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I had a breakfast meeting with an older gentleman yesterday, and as it is when spending time with people who know more than you, I walked away with more than a few nuggets of wisdom. One of the things we talked about was how simple living actually makes for healthier living. We talked about how different the world has become. These days we have so many options that it has become hard, even stressful, to choose. Worse, we jump from option to option, fad to fad, diet to diet, breakthrough workout to breakthrough workout, supplement to supplement, sport to sport, and sometimes, gym to gym. The main problem here is that we don’t stick to anything long enough to get really excellent results.

Don’t get me wrong. I love doing a lot of things. I play quite a few different sports, paint, play the piano, write, have a few businesses, teach a business workshop and have since taken up programming among other things. But I’ve arranged them all in an orderly sequence of daily events and alter as necessary. As much as possible I stick to a predetermined schedule set way ahead and plan around anchor activities. With all my different activities, a relatively rigid schedule allows me to enjoy my different interests and spend enough time on them to grow. As for health, I try keep my diet simple, use natural products when I can, take at least 6 capsules of squalene everyday, oil-pull with virgin coconut oil, run regularly, and workout at home. I don’t spend a lot and I feel good. Two other things that are very very integral to me are deliberate gratefulness and earnest prayer. I try my best to live right but, to be very honest, I know how incapable I am because of my many physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual weaknesses. I’m glad to have found a Father who is more than able to make up for what I lack.

This is what works for me.

While it may work for others, it may not work for a lot of people. We all have different needs, interests and contexts. You need to find what system works for you. But just to be clear, you still need a system, a disciplined way of operating in the different areas of your life. Why? Because without ordering ourselves, our lives will naturally slip into disorder.

I thought your promote Natural Health+?
Yes, it is. We promote natural AND health. But what has become natural to us, the fastfood, stressful work, pollution in the environment and media, were never intended for us. That’s why they make us unhealthy. Food was meant to be enjoyed. Work was meant to be fulfilling. The environment was meant to be sustain us. And media, which are simply ways of storing and transmitting information, was meant to document our development and pass on a legacy of knowledge and wisdom. Our lives have become very un-natural. That is why shifting to a simple life is so difficult.

So find what works for you. By that, I don’t mean do whatever you want. What I mean is, find that consistent, disciplined, and effective system by which you can achieve your purpose, enjoy life, and stay healthy. And when you do, COMMIT.

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There’s a common misconception that living a healthy lifestyle is expensive. It can be expensive depending on how we approach it, especially if we add expensive gym memberships, fancy outfits, commercial energy bars and drinks, as well the latest craze equipment and books. But this can’t be true. I’m proof of that.

Being a young entrepreneur, I don’t have much of a disposable income. In fact, sometimes, there is no income. I’m trying to pay myself better this year (something I learned is actually a good practice for small business owners), but most of that still goes to paying mortgage. I can’t afford a lot of the fancy things out there but I still need to be healthy, so let me share with you my guide to being healthy cheaply.

Tip #1: Focus on the Basics
Many people spend so much money on the latest fitness or weight-loss craze. I’ve realized more can be achieved by just covering the basics. Here are some examples:

- You won’t need to spend money on losing weight if you’re already at your natural level because of a healthy diet of moderation and balance.
- You won’t need to spend on hospital bills, treatments, pills and other medication because your body is healing and regulating itself and is fed with the right nutrients and naturally flushes out toxins with a lot of water.
- You don’t need all sorts of stress and depression medicine or shrinks because you simply rest when you have to rest, don’t take on too much, and lift your worries to God in prayer.

In other words, before jumping into the next craze check the following:
1. Diet – am I eating right?
2. Water – am I drinking enough?
3. Rest – am I sleeping enough?
4. Less Stress – am I doing too much?
5. Nutrition – what supplements can I add to my already healthy diet?

You’ll notice that the 5 things I wrote above can be found relatively cheaply. 2 of them (rest and less stress) are actually achieved for free.

Tip #2: Look for Free / Low-Cost Alternatives
Instead of a gym, invest in dumbbells and faithfully do exercises at home. Use the stairs. Use your body weight (like with pushups and crunches). Ask friends for tips, or watch YouTube videos on how to do your form right. You’ll save so much from working out at home. No more parking. No more extra drinks, or special towels, or fancy outfits, or locker fees, or irritating mirror Adonises. You can even workout naked if you want – just make sure your room is locked and curtains drawn.

I used to buy a lot of those protein and energy bars. But these days, I go for eggs, nuts, and milk more. Instead of expensive probiotic pills, my friend, Alex Van Hagen, gives my his extra Kefir. My treadmill was moved to my parents’ house and I now run for free outside. I don’t even join races anymore. Why pay to run when you can run for free? Unless of course you believe in the cause.

Tip #3: Be A Regular Customer and Ask For Discounts
At the risk of sounding super cheap, discounts are something I definitely ask for. The best way to health is to be consistent, and since this pretty much means entering a routine, you can forecast what food, supplements, or other expenses you’ll have. Because of this, you can now become a regular consumer of certain products, and as you build loyalty, you can ask for discounts. A faster way to achieve this is to buy a year’s worth and ask for a volume discount. This is what I do because things are much cheaper. Of course you have to commit to using what you purchased or that would be the biggest waste of all.

Tip #4: Just Be Consistent
I tell myself this and I tell my staff the same thing: just do the things you have to do over and over better and better and you’ll breakthrough. You don’t need to jump from one health fad to the next. Just pick one and faithfully see it through. You don’t need to always be part of the latest. The old works just as well when done consistently.

I would have saved some money if I knew this earlier. So learn from my mistakes and take my advice. Being healthy doesn’t have to be financially expensive. All it takes is desire, resourcefulness, and a whole lot of commitment.

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When people come to me for advice, usually about business or health products, I always answer them by throwing a simple question back at them, “Why?”

Why do you want to do that?
Why do you want to get rich?
Why do you want to get fit?
Why do you want to look good?

There’s a lot of “why” questions to ask and I suggest we all ask ourselves these things. Answering the “why” helps bring us back to our purpose for doing something and when we’re clear about the purpose, we can order our steps to achieve that purpose as best as we can.

I hope that as you visit this site and learn more about health, that you purpose to live a naturally health life, the way our bodies were designed to be. More than being buff, or slim, or toned, or sexy, what’s important is that we’re healthy and can function strongly and sustainably even as we age.

And I hope that our “why” for getting healthy is so that we can achieve an even greater purpose and a larger vision than simple longevity.

In other words, purpose to be healthy to achieve a healthy purpose.

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Sunday mornings are probably the most peaceful few hours of my week. I usually wake-up between 5:30 – 6:00 am every day except Sundays, when I indulge a little more for another hour before going to church at 8:00 am. Today, maybe because of the overcast sky, I ended up I sleeping much longer to enjoy one of my more restful evenings this year. Resting, getting more sleep, learning how to relax, are a few of the many many many things I need to improve on if I don’t want to become the youngest lolo (grandfather) around, which some friends will argue I already am. Of course I can choose to become a 27-year-old lolo by keeping crazy work hours, having too many involvements, and staying a grouchy ogre. This can mean more achievements at a young age and maybe more money (which, from experience, isn’t always the case), but this can also mean a lot of white hair and perpetual weight loss. Now if I choose to change this I may or may not be healthier, I may or may not be more accomplished, and I may or may not like the changes. The point is, I can choose the way I live my life, and depending on my choices, I can either be a healthier person, a harder worker, more relaxed, or more stiff, I can be someone who contributes to the lives of others, or a leech, have more, or have less, or whatever. We don’t have to be victims to our current situations, we have a choice.

Many of us want to be healthy but don’t want to make the daily choices necessary to achieve real health. We don’t want to be fat but we don’t want to choose to eat properly. We don’t want to feel lethargic but we choose to sleep late. We want so many things but don’t want to choose the way to get them. This is a sure way to never achieve our goals and our dreams.

My encouragement for us this week is to choose well. May your daily actions and decisions bring you closer to a more fulfilled, healthier, and happier you!

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