your highest level of wellness—may have taken a back seat to life.  Life often feels like a 10 lane super highway, clogged with cars, distractions, signs and chaos.  We become so bogged down by what we see directly in front of us, that we can’t see what really matters. I think the saying goes, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.”

When Grayson was born, it was not a seamless event.  There were dangers for both baby and mother.  The new family spent some time in the hospital, with me, Oma Tosca, hovering nearby.  Wherever I went, I saw illness, obesity and elderly people unable to walk or talk, suffering and in pain.  There in one room lay my new grand baby, radiant with health and right next to her in another, someone whose mind had left them long before their physical body.

Right in front of me was an astonishing truth. I saw examples of both poor health and optimal, side by side.  Drawn to the beauty of my healthy grandchild, I also discovered motivation and a powerful reminder to practice every good self-care habit in which I so deeply believe, with renewed vengeance. I owe that to myself.  And to my family.

When the post delivery scare was over and the family was discharged from the hospital to go home, I thought about what you and I need to do every day to reclaim a healthy life.  And it really boils down to just a few habits (which I re-learned from Grayson)

5 Healthy Habits I Learned From My Granddaughter:

1. Sleep.  Take a note from newborns.  Grayson sleeps as often as she needs and she sleeps deeply.  Reclaiming sleep by practicing sound sleep hygiene habits promotes a great feeling of wellness, from which all else , including your immunity, stems. You might do well with 7 – 8 hours of sleep but sleep as much as you need.
2. Drink.  Again, Miss Grayson teaches this critical habit.  Hydrate yourself with sips of water all day long and make sure it adds up to at least 3 litres each day.  Lack of sufficient water is the #1 nutritional deficiency in North America but it’s also the easiest habit to amend.  Grayson is hydrating at least every 2 hours.  If she can do it, so can you.
3. Move your bowels.  Fully two-thirds of the population do not regularly empty their bowels. This means at least once or twice a day.  Through lack of fibre rich foods, exercise, and good microbial gut health, bowels become lazy and packed with toxic waste.  Simply increasing your fibre intake with a few spoonfuls of ground flaxseed will do the trick.  Pop a few probiotics to push gut health to optimal levels.  Lazy bowels will respond.   Again, a lesson from Grayson.
4. Move.  Humans evolved as a result of physical movement.  When we move we grow bigger brains.  When we move, we develop staggering cognitive and executive skills.  When we move we maintain brain function, increase brain volume and develop new circuitry in the brain.  Movement is the solution for depression. It’s also the solution for managing blood sugar, stress and so much more.  Move in a full-on sweat, for at least 30 minutes every day.
5. Eat Clean®.  When we keep our nutrition to the highest quality, we maximize our human potential.  I noticed how beautifully Grayson did on her mother’s breast milk. It’s the ideal food for a baby. It isn’t processed.  It contains no added chemicals. Grayson eats the purest food she can.  And we need to do the same.  Source clean, whole, nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods to nourish your body perfectly.

I’m excited to be a grandmother but I won’t be a cliché. With super-charged determination, I will reinvest my pursuit of wellness.  I won’t be too tired or renege on my workout sessions.  I will choose clean over dirty foods every time.  I will hydrate myself properly and, thank the good Lord, move myself and my bowels with stunning regularity!

And you can too!

Remember, I am always listening.

Tosca

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PPPS.  Please tell me, what is your reason for renewing your wellness efforts? I want to read about this from you in the Comments section below.  Can’t wait!