Exercise has a beneficial cleansing effect on the body. When you exercise, your body naturally expels water vapor in your breath, sweat from your skin, and urine from your kidneys. You then become thirsty and take in more water which further aids in the natural flushing of your bodily systems. And as water is being flushed through the body, out comes excess chemicals compounds and impurities that may be present.

When I exercise at medium intensity over an hour or so, I typically take in about 48 ounces of water. This is the equivalent to 6 glasses of water, or 4 cans. (Side note: Since our society has become accustomed to drinking so many beverages out of 12 ounce cans, I find that people have a hard time visualizing a standard 8 ounce glass of water. Hence why I mention the cans.) By taking in so much water in such a short amount of time, my body gets a good flush, and I can certainly feel the positive effects.

So how can you be sure you are getting ample amounts of water while exercising? Simply drink until you are no longer thirsty, and then take another drink for good measure. Repeat this process multiple times during your workout.

And if I may offer a tip, always keep a good sized water bottle with you. Especially have it with you while you exercise, but I highly suggest you keep a water bottle with you all day long. If you have easy access to water, you are much more likely to drink it throughout the day, which decreases the temptation to grab a soda or other sugary drink.

Other cleansing functions of exercise include the sinuses and the lungs. When you exercise, the combination of jarring motions and deep breathing works to break up mucus in your sinuses and lungs. You may find yourself blowing your nose, coughing, and spitting stuff up during exercise, but this is your body's way of getting the gunk out of your airways.

Also, movement can help the digestion process. There is much documentation about the benefits of exercise and the digestive system. Without going into too much detail, the repetitive motion of exercise helps the gentle motion of digestion.

And have I mentioned the benefits of exercise on your vascular and lymphatic systems too? As your heart rate increases during exercise, good things happen throughout your circulatory system as things get moving faster than before. Some also report that the jarring motion of exercise has a flushing effect on the fluid in your lymphatic system. A properly functioning lymphatic system is essential to robust immunity.

In summary, humans are made to move. Movement makes us happy and keeps us healthy. Bodily cleansing is just one of the many benefits of daily exercise. Exercise does not have to be complicated, simply get moving in some form or fashion, and your body will take care of the rest.

P.S. Don't forget that water bottle!

There is no denying it. Study after study has proven that an adequate amount of sleep is a requirement for health and vitality. If you cut your sleep short, you are compromising your overall mental and physical wellbeing. Yes, sacrificing a few hours sleep here and there can sometimes be a badge of honor in our "busy" society. But do this repeatedly, and you are setting yourself up for failure.

Remember...life is a marathon, not a sprint. So take time to take care of yourself for the long term, and that includes getting good sleep. Following are some tips that I have found effective for better sleep and more energy....

• Limit your caffeine intake to one or two cups of coffee in the morning. No caffeine after noon....period.
• Walk and/or exercise daily. Do this as early in the day of possible. If you exercise too close to bed time, you may have a hard time falling asleep.
• Determine the optimal amount of sleep that makes you feel your best each day. For me, it is about 8.5 hours on average. Some nights I need a little more, and some nights I can get by with a little less. I know that if sleep less than 7.5 hours a night, I will feel bad in general. The less sleep I get, the worse I feel exponentially.
• Do not work on anything that requires mental energy at least one hour before bed. This includes work emails, paying bills, paperwork, etc.
• Use a pen and paper to write down all of the random thoughts that are running though your head before going to bed....things to do, things your worrying about, etc. You can rest assured that you have these thoughts written down so you can address them tomorrow.
• Read something that relaxes you before bed. I am not a fiction fan by any means, but reading fiction before bed seems to help take my mind off the real things in the world that negatively affect my sleep.
• Gradually dim or turn off the lights around the house as bed time approaches.
• Develop a relaxation routine that you use each night. Start this routine at least one hour before you want to fall asleep.
• Think about what time you need to wake up tomorrow morning, then calculate backwards to determine when you need to be asleep so you get a good night's sleep. For instance, if I need to be up by 6:00 a.m., I know I need to be asleep by 10:00 p.m. at the latest to get 8 hours of sleep. And therefore, I need to initiate my nightly relaxation routine by 9:00 p.m.
• Use a sound machine to creat background noise. This especially helps me when I am traveling and sleeping in a hotel.
• Cool down the room so that your body is actually a little chilly. If you feel like getting under a sheet or cover, then you are getting close to a good temperature for sleep.
• Keep your bedroom generally dark. I do not like a completely dark room myself, but find the right amount of darkness that works for you.
• Put your digital clock out of view, or at least dim the light so that it does not light up the entire room.
• Don't go to bed hungry. Preferably eat a a large enough dinner so that you are not hungry before bed. Or eat a light snack closer to bed time if that works better for you.
• Use the bathroom before going to sleep. The less you wake up during the night to go, the better.
• Interrupted sleep can sometimes feel worse than no sleep at all. Hence, reduce sleep interruptions at all costs. If your pet is waking you up during the night, have them sleep in another room. If the air conditioner fan turning on and off wakes you up, change the setting so the fan runs continuously. If your significant other snores or generally interrupts your sleep, firmly hold a pillow over their head...oh wait, I mean...lovingly talk to them about improving their sleep as well.
• If you wake up during the night for some reason...
  • Try to slip back into the dream you were having when you woke up. If that does not work, it helps me to think about being outdoors doing something I enjoy. I often think of walking along a wondering stream, camping out under the stars, etc.
  • Do not turn on any lights, drink a lot of water, or do anything else that may signal your body to wake up
  • Take off your covers and cool your body down even further
  • Remind yourself that sleep imperative to health and productivity, and embrace it. But if for some reason you do not get a good night's sleep tonight, you will survive. Do not ruminate on your sleeplessness. Think happy thoughts and pray.
  • Keep a pad of paper and pen next to the bed to scribble down any thoughts that are keeping you awake. I do this in the dark on a regular basis. My writing is not the most legible the next morning, but it still works to get the thoughts out of my head.

​One last note. If generally accepted practices are still not helping you get adequate amounts of restful sleep on a routine basis, go see a sleep doctor. Most metro areas now have multiple medical practices that focus on sleep problems. Get a sleep study if your doctor calls for it, and get to the bottom of your issues. The quality of your life and your health depends on it.

P.S. Dad...if you read this, I admit that what you have been telling me all of these years has finally sunk in..."If you get enough sleep, son, you don't get sick. It's that simple." Thanks Dad. I just wished I would have listened sooner!

What is the single best thing I believe you can do to improve your overall health and quality of life? WALK!

Yes, a deliberate walk as frequent as reasonably possible will likely do wonders for your health...physically, mentally, and spiritually. It has been said that exercise is the best medicine known to humankind. It arguably can cure a wide range of ills, and prevent even more. And the simplest, most natural form of exercise is walking.

It is that easy. Nothing complicated. Nothing too difficult. Just go for a walk whenever you can, and turn it into a regular habit over time.

If you have some injury or other disability that may prevent you from walking, try to simulate it to the extent practical. Maybe a bike ride (moving or stationary), arm pedaling, rowing, or some other process that gets you physically and mentally moving. Be creative (and safe).

If you can walk at least once a week, good. If you can do it every few days, even better. If you can do it every day or twice a day, great. But just start walking! Wear what you have on now, and walk to the end of the block and back. Tomorrow, maybe walk around the block. A few days later, try walking a couple blocks. The more you do it, the better you will likely feel and your desire to do it will continue to grow.

My advice on walking applies to all walks of life (pun intended)...the most busy executives, the most lonely souls, the most unhappy and desperate citizens, the young, the old, the bold...you get it...almost everyone can benefit from walking!

Following are some additional tips for walking success:

• Walk outdoors whenever possible. It keeps things interesting, and is good for the soul. The more natural the setting, the better...a park, some woods, a country road, a trail, etc. But a city block will do just fine.
• Walk in the morning, before the day gets a way for you. Sleep in clothes you can walk in, wake up, drink a glass of water, and head out the door. Before you know it, you have finished a nice walk and watched the world wake up to a new day.
• Incorporate walking into your normal daily activities. Walk across campus. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk further to the building. Walk to the store. Walk at the mall. Take the stairs. The opportunities are endless once you get in a walking frame of mind.
• And for a super simple trick/strategy/hack to truly get into the habit of walking everyday, sign up for my fairly infrequent email newsletter and I will send you a short summary of what worked best for me.