In case you haven’t noticed, the human body is pretty amazing.

It digests your food, circulates your blood, and keeps you breathing — even when you’re sleeping, or just not paying attention. It does these things to keep you alive and healthy every day.

On top of all that, your creates millions of new cells every single second. These new cells replace dead or worn out cells in almost every part of your body, which means even if you’re 35, there are parts of you that may only be a few days old. Weird to think about, right?

If you want some of the details of this process, check out this infographic. It calls out a few different body parts and explains how often the cells in that area are replaced.

 

 

What can you do to keep your cells healthy?

Now that you can find out how young your body really is, what can you do to keep your cells healthy on the inside and beautifully young on the outside?

It’s pretty simple! Every day you want to do things that nourish and support your cells.

You now know your body can only be as healthy as its parts that are made up of cells, trillions of cells. As the body creates these new cells, they replace dead or worn out cells. And these cells need nutrition and support to repair and build the new cells plus keep them resilient to the stresses and toxins in your environment. And because of this, it’s incredibly important to make choices that improve the health of your cells, in order to improve your overall health and to minimize the incidence of disease and to feel as vibrant and full of energy a. Cellular health also contributes to more luminous skin, so there are aesthetic reasons for taking care of your cells.

And because of this, it’s incredibly important to make choices that improve the health of your cells, in order to improve your overall health and to minimize the incidence of disease and to feel as vibrant and full of energy all day, every day.

Did you know? Cellular health also contributes to more luminous skin, so there are aesthetic reasons for taking care of your cells too.

Think of everything your cells are bombarded with on a daily basis: harmful pollutants in your environment, stresses of your daily life (job, relationships, finances), challenges of today’s world, and diets without enough fruits and vegetables.

How can you support your cells better on a daily basis?

• Eat plenty of colorful antioxidants. Antioxidants fight against oxidative stress and the formation of free radicals. Your body is exposed to free radicals daily from toxins in the air, what you put on your skin, what’s in your food, etc. You need tons of antioxidants to combat the effects these free radicals have in your body and on your cells. Antioxidants are found in the brightly colored fruits and vegetables you eat (and in dark chocolate, but only in moderation). Imagine a rainbow of colors and look to add fruits & veggies from each color of the rainbow every day in your diet 

• Eat powerful and clean proteins. Protein is essential to life. It is a powerful nutrient made up of many amino acids that are components of every cell in your body. Protein is used to build and repair tissues and make essential enzymes and hormones, blood cells and many other important chemicals. It’s also an important building block for muscles, bones, cartilage, and skin. Even your hair and nails are mostly made up of protein. Wild caught fish, organic chicken, organic eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and whole grains in moderation. 

• Eat beautifying omega-3 essential fatty acids. Heart, bone, joint, skin, brain, mood — you name it, omega-3 fatty acids probably help support it. This is because omega-3s are critical for maintaining the health of your cells by providing the lipids needed for healthy cellular membranes. Yet we can’t produce this ourselves. Foods rich in EFA’s include wild-caught fish, nuts and seeds, avocado and olive oil. But with toxins and high fat/calorie content, many experts agree that it’s great to take a daily high-quality fish oil. I love BiOmega from USANA* because it’s double-distilled, so it’s essentially free of harmful contaminants like mercury.

• Avoid chemicals and additives in your food. These are found mostly in high pesticide fruits and veggies and highly processed foods. Prepare more of your own foods at home and use the Dirty Dozen Clean 15 list to help you choose what to buy organic and what is ok conventionally grown.

• Drink plenty of purified or filtered water. Water makes up about 60 percent of your total body weight, meaning your body really depends on the stuff. Actually, pretty much every system in your body relies on water to keep things running smoothly.These functions include regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, protecting and moistening body organs and tissues, regulating digestion, carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, and dissolving nutrients and minerals to make them accessible to the body. Maybe the most important function of water is helping out your kidneys by flushing out these toxins and lighten the workload for your kidneys. Water helps your cells to remove waste, and it carries nutrients and oxygen to all cells in your body. I feel best when I drink 6-8 glasses a day, starting with a big glass first thing in the morning. Herbal teas and infused waters are also a favorite way to get water in my body.

• Avoid skin care and cleaning toxins as much as can. Toxic skincare products and toxic cleaning supplies are so bad for our cells. We absorb these toxins through our skin, which is a direct line into our blood stream. Choose natural alternatives for skin care (here’s what I love to use)  and cleaning supplies to truly minimize exposure.

• Breathe! This is also known as ‘diaphragmatic breathing’ and is a common practice in yoga. You should notice an expansion of the abdomen rather than your chest when you are taking deep breaths. Try focusing on your breathing—breathe in for five seconds and then exhale for five seconds. The benefits of breathing (with a little meditation thrown in) are numerous. Take breathing breaks 2-3 times a day (or more, if you’re really stressed). Use a guided breathing app or meditation if it’ll help.

• Move your body every day. Exercise and movement support your cellular energy production and helps to keep your cells young! Walk, go to the gym, ride your bike, jog, or swim are all great things to build into your daily routine. 

• Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is an opportunity for rejuvenation for the cells in your body and skin. Many critical restorative functions in the body—including tissue repair and muscle growth—occur mostly or only during sleep. But it’s not just that. Sleep helps keep your brain functioning properly. You’ve probably noticed this yourself. Sleep helps keep you productive and helps you learn, pay attention, be creative, and make decisions. Sleep also helps support your immune system. Those who are sleep deficient may have trouble fighting off common infections. Believe it or not, vitamins, like the ones I take below, can help a great deal. Also tea’s, and the breathing technique above can help. I can’t stress the importance of sleep enough for healthy cells, brain and body. 

• Take the highest quality multivitamin you can find. Find one that contains optimal levels of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are crucial for cellular health, instead of just the minimum daily recommendation which most have – there is a difference. I have taken the Cellsentials from USANA* for more than 10 years.

If you’re interested in ordering any of the products I mentioned from my product partner USANA Health Sciences, contact me and I’ll make sure you receive our biggest customer discount of up to 20% off the retail pricing.

Here’s to your cellular health!