Holistic Living Saves Money on Health Costs

As the recession continues, grocery store stocks tend to do well, especially organic chains like Whole Foods Market, which has become a Wall Street darling.  This is not only because of their savvy business practices and the fact that people tend to buy food rather than eat at restaurants in times of economic downturn, but also because of the emerging “green market trend.”  More people are trying to save money on expensive medical costs through use of vitamin and mineral supplements, eating organically, and with preventative holistic living.

According to health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola, a person’s diet accounts for 80% of the health benefits for longevity.  Holistic health practitioners all agree that eating whole, organic foods is best.  Many natural health practitioners recommend a comprehensive exercise program, high-quality animal-based Omega-3 fats from organic, grass fed meat, and avoiding as many chemicals as possible.  This includes avoiding pesticides and added hormones in non-organic foods/meat, in cleaning products, and pharmaceutical medications whenever possible.

Mercola and other holistic health practitioners give health tips such as avoiding gluten to eliminate “sweets cravings,” and limiting sugar, including natural sugars and chemical artificial sweeteners.  Fructose is now understood to be a big contributor to heart disease.  Refined sugar weakens the immune system, and eating too many grains and sugars releases too much insulin and adrenalin, causing the body to respond in a state of emergency stress.  Eating 4-6 small meals a day will help the body balance blood sugar, avoid hypoglycemia, and prevent stress on the body thereby enhancing health and longevity.

With all the debate about national health care, it is timely that Holistic Life Style Coaches are cropping up all over Chicago.  Chicago’s first holistic gym, Whole Body Fitness houses only holistic trainers that are CHEK certified, meaning these fitness professionals have undergone extensive training through the distinguished Paul Chek Institute in California that includes expertise in Holistic Life Style Coaching.  Paul Chek is nationally acclaimed in the fitness/holistic health industry, and his philosophy is similar to Mercola’s.

Chek’s methods support optimum health through fitness, practical nutrition, and holistic lifestyle coaching.  CHEK trainer and Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Daneille McLaughlin, who trains out of Whole Body Fitness, talks about the emerging trend of holistic living and further explains how holistic living can prevent disease and enhance health.

She says “Food in our supermarkets is not being grown or prepared the way it used to be.  We now use enhanced technology to sustain our food for longer.   And these food preparation methods are harmful to our body.  Reverting back to whole foods and organic foods will bring our bodies back to health.”

McLaughlin continues, “In each decade things are changing, and I feel in this decade, we’re starting to realize the mistakes we made in past decades of convenience foods and processed foods.”  With Holistic Health Coaching, “You’re going to learn about the foods that you need to take out of your diet and the foods that you need to add into your diet in order to prevent disease.”

Danielle goes into more detail saying “Gluten in general is not being made and processed the same way it used to be 10,000 years ago.  Our body is not recognizing the gluten and it’s causing allergies and sensitivities.  Sugar is addictive, and if we are already living in a state of illness, sugar will make the symptoms worse.  All the chemicals and pesticides that are being used on our crops are not being recognized by the body and are causing us to become more toxic, to retain more weight, and more prone to diseases.”

“I have numerous clients that have removed gluten from their diet and removed allergies and symptoms of fatigue. Since we focus on the mental, emotional and physical aspects as well as diet, you are getting the full package, you’re going to improve your health overall, which saves on medication costs in the long run.”

Danielle explains the reason she started personal training/health-coaching with the CHEK method.  “The information Paul Chek  gives on diet and exercise is much different than what I’ve ever heard from modern society…when I heard the information that Paul Chek was teaching it automatically set off a light bulb in my head.  And it just made sense.”

The CHEK method works because “Our body is a system of systems, and there are many different aspects of the body to look at, when we are looking for health.  We need to look for what causes the problem, the root of the problem, and correct the body from the inside out.”

Her Personal Training and Holistic Health Coaching embrace the physical, mental and emotional, meaning, “We look at your lifestyle, eating habits, sleeping patterns, physical movement, stress-load.  Diet and exercise are made out to be so difficult and ‘tricky’ in society, but Paul Chek really gets back to the basics.  I like the basics because they’re simple, they make sense and they work.”

Danielle trains out of Whole Body Fitness in Chicago (I94 and Peterson, www.wbfchicago.com, 773.481.9830), and her website is www.theelemntsoffitness.com.