I have a little secret to share with you.

Today is my birthday, and not only that, this is my LAST birthday in the 50s.

Gulp!

And while knocking on the door of 60 may sound a little scary on the surface, I honestly feel great!

I’m still running every week, doing full-contact karate sparring (fighting men), and enjoying a consistent high level of energy.

Plus I recently got mistaken as my daughter’s sister instead of her mother! I’m still on Cloud 9 about that one.  J

Can I do EVERYTHING exactly as I was able to back in my 20s, 30s and 40s?  No, but I’m darn close!

My running speed has slowed a little, but I still run every week and get into double-digit runs as much as I can.

Can I still kick as high in karate?  No, but my kicks could still stop an attacker very effectively.

So why am I telling you this?

I’m telling you this because people tend to give up on themselves once they approach the “senior” years and accept being overweight and sick as inevitable, but that’s just so wrong!

Having healthy diet and lifestyle habits can keep you looking and feeling fantastic well into your golden years!  I’ve been eating healthy and working out consistently since I was 20 years old, and there’s no doubt in my mind that’s the main reason why I feel as good as I do and am on no medications, even as I approach age 60.

But even if you haven’t had the best past history, you can STILL make improvements in your health!

You might not realize this, but your body’s natural state is one of health—not disease! 

Disease only occurs when you have a deficiency of some kind, are exposed to toxins your body can’t completely eliminate, are out of balance, or your immune system is impaired.

Many people blame disease on genetics, but I’m not buying that 100%.  Not all of your genes are firing on all cylinders at all times. Your diet and lifestyle habits go a LONG way in determining whether the disease genes will be triggered into action or will lie dormant.

Don’t get overwhelmed--start with baby steps

If you’re ready to make a difference in your health, know this: It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or difficult!

Start with simple baby steps—little things that can have a big impact like these:

1- Work more real foods into your diet

If your diet is not-so-great (or downright abysmal), gradually work in more wholesome real foods.

• Have a tossed salad with your dinner every day. Even a lettuce wedge drizzled with dressing counts!
• Instead of chips or crackers, snack on carrot and celery sticks, a cube of cheese, or a handful of nuts.
• Choose oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast over donuts, bagels, pastries or cereals.
• Try soups or salads for lunch instead of deep-fried foods or pizza. Add grilled meat, chicken or fish to your salad to make it more filling if you’d like.
• Swap out one soda, sweet tea or coffee a day for water.
• Seek out healthier convenience options. For example, instead of ordering pizza for dinner, sauté up a chicken breast and serve with steamed frozen green beans and a bagged salad—it doesn’t get any easier than that.

2- Support your gut health with probiotics

Your gut determines your health from head to toe—it absorbs the nutrients your body needs to survive, eliminates dangerous wastes and toxins, houses 80 percent of your immune system and even makes 90 percent of your body’s serotonin (your natural antidepressant)!

But your microbiome is always taking a hit from things like sugar and refined carbs, medications, lacking sleep, stress and tap water.

Plus your intestinal good guys are not “permanent residents” to begin with—they only “vacation” inside of you for about 12 days! 

So it’s vital to keep your microbiome population strong and healthy—and the best way to do that is to help repopulate it with a full-spectrum, multi-strain probiotic formula like Super Shield!

Super Shield’s well-studied blend of 13 robust probiotic strains will help support strong gut health, more regular BMs and sharp immune function.

3- Get some form of exercise

When it comes to attaining better health, exercise is not optional, my friend. 

But you don’t have to get fancy (and you certainly don’t have to fight like I do!).  Even brisk walking is great, and you can work that in practically any time of the day. 

Here are some tips for your success:

• Choose an activity you like or will at least tolerate.
• Commit to exercising for at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week.
• Create doable goals. Don’t say you’re going to run 5 miles a day if the farthest you’ve ever run is from the couch to the refrigerator and back during a commercial.  Make your goals achievable and realistic.
• Get a buddy! It’s hard to skip a workout if you have someone counting on you to show up.  Plus you’ll talk and laugh the time away and before you know it, your workout will be done.
• Celebrate your little victories along the way. Always look behind you to see how far you’ve come.

4- Make sure you have enough Vitamin D

You can’t beat vitamin D when you’re looking at ways to improve your health.  Here are some of the ways this mega-nutrient helps create a healthier you:

• Regulates blood glucose and insulin levels, lowering your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
• Prevents depression—which is rampant in our society.
• Protects you against cardiovascular disease.
• Prevents cancer.
• Protects you against autoimmune diseases like MS, lupus and psoriasis.
• Supports healthy teeth and gums.
• Reduces inflammatory immune responses, such as those seen in allergies, asthma and autoimmune conditions.
• Helps with learning, memory and concentration.

To help ensure you have health-supporting levels of this nutritional Superstar, it’s wise to supplement with a top-notch product like Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B!

In addition to getting an impressive 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 in each capsule (which is a health-supporting, therapeutic dose, unlike the RDA), you’ll also get the added benefit of Vitamins K1 (500 mcg) and K2 (50 mcg).  Vitamin K works with Vitamin D to provide bone support and prevent atherosclerosis.

Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B also goes beyond other vitamin D supplements by including the mineral boron, which further helps with strong bone, immune and cardiovascular health!

Remember, when it comes to improving your health, don’t get overwhelmed.  Start with baby steps and go from there.

You’ll soon see wonderful changes taking place for you and you’ll never regret it! 

May God bless you.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia