Being Natural and Healthy!

So in the past 6 months or so, I have really been trying to learn more about health and wellness. In the past few weeks, I have been reading a ton on the benefits of herbs and natural remedies. I believe that in America we are very over medicated. I am the first to admit, I have been sucked in by this. I get a sinus infection and I call the doctor for a antibiotic. And the worst part is the doctors jump to prescribe them! Antibiotics are very over prescribed! I am not against modern medicine. I thank God for the doctors,pharmacists, and other medical people who have studied hard and learned ways to treat illness. However,I think we need to learn to get a little way from so many drugs. I am preaching to myself here too! There are so many illness that don't even need drugs, they can be treated by natural herbs and prevented by diet and exercise. I have read that Oregano is a great herb for helping build our immune systems. I have started using it and it works! Research shows that a table spoon a day of honey from your local beekeeper, can help with seasonal allergies! I have started to sweeten my coffee and tea with honey instead of sugar! Works great! Also, I have been trying to veer away from so much junk food. I am not just talking about McDonald's and Doritos either, junk food is such a bigger spectrum! So much stuff has white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, other yucky things that don't need to be in our bodies! I didn't even realize how much stuff I have been feeding my kids that have high fructose corn syrup, which is just a form of sugar. When I was a kid, my mom thought that if something was "sugar free" it was healthy, but that's not true. It usually has artificial sugar and HFCS in it, which is just as bad! Of course, I believe everything is OK in moderation, but we eat way too much of this stuff! No wonder kids in America are suffering from a epidemic of obesity for the first time in our history! I am learning to read labels on stuff. I never read them before. Lastly, is exercise. I have really always been a exercise fan. I haven't always been as religious about it as I am now, but I have always had some kind of exercise routine. I think it is from being such a active child with dance, soccer, and just normal kid play. Exercise has been proven to not only help burn calories and make you look good, but reduce stress and depression! After my moms stroke is when I got more serious about exercise. She was only 53 when she had her stroke! Very young! The American Heart Association recommends at least 4 days a week of a 30 min cardo workout. This can be as simple as walking from 30 minutes. If you have joint problems, water aerobics is awesome! My stepmother who has many problems in her knees and back loves water aerobics! I have found Yoga as one of the greatest things ever! Since doing Yoga, I have not needed my chiropractor, taken less pain medicine, and had really less back pain than ever before. Plus, it helps my posture.

The bible says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I always think of the story when Jesus got so angry because people were misusing his temple. Well, if our bodies are his temple now, can you imagine how it makes him feel when we misuse them?