The 8 habits of highly healthy people
At Focus Chiropractic in Abingdon, we believe in empowering you to achieve optimal health and well-being.
We’ve curated eight essential habits of highly healthy people, designed to guide you on your wellness journey.
Modern life often leads us away from natural health, resulting in common ailments like morning stiffness, shoulder pain, and afternoon slumps.
Imagine instead waking up refreshed, pain-free, and energised, ready to tackle the day. These habits are backed by research and are essential for anyone seeking better health, regardless of age or current condition.
1) Optimal meal timing
It is well established that the quantity and quality of the food we consume can affect our health. Now it is becoming clear that when we eat also plays a key role in health and disease. The circadian rhythm is our biological timing system found in virtually every cell of our body that coordinates the timing of our daily behaviours (e.g., sleep/wake, feeding/fasting) and physiology (e.g., hormone release, heart function). When your circadian rhythm is out of sync (just look at the effects of jet lag), health can be negatively affected. For example, our body is best at digesting food and drink when you are active, and when light is present. Thus, eating and drinking when your body expects you to sleep and rest during darkness can disrupt this system and compromise metabolism and health.
Human studies have found that eating close to when levels of the sleep hormone melatonin start to rise (i.e., close to bedtime), is associated with obesity and greater risk of poor cardiometabolic health. Cardiometabolic diseases are a group of common but often preventable conditions including heart attack, stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The circadian rhythm prepares the body to be more efficient at digesting, absorbing, and metabolise food earlier in the day. For instance, insulin (a hormone needed to regulate blood sugar) is greater in the morning, thus larger meals are processed better when eaten in the first half of the day. Melatonin is released at night during darkness to prepare us for sleep which reduces insulin secretion, so the body is not able to process glucose effectively when you eat late at night.
Avoiding food before bedtime is a widely accepted sleep practice, as meal timing appears to be a modifiable risk factor for waking up in the middle of the night and disrupted sleep. Meals close to bedtime are known to contribute to poor sleep quality through gastrointestinal discomfort, heartburn, and reflux as digestion at night is less efficient than during the day. It is recommended that evening meals should be avoided 3 hours before bed, as studies have shown that those who ate within 3 hours of bedtime were more likely to experience waking up in the middle of the night and disturbed sleep.
“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”
Key points
Aim to consume your largest portion of calories earlier in the day.
Melatonin is released in response to darkness and levels are highest during the night time which interferes with glucose and insulin secretion.
Evening meals should be avoided 3 hours before bed.
If you eat later in the evening then consider limiting your carbohydrates and increase your protein and healthy fats (Avocado, salmon, nuts, dark chocolate, eggs, Full-fat yogurt, olive oil).
Take a 20-minute walk immediately after your meal to blunt the glucose spike and lower your blood sugar levels.
For those in Abingdon, chiropractic advice emphasises the importance of balanced meal timing for overall health.
2) Grounding to support health
Grounding refers to direct skin contact with the surface of the Earth, such as walking barefoot and is a simple, natural, and accessible health strategy known to enhance human health and provide feelings of wellbeing. Over the past several decades, research has revealed that directly touching the earth, a practice known as grounding, puts the human body into a profound healing state. The natural universe conducts an energy current known as a direct current where energy flows through everything on our planet, including plants, animals, human beings. Direct current energy is also what the living human body uses to function, as everything from the beating of our heart to the movement of our muscles to our brain's ability to think operates using direct current energy.
Grounding studies have shown that being conductively connected to the earth deepens restorative sleep, normalises cortisol, stabilises blood sugar, induces muscle relaxation, and boosts mood. We also benefit with a boosted heart rate variability, enhanced immune system function (white blood cells), reduced stress levels, and improves our body's autonomic function. Grounding even supports our metabolic function, boosting our basal metabolic rate and helps to resolve inflammation and improve autoimmune conditions that may ultimately lead to thyroid hormone imbalances, cortisol, or sex hormone imbalances, all which can lead to issues such as adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, and insomnia.
When you disconnect from the earth, by putting on shoes, going inside your home, or driving in your car, you disconnect from the earth's global electrical circuit. You have become unplugged from the natural flow of direct current energy in this system and are operating instead as a closed loop. When you touch the earth, you plug back into the global electrical circuit, you become an open flowing part of this direct current energy circuit, and you feel yourself come back into balance.
“The human body is a system that requires occasional recharging by conductive contact with the Earth’s surface to be optimally effective”
Key points
Grounding puts the human body into a profound healing state and can be used as an intentional healing tool to improve the body's natural ability to function.
Whatever therapeutic and healing daily practices you have that support your health and wellbeing, try implementing them outside while grounded (E.g., stretching, journal writing, yoga, walking, eating outside, hanging out with friends).
One week of daily 30-minute grounding has shown improvements in circulation, noticeable decrease in pain, improved sleep, reduced stress, increased heart rate variability and shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight) toward parasympathetic activation (healing).
As your chiropractor in Abingdon, we encourage you to combine grounding with other healthy practices for maximum benefit.
3) Water is needed for most body functions
Water is essential for life and is involved in virtually all functions of the human body. It is the largest single constituent of the human body, making up approximately 75%. Good hydration status is important for transports nutrients, regulates body temperature, lubricates joints and internal organs, provides structure to cells and tissues, and can help preserve cardiovascular function. Vigorous exercise and hot weather induce sweat production, which contains a loss of both water and electrolytes, such as salts and minerals, which are essential for maintaining cell function in the nerves and muscles. Studies have shown that the inclusion of salt in water increases fluid absorption and improves cell hydration. Also, consuming water with salt before exercise can result in hyperhydration (excessive body water content), delaying the onset of dehydration during exercise and improve exercise performance. Sea salt contains trace amounts of natural minerals such as Magnesium, Calcium sulphate, Calcium chloride, and potassium with lower sodium content compared to refined table salt, making this an attractive alternative.
Drinking water supplied through taps is derived from different sources depending on the region, leading to variations in its dissolved mineral content. The “hardness” of tap water reflects the quantity of dissolved metal ions, principally calcium and magnesium. Tap water in England is markedly harder than in Scotland, which overall had the softest tap water with the lowest mineral content in the United Kingdom. Within England, the North West had the softest tap water, while the South East had the hardest water. Tap water mineral content varies significantly across the United Kingdom. Depending on where one lives, drinking 2-3 litres of tap water can contribute over one-third of recommended daily calcium and magnesium requirements. One study found that depending on where one lives, drinking 2 litres of tap water can contribute up to 36% of recommended daily calcium intake and 23% of daily magnesium intake, making tap water a significant but often overlooked source of these minerals. Interestingly, some studies have shown bottled mineral waters contain higher concentrations of magnesium and calcium.
“Water is the only liquid nutrient that is really essential for body hydration”
Key points
Add a slice of lemon (high in vitamin C) and a dash of apple cyder vinegar (contains vitamins B1, B2, and B6).
Add a pinch of Sea Salt to increase cell absorption and hydration.
Water is a significant contributor to the daily needs of calcium and magnesium.
Aim for at least 3 litres of water daily for men and 2.2 litres for women. This simple habit is a cornerstone of chiropractic care in Abingdon, ensuring your body functions at its best.
4) Breathwork and stress
As I am sure you all know, breathing is an essential part of life. Breathing practice, also known as “diaphragmatic breathing” or “deep breathing,” is defined as an efficient integrative mind-body approach for dealing with stress and improving overall health. Diaphragmatic breathing involves contraction of the diaphragm, expansion of the belly, and deepening of inhalation and exhalation, which consequently slows down the breath rate and maximises the amount of oxygen. Breathing practice has shown to be an effective intervention for emotion enhancement, including a reduction in anxiety, depression, and stress. Other studies have shown breathing practice significantly reduces blood pressure, improves chronic low back pain, increases heart rate variability (associated with better health and stress resilient), and enhances lung function.
Breathing interventions have shown to decrease sympathetic (fight/flight) activity and increase parasympathetic (rest/digest) activity. Why is this important? Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system is observed in adults with anxiety, depression, PTSD, panic disorder, and other stress-related mental and physical disorders. Studies have shown that 15 minutes per day of slow-breathing training with a breathing rate at 6 breaths per minute meets the key requirements of diaphragmatic breathing. The relaxation gained from diaphragmatic breathing may also improve attention, by adjusting the imbalances in the autonomic nervous system. Cortisol is a reliable indicator of stress because its concentration increases when having to cope with stressful events. Clinical trials have shown significantly lower cortisol levels after diaphragmatic training, which positively influences cognition, emotion, and alters the stress response.
“We need to shift the body from a state of dis-ease to ease to promote healing”
Key points
Practice 15 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing with closed eyes while sitting comfortably. During diaphragmatic breathing, inhale as deeply as you can through your nose while your abdomen expands, and to exhale as slowly as you can while your abdomen is contracted, in a controlled self-paced rhythm.
Rather than responding to a state of panic or stress overload, practice your breath work daily as a preventative approach to your health and wellbeing, building resilience and better adaptability to stress.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that diaphragmatic breathing is an effective relaxation technique with beneficial effects on physical and mental health.
As part of our Abingdon chiropractic services, we recommend incorporating daily breathwork into your routine for holistic health.
5) Nutrition and nourishment
The intake of food is more than just a necessary process for ensuring the functionality of the human body. Nutritional components become a part of us, interacting with our gut microbiota, immune system, and metabolism. For decades, it has been known that the occurrence and the course of a variety of typical Western diseases such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, and myocardial infarction are affected by diet. The common Western diet consists of highly processed foods and is rich of animal protein, trans-fatty acids, and sugar. Research shows that a diet rich in red meat and processed meat leads to a high risk of cancer, especially colorectal cancer. The optimal diet should emphasise fruits, vegetables, nuts, unsaturated oils, whole grains, and fish which decreases the risk of cancer and improves overall health.
A poor nutritional status such as malnutrition, unhealthy dietary behaviours, and nutrient deficiency can play a significant role in the occurrence, development, and prognosis of chronic pain. The relationship between nutrition and chronic pain is complex. Low levels of nutrients are also commonly recognized, such as vitamin D, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc, ferritin, selenium, and folic acid. Excessive calorie intake, added sugars, saturated fatty acids, sodium, and caffeine have also shown to contribute to those that experience chronic pain. Increased body fat is positively associated with an increase in macrophages, promoting inflammatory responses such as elevated inflammatory cytokines which triggers inflammation. Excessive body fat can also affect the central nervous system, which eventually plays a role in persistent pain (altered nociception).
Ultra-processed foods are classified as ‘formulations of ingredients, mostly for industrial use only, derived from a series of industrial processes’ are created mostly or entirely from substances extracted from food or derived from food constituents with little or no intact food. Examples of Ultra-processed foods are breakfast cereals, savoury snacks, reconstituted meat products, frankfurters, pre-packaged frozen dishes, soft and/or sweetened drinks, distilled alcoholic beverages and supplements. Recent studies have reported that ultra-processed foods account for a significant percentage of about 50–60 % of the British consumer which increases the risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammation, depression, and cancer. The explanations for the possible harmful effects on health are due to poor food quality, containing high amounts of free or added sugars, fats, low levels of fibre and high energy density.
Beyond the nutritional composition, their harmful effects could also be explained through the presence of compounds that are formed during the processing of the food. For example, compounds such as acrylamide and acrolein have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have confirmed that consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and phthalates used in industrial plastic packaging which has shown to interfere with the hormone balance and affect reproductive, neurological, metabolic function and even stimulate tumour growth.
“We are paying with our health at the sacrifice of convince”
Key points
Aim to include fruits, vegetables, nuts, unsaturated oils, whole grains, and fish in your nutrition (excluding allergies and personal choice) which provides you with many of the daily required nutrients.
Excessive calorie intake, added sugars, saturated fatty acids, sodium, and caffeine have shown to contribute to chronic pain.
Try to keep ultra-processed foods to a minimum and encompass a whole foods approach that emphases natural foods which reduces the chemical stress on your body.
6) Fast and feast
Humans can survive without food and drink within a time span of 8 to 21 days, and if a person is only deprived of food, the survival time may even go up to about two months. During the millions of years of human evolution, such opportunities of food were rare and infrequent, and humans were confronted with food scarcity, despite engaging in high levels of physical activity with little food. Fasting is a practice followed by our ancestors for thousands of years, and is today practiced for therapeutic, religious, cultural, or health reasons. Fasting is a safe strategy to improve longevity and health while causing minor side effects and have the potential to prevent and treat diseases. It is not a diet in the traditional sense, but rather a window of when to eat, which offers an alternative approach to weight loss and the potential to optimise body function, enhance performance, and slow aging and disease processes. In human studies, fasting has also shown to lower high blood pressure and improve a range of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain.
Fasting has favorable metabolic effects by inducing the metabolism of fatty acids to ketones, which are produced in the liver and are utilized in other tissues in the body as an energy source when hypoglycemia occurs in the body. There is great interest in the application of nutritional interventions that provoke the production of ketone bodies to improve health and mitigate the effects of disease, including intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, caloric restriction, and adherence to low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets. Specifically, those diets that reduce carbohydrate content, substantially diminish circulating insulin concentrations. For example, many humans can achieve ketosis through adherence to diets that include 5–10% kcal carbohydrate and less than 20% kcal protein.
During starvation, fasting, or a diet containing little digestible carbohydrates, the circulating insulin levels are decreased which promotes lipolysis, where the breakdown of fat becomes the major source of energy. The liver energy metabolism is regulated so that under these circumstances, ketone bodies are generated from β-oxidation of fatty acids and secreted as primary fuel for the body. Ketone bodies not only serve as fuel but also promote resistance to oxidative and inflammatory stress which is beneficial in the long term because it initiates hormesis that results in improved mitochondrial function and growth, DNA repair, and autophagy.
Time restricted feeding: Time restricted feeding limits the time of eating to a specific number of hours each day, and usually not more than 24 hours. A popular approach is the 16/8 method, where you fast for 16 hours and restrict your eating to an 8 hour window.
Alternate day fasting: This approach involves alternating between a 24 hour fasting day, followed by a 24 hour regular eating day.
Periodic fasting: Periodic or prolonged fasting for an extended period, usually more than 2 days.
“Rather than looking for every reason to eat, look for reasons to not eat"
Key points
Fasting gives the body time to repair and serves as a preventative approach to disease and illness.
Smaller eating windows and longer periods of fasting may improve overall health and wellbeing.
During a fast, only water, sparkling water, black coffee, and herbal tea is permitted.
Ketone bodies have shown to play a significant role to enhance wellness and improve disease via ketone body metabolism.
Exercising regularly during a fasting state increases fat burning and greater improvements in insulin sensitivity.
For some individuals, fasting headaches can occur after at 16 hours of fasting which may be due to hypoglycemia where the amount of sugar in the blood stream declines to a low level or too quickly.
Fasting can also lead to an electrolyte deficiency, as potassium loss is rapid during the early part of fasting and sodium loss is also lost early in fasting. Add Himalayan salt or Celtic salt to water to ensure electrolyte hydration.
If you are a migraine sufferer, supplementing magnesium while fasting may mitigate the risk as studies have shown that deficits in magnesium have a significant role in the development of migraines and infusion of magnesium results in a rapid and sustained relief of an acute migraine.
7) Reconnecting with nature
There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the positive impact of nature-based interventions on mental, physical, and cognitive health that can be integrated as an effective preventative and curative tool for public health. Nature-based health interventions must take place in natural outdoor environments and can include activities such as walking, hiking, jogging, running, fishing, viewing nature, bird watching, photography, and gardening. There are three main types of natural outdoor environments;
Green spaces encompassed both urban and rural environments, and most studies described green spaces as urban parks, natural environments, urban forests, or as gardens. Other areas or features of green spaces were used less often, such as farms, micro-features, national parks or reserves or neighbourhood greenness.
Blue spaces cover urban and rural environments and were characterised by the terms: sea, blue environments, river, fountain/ seawall, coastal area, loch, wetlands, wilderness, ocean and beaches.
Grey areas are typically considered as urban environments: urban city, built environment, urban sidewalk, shopping mall, hospital, urban landscape, roadside, home, swimming pools, and a field near a housing development.
However, as individuals continue to seek work in urban areas, the opportunity to interact with green and blue spaces diminishes. Current estimates indicate that over 50% of people worldwide live in urban areas, projected to increase to over 68% by 2050. Considering this, it is not surprising that the reintroduction of nature into a person’s life, irrespective of baseline physical and mental health characteristics, can have a positive influence. Research shows that individuals living in urban areas with more green space have both lower mental distress and higher well-being scores.
“Nature is the greatest place to heal and recharge”
Key points
Studies have shown that nature improves mood and self-esteem and reduces blood pressure.
Walking within a natural environment has shown to alter autonomic nervous system, specifically parasympathetic activity, to promote healing.
Autonomic control of the heart is altered by the simple act of just viewing natural scenes with an increase in vagal activity.
Activities like walking, hiking, or simply enjoying the outdoors can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. As your Abingdon chiropractor, we advocate for integrating nature into your wellness routine.
8) Chiropractic and the nervous system
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, resolution, and prevention of spinal disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. Back and neck pain combined are the number one cause of years lived with disability and the fourth leading cause of years lost to disability globally. The prevalence has been increasing over the past decade, particularly among working-age adults, and chronic cases where pain lasts for more than 3 months significantly contribute to the increasing burden of spine pain. Spinal pain not only has a significant impact on an individual's health and functional ability but also carries considerable costs due to work absenteeism. Chiropractors mainly use spinal manipulation, which is referred to as a spinal adjustment, that consists of the application of a high-velocity, low-amplitude controlled thrust force to a spinal segment. An audible pop sound may occur following an adjustment and is often seen as an indicator of a success. However, the presence or absence of an audible pop is not important for pain outcomes. It is simply due to due to the formation of gas within a joint and pressure changes.
At Focus Chiropractic, we do not treat or fix symptoms. Instead, we contribute to your wellbeing by use of spinal adjustments and lifestyle interventions which are a natural approach to your health. We strive to improve your quality of life by improving the communication of the nervous system and function of the spine. Focus Chiropractic offers a salutogenic approach, which is a term applied in health sciences that refers to wellness, focusing on health and not on disease (pathogenesis). Our goal is to optimise your nervous system with natural based interventions, something which doesn't necessarily have a predetermined endpoint. We recognise that the body is a self-healing and self-regulating system. The intention of chiropractic adjustments is to provide positive input (spinal adjustment) to the body to allow for adaptability and functionality, thus promoting self-healing.
“Focus Chiropractic adds life to years as it is a service that significantly increases a persons mobility, function, sense of wellbeing, and relief from debilitating pain which represents a valuable contribution and a niche to UK health care”
Key points
A single session of spinal manipulation of a dysfunctional spinal segment in patients with pain alters the network of neural structures in the brain and body (somatosensory and prefrontal cortex).
A single session of spinal manipulation increased muscle strength to the muscles in elite Taekwondo athletes (corticospinal excitability).
After 4 weeks of chiropractic adjustments, heart rate variability increased and pain decreased as a result of chiropractic care. High heart rate variability reflects greater resilience to stress and higher levels of physical and psychological wellbeing.
127 volunteers between the ages of 10 and 70 years were recruited for two months of chiropractic care (spinal manipulation) with a maximum of 16 visits. The average response showed statistically significant improvements in migraine frequency, duration, disability, and medication use.
A UK based patient survey reported that overall, a high level of satisfaction with the benefits of their chiropractic care and expectations were being well met. The two main benefits that patients reported regarding their chiropractic care were reduced pain (92%) and increased mobility (80%).
Use of chiropractic care among those with spinal pain is associated with a significantly lower risk for the use of opioid prescription.
Chiropractic care for spinal pain has shown to be cost-effective due to activity limitation and work absence.
72 patients with chronic low back pain and disability received chiropractic care for 3 to 4 times per week over 3 weeks and shown substantial relief of their symptoms.
Maintenance Care is a traditional chiropractic approach whereby patients continue care after optimum benefit is reached. Studies have shown that patients under regular pre-planned Chiropractic care regardless of symptoms, reported fewer days with bothersome activity limiting low back pain and longer total pain-free periods.
At Focus Chiropractic, your Abingdon chiropractor, we are here to support you on this journey. For more information or personalised guidance, feel free to reach out at karl@focuschiropractic.co.uk. Let's work together towards a healthier, happier you!