The 5 Keys to Living a Healthier Life

In the last two years, I have had the privilege of offering help and comfort to family members who have undergone surgery and a permanent hospital for serious illness and medical conditions. We can all relate how scary it is to watch our beloved struggle with pain and physical illness or to challenge ourselves with health problems.

While in their beds, I had many opportunities to observe how scary and expensive it was to be sick. I generally live fairly well on a regular basis, eat organic, vegetarian and unprocessed foods, I am not a smoker, and I focus on keeping my life balanced. But I'm not always alive. I allow stress to take over (and kill stress), I don't always eat well or exercise regularly.

The numbers show that most Americans are struggling with serious health issues, burdening us individually and with money nationally that we can't always afford, but also our lives.

• 63.1% of adults in the United States overweight or obese in 2009.

• 18.3% of young Americans are obese.

• One third of American adults — 74.5 million of us — had high blood pressure in 2006.

• 102.2 million Americans have high cholesterol and 35.7 million of us have high cholesterol levels.

Everywhere we turn on the media, we sell the idea of ​​fixing our health problems with these pills or injections or diet plans or exercise machines. Yes, a well-balanced diet and regular exercise are essential to good health. But it's not always easy to maintain their lifestyle especially when they are no longer our habit. And the promise of quick fixes is generally too good to be true. When you lose weight quickly on a radical weight loss program, it usually reorganizes quickly.

No matter what the right health strategy is for you, here are 5 keys to your success in creating and leading a healthier life. The best news is:

• they are free,

• they work with any program that suits your lifestyle,

• you can start practicing right away,

• and they work for the rest of your life.

The 5 key to a healthier life is to think of it as a 5-to-Be-Alive value:

• Self-Esteem

• Happiness

• Love

• Accountability,

• and Joy.

These five values, when we consciously think about how we incorporate them into our daily lives, have a powerful effect. When we practice each 5-to-Be-Alive carefully, they change our way of being positive and progressive.

The basis for our success is self-respect. When we practice our self-respect, we affirm what is best for us. This alternative is no longer a tempting choice.

The joy of playing in the game that we all love to live every day is happy. When we know that we care for ourselves, we feel happier physically, emotionally, and mentally.

The power of love is profound and simple. When we practice our own love, our loved ones and our lives — we can achieve not only our goals but our dreams.

Of course, we must exercise accountability to ensure that we are on track to meet our goals and dreams. Lying to ourselves only weakens our relationships with ourselves and others.

And finally, when we realize how many opportunities we have in one day to feel grateful, we are driven by positive energy.

When we focus on 5-to-Be-Alive values, there is no room for old habits that may force our commitment to living healthier. There is no room for doubt, fear, anger, frustration — all enemies to live our dreams and become the best US we can be.

Don't we owe it to ourselves to live the healthiest and best way we can? We invite you to continue exploring how 5-to-Be-Alive values ​​can help you lead a healthier life.

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