My life Philosophy

• Do the healthy thing, even when it's challenging, inconvenient or considered weird. Take pride in that.
• Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's smart or good for you. Enlist fellow trend buckers and create a trend of your own.
• Use your healthy frustration about the unhealthy status quo to spark creativity and determination.
• Look for signs of progress (beyond pounds lost) and rejoice when you find them. Give yourself a pat on the back every time you make your health a priority.
• Reclaim responsibility for your well-being; own your daily choices; minimize your reliance on the broken sick-care system.
• You are not a "healthcare consumer." You are a human being. You may be experiencing an illness or other health challenge right now, but remember that good health is your body's natural state.
• Research your own conditions and treatment alternatives, ask questions, and seek second opinions with impunity. Leverage the expertise of trained pros, but don't allow it to eclipse your own informed instincts about what's best for you.
• Make whole-person vitality, well-being and resilience your goal. Partner with healthcare pros who understand and support your desire to be fully healthy with a minimum of medical intervention.
• Don't let yourself get run down, depressed, negative or reactive. That's when immunity drops, inflammation rages, and unhealthy tendencies strike.
• Yes, this is about you, but your well-being also affects everyone and everything around you. When you get healthier, everybody benefits.
• It's going to take a lot of strong, clear-headed, high-vitality people to solve the world's problems. Be one of them.
• A healthy life is more a marathon than a sprint. So start where you are. Choose sensible, sustainable shifts over instant cures and quick fixes.
• If you feel a cold, flu or nasty headache coming on, take evasive maneuvers. Rest. Refuel. Reconnect. Rebuild your immunity and vitality. There's no heroism in ignoring your body's needs.
• Know the specific reasons your health matters to you. Write them down where you'll see them daily.
• Don't get sucked in by obsessions with six-pack abs and buns of steel. Don't play "compare the bodies." Fulfill your best-self vision.
• Healthy, fit people have learned how to be healthy. Learn those skills, practice them, and you'll be healthy, too.
• Look and feel better, sure. But also think better, smell better, give better, love better, live better, be better.
• Drink water, eat good food, move, rest, relax, connect. Don't sweat the more complex stuff until you've got a grip on the basics.
• Don't yet see yourself as a super-healthy person? Experiment with doing a little of what you'd do if you were already supremely healthy and fit. As often as you can, act as if your commitment were unwavering.
• You don't have to make 100% healthy choices all the time. It's what you do most of the time — day in, day out — that counts. The healthier you get, the easier and more automatic healthy choices will become.
• Toxins, poisons and other gunk have no place in the temple. Avoid artificial flavors, preservatives, colors, fragrances, petrochemicals and other toxic ingredients whenever possible.
• Your teeth and gums are a huge determining factor in your whole-body well-being. They're also an easy place to start demonstrating your commitment to whole-person health on a daily basis.
• Trade dead, packaged goods for foods that are fresh, alive and full of high-vibe goodness. Figure out where to find them, learn to juice/slice/dice them, and eat them with great pleasure.
• There's a long list of phytonutrients and other good stuff in vegetables, fruits and legumes that you can't get any other way. Put plants at the center of your plate for as many meals and snacks as you can.
• Processed, fake, diet and imitation ingredients burden and inflame your body, contributing to chronic disease. And there's no clinical proof that artificial sweeteners and fat-free products support weight loss or do any part of you any good.
• Get a dozen healthy, whole-food recipes under your belt, and your life will be forever changed. Start by mastering one.
• Let there be protein, produce, healthy fats and fiber in it. A good breakfast wards off energy dips, brain fog and afternoon cravings.
• 40% of U.S. adults have an intolerance to gluten; 70% to dairy. Know if you're one of them. Digestive, skin, joint, energy and mood problems may be your first clue.
• It is a whole lot healthier for Big Ag and Big Business than for humans. Fill two-thirds of your plate with an array of vegetables, add in some other whole foods you enjoy, and don't let the rest of the guidelines propaganda confuse you.
• The American Dietetic Association is sponsored by processed-food corporations and staffed by former food-company execs. Their pro-processed-food advice is often colored by that, and their calorie-counting obsessions are profoundly counterproductive.
• These two ingredients (combined with unhealthy industrial vegetable oils) have a starring role in most packaged foods we eat. More than any other culprit, they fuel inflammation, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and cancer.
• The foods you rush into your body tend to create more problems than they solve. Take your time and consciously enjoy every single bite. Notice as your hunger diminishes.
• Know your food's history, and you'll want to consume more selectively. Most factory-farmed and industrially produced foods aren't all that appetizing once you know their origins.
• An ounce of wonderful is far better than a whole mess of mediocrity. Most beige, starchy and supersized foods are not worth eating.
• A healthy person poops every day. Twice a day, maybe more. How's your fiber and water intake? (Also, see #28.) A clogged up colon wreaks havoc on your whole body.
• Don't worry so much about the calories, grams and RDAs. Read the ingredients. Most ingredient lists begin with some combination of enriched wheat flour, sugar and oil. Avoid foods like that. Also avoid foods with long lists of ingredients you don't recognize.
• Most of the marketing claims are meaningless, and a lot of the data is confusing. Most of the very best foods (in the produce department) have precisely one ingredient and, often, no labels at all.
• Both regular and diet soft drinks stimulate a pro-inflammatory insulin response, trigger cravings, acidify the body, decay your teeth, toxify your body and leach minerals out of your bones. Kick your soda habit in favor of water and you may find headaches and many other chronic health problems subsiding.
• Being picky about what you put in your body is nothing to be ashamed of. If you want extra this, none of that, something on the side, X in place of Y, broiled instead of fried, and everything prepared just so - say so. Picky eaters unite!
• The health of every cell and synapse depends on it. And when you're dehydrated on a regular basis — even a little — your metabolism, energy and immunity all suffer mightily.
• You'll drink more when it tastes pure and you know it's clean - and when it's readily available. If plain water doesn't turn your crank, enjoy water with a slice of lemon, orange, cucumber, or a splash of juice.
• Treat your body with respect and appreciation. Focus on what it can do, not what it can't. Find something to celebrate, not something to criticize.
• If you've been trying to lose weight and struggling, make it your goal to get superbly healthy and fit instead. And then don't be surprised when the excess weight starts melting off.
• Notice what triggers your sudden desires and uncontrollable appetites. Stress and anxiety both masquerade as hunger. Find better ways of dealing with them or warding them off.
• You can't eat or spend your way out of loneliness, fear, boredom or lack of meaning. Find healthy ways to honor and shift them, instead.
• Cut yourself a little slack now and then, and forgive yourself your unhealthy trespasses. Learn what you can from them, and then move on.
• Self-restraint is a limited resource. Do everything in your power to make healthy choices automatic choices and to keep unhealthy temptations out of range.
• Give up on gimmicks, fads and instant fixes. Most miraculous weight-loss schemes do more harm than good, and yo-yo dieting is a recipe for weight gain.
• Find your inspiration in people whose lives and goals have some relevance to your own. Also remember that most of the pictures you see of celebrities and fitness models have been extensively retouched.
• Big organizations like the FDA, USDA, AHA, AMA and ADA all struggle under real limitations and conflicts of interest. Know and understand them.
• Your body is a mirror: It reflects your choices, your priorities, your habits, your attitudes and your quality of life. If you don't like your body, be willing to change the way you are living.
• Take a few minutes each sunup to set your intentions, take a few breaths, read an inspiring passage and start the day on your own terms. You may be shocked at the difference it makes.
• Every day, every which-way you can, in as many ways as you enjoy. Pursue active passions. Movement nourishes your body, clears toxins, and reduces the inflammation that breeds illness and irritation.
• You don't have to exercise. You get to exercise. Visit a person whose mobility is severely limited, and you'll appreciate the distinction. Do what you can, and count yourself lucky.
• The more often, the better. Sweat is a signal that your metabolism is switching into a higher gear. Sweat is weakness, complacency and toxicity leaving the body.
• More muscle and sinew means more capacity to do anything. Don't let age, aches and pains, or lack of time be your excuses for abandoning your strength.
• Every time you exercise, you upgrade your body's energy-and-vitality factories and build your metabolism.
• Flirt with it in ways that feel good and exhilarating. Bursts of high-intensity exercise trigger positive, dramatic changes and help catalyze the body's healing response.
• Release supermodel and celebrity obsessions. Translate your desire for a fitter, more beautiful body into positive, self-respecting daily action that nourishes you and makes you stronger.
• Even a few minutes a day can trigger positive transformations in your biochemistry, neurology - even your DNA. Studies show that meditation improves health, happiness and peace of mind. It's the ultimate health bargain, and a great life skill.
• Learn how your body works, and respect its genius. The unfortunate fact that most of us aren't formally educated in how to properly care for our bodies doesn't mean we can't learn.
• Body trouble? Find the source. Root out the cause. Don't settle for a drug that forces your symptoms to go underground only to pop up somewhere else with a vengeance.
• Get honest about how you're using alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, pain killers and other drugs to simulate well-being or cover discomfort.
• "Poor me" doesn't get you anywhere you want to go. Dust yourself off, see the choices that got you here - then exercise your prerogative to choose a better way forward.
• Rest = recovery, repair and resilience. Exhaustion = illness and messed-up metabolism. Prioritize ample sleep time as the health essential it is.
• In for four, out for five. Oxygen's good; breathing keeps you alive.
• Sitting for more than an hour or so at a stretch is deadly. Get up, stretch, walk around. Do some deep knee bends or go climb a couple flights of stairs.
• Perennial rushing is toxic to the body and mind. Find moments of silence and contemplation where you can just be. Create margins of sanity. Practice the defensive art of scheduling breaks and vacations.
• Find ways of being active and involved in some kind of group activity. Joining a group, if you haven't already, can reduce your risk of dying this year by half.
• Mend fences, build bridges, forgive trespasses, grieve losses and let toxic grudges go. Then move on. Get help with this if you need to.
• You need sunshine, fresh air and time in nature. Daily. Grab five minutes in the morning, five on the way home from work.
• Keep in mind that human health depends upon the health of a lot of interconnected ecosystems and the planet as a whole. Make choices that respect that reality.
• Fun, novelty, humor and joy are key sources of energy, strength and inspiration. If you're suffering from a case of fun-deficit disorder, remedy that situation ASAP.
• Seek out entertainment and information that makes your life better. Choose not to watch, read or listen to stuff that demoralizes or immobilizes you, incites craziness, or insults your intelligence.
• Refuse to bad-talk your body, nitpick your appearance or kvetch about your weight. Find something to dig/love/ appreciate about yourself — just the way you are.
• Opiate of the masses. Fritterer of time. Fryer of focus. The average American watches several hours of TV a day. How much of your life are you willing to hand over to a box?
• If something's driving you crazy, deal with it. Noticing and resolving daily annoyances, messes and downers helps free up energy and increases your pleasure in living.
• Look at your checkbook register and credit-card statements for clues about where your spending is inconsistent with your healthy goals and values.
• Take some of the money you're spending on unhealthy distraction, consolations and indulgences, and re-route it toward your healthy-living priorities instead.
• The stress of being stretched too thin financially is at the root of a great many health ills. Develop the skills you need to master your money and live within your means.
• Money spent proactively on your health delivers far better returns than money spent reactively on treating illness and disease. When healthy choices seem "too expensive," consider the long-term costs of health-sapping alternatives.
• Keep seeking new wisdom and mastering new skills - particularly those that help you live a more satisfying life. Continual learning and discovery help support both health and happiness.
• Look at what has worked well for you in the past, and do more of that. Identify and leverage your strengths. Be willing to learn from your "failures," too — but refuse to wallow in them.
• Don't be boring. Every once in a while, do something unexpected or out of character and see what happens.
• Surround yourself with other healthy, positive, active people who share your passions. It's a lot easier to thrive around people who are thriving.
• Seek out mirth, glee and merriment at every opportunity. Laughter triggers a cascade of healing, energizing chemicals. Plus, it's fun.
• Do your healthy thing with a pal or partner. Camaraderie, connection and accountability go a long way toward creating long-term success.
• Developing and sharing them endows you with enthusiasm and energy. Neglecting or squandering them slowly kills you.
• When working hard, take brief rest breaks every 90 to 120 minutes so your cells can recharge. Be kind to yourself, and be honest about how much you can take on at any given time.
• Take your healthy convictions to the polls. Share them with your elected representatives. Vote with your dollars, too, to support healthy products, companies and communities.
• What if we lived in a world where the majority of people were healthy and happy most of the time? Imagine that future — then start creating it in your own life, one step at a time.
• The more positivity and enthusiasm you can build into your life, the healthier, happier and more satisfied you'll be. Happiness breeds healthiness.
• Own your decisions and actions, no matter what the circumstances. Refuse to abuse or be abused on any level. See setbacks as learning opportunities.
• If you feel yourself losing traction in your healthy commitments, ask: What's my highest choice right now? What can I do to take one step in the right direction?
• The hour you give yourself for self-care pays you back three. Think you're too busy? The busier you are, the more effective and energetic you need to be, and the less time you have to get sick.
• Declutter your house, your office, your car, your desk, your mind. Create room for your chosen future; create space that reflects the way you want to feel.
• Live the life of a healthy person, and the results will take care of themselves. Every healthy step is a victory. Every day is an opportunity to feel, live and be better than the day before.
• Discover new healthy passions. Revel in new healthy pleasures. Have so much fun getting and being healthy that everyone around you wants to do it, too!
• Yes, you're busy. You probably have a lot of priorities competing for your time, energy and resources. But wouldn't all those priorities be better served by a healthier, more dynamic you?
• No one is going to do this for you. You can't fake it, and you can't phone it in. Your body is where you're going to spend the rest of your life. So make it a great place to live.
• Pssst! Being healthy is a revolutionary act. The more of us who stand up for our health and happiness, the more power we have to change the world - one person, one life, one small revolutionary act at a time.

1. Defy convention

   Do the healthy thing, even when it's challenging, inconvenient or considered weird. Take pride in that.

2. Buck trends

   Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's smart or good for you. Enlist fellow trend buckers and create a trend of your own.

3. Rage against the machine

   Use your healthy frustration about the unhealthy status quo to spark creativity and determination.

4. Celebrate what's good

   Look for signs of progress (beyond pounds lost) and rejoice when you find them. Give yourself a pat on the back every time you make your health a priority.

5. Repossess your health

   Reclaim responsibility for your well-being; own your daily choices; minimize your reliance on the broken sick-care system.

6. Redefine your role

   You are not a "healthcare consumer." You are a human being. You may be experiencing an illness or other health challenge right now, but remember that good health is your body's natural state.

7. Practice medicine without a license

   Research your own conditions and treatment alternatives, ask questions, and seek second opinions with impunity. Leverage the expertise of trained pros, but don't allow it to eclipse your own informed instincts about what's best for you.

8. Minimize symptom suppression

   Make whole-person vitality, well-being and resilience your goal. Partner with healthcare pros who understand and support your desire to be fully healthy with a minimum of medical intervention.

9. Safeguard your juju

   Don't let yourself get run down, depressed, negative or reactive. That's when immunity drops, inflammation rages, and unhealthy tendencies strike.

10. See the bigger picture

    Yes, this is about you, but your well-being also affects everyone and everything around you. When you get healthier, everybody benefits.

11. Be part of the solution

    It's going to take a lot of strong, clear-headed, high-vitality people to solve the world's problems. Be one of them.

12. Go at your own pace

    A healthy life is more a marathon than a sprint. So start where you are. Choose sensible, sustainable shifts over instant cures and quick fixes.

13. Be proactive

    If you feel a cold, flu or nasty headache coming on, take evasive maneuvers. Rest. Refuel. Reconnect. Rebuild your immunity and vitality. There's no heroism in ignoring your body's needs.

14. Leverage your big "whys"

    Know the specific reasons your health matters to you. Write them down where you'll see them daily.

15. Raise your sights

    Don't get sucked in by obsessions with six-pack abs and buns of steel. Don't play "compare the bodies." Fulfill your best-self vision.

16. Learn the skills

    Healthy, fit people have learned how to be healthy. Learn those skills, practice them, and you'll be healthy, too.

17. Reap the rewards

    Look and feel better, sure. But also think better, smell better, give better, love better, live better, be better.

18. Focus on the fundamentals

    Drink water, eat good food, move, rest, relax, connect. Don't sweat the more complex stuff until you've got a grip on the basics.

19. Fake it till you make it

    Don't yet see yourself as a super-healthy person? Experiment with doing a little of what you'd do if you were already supremely healthy and fit. As often as you can, act as if your commitment were unwavering.

20. Aim for 85%

    You don't have to make 100% healthy choices all the time. It's what you do most of the time — day in, day out — that counts. The healthier you get, the easier and more automatic healthy choices will become.

21. Keep your body clean, inside and out

    Toxins, poisons and other gunk have no place in the temple. Avoid artificial flavors, preservatives, colors, fragrances, petrochemicals and other toxic ingredients whenever possible.

22. Brush and floss

    Your teeth and gums are a huge determining factor in your whole-body well-being. They're also an easy place to start demonstrating your commitment to whole-person health on a daily basis.

23. Eat fresh

    Trade dead, packaged goods for foods that are fresh, alive and full of high-vibe goodness. Figure out where to find them, learn to juice/slice/dice them, and eat them with great pleasure.

24. Eat more plants

    There's a long list of phytonutrients and other good stuff in vegetables, fruits and legumes that you can't get any other way. Put plants at the center of your plate for as many meals and snacks as you can.

25. Don't fall for fakery

    Processed, fake, diet and imitation ingredients burden and inflame your body, contributing to chronic disease. And there's no clinical proof that artificial sweeteners and fat-free products support weight loss or do any part of you any good.

26. Learn to cook

    Get a dozen healthy, whole-food recipes under your belt, and your life will be forever changed. Start by mastering one.

27. Have breakfast

    Let there be protein, produce, healthy fats and fiber in it. A good breakfast wards off energy dips, brain fog and afternoon cravings.

28. Watch your reactions

    40% of U.S. adults have an intolerance to gluten; 70% to dairy. Know if you're one of them. Digestive, skin, joint, energy and mood problems may be your first clue.

29. Beware the USDA Food Pyramid

    It is a whole lot healthier for Big Ag and Big Business than for humans. Fill two-thirds of your plate with an array of vegetables, add in some other whole foods you enjoy, and don't let the rest of the Pyramid's propaganda confuse you.

30. Approach ADA guidelines with a healthy dose of doubt

    The American Dietetic Association is sponsored by processed-food corporations and staffed by former food-company execs. Their pro-processed-food advice is often colored by that, and their calorie-counting obsessions are profoundly counterproductive.

31. Go easy on the sugar and flour

    These two ingredients (combined with unhealthy industrial vegetable oils) have a starring role in most packaged foods we eat. More than any other culprit, they fuel inflammation, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and cancer.

32. Savor what you eat

    The foods you rush into your body tend to create more problems than they solve. Take your time and consciously enjoy every single bite. Notice as your hunger diminishes.

33. Care where food comes from

    Know your food's history, and you'll want to consume more selectively. Most factory-farmed and industrially produced foods aren't all that appetizing once you know their origins.

34. Go for quality, not quantity

    An ounce of wonderful is far better than a whole mess of mediocrity. Most beige, starchy and supersized foods are not worth eating.

35. Move it out

    A healthy person poops every day. Twice a day, maybe more. How's your fiber and water intake? (Also, see #28.) A clogged up colon wreaks havoc on your whole body.

36. Read labels

    Don't worry so much about the calories, grams and RDAs. Read the ingredients. Most ingredient lists begin with some combination of enriched wheat flour, sugar and oil. Avoid foods like that. Also avoid foods with long lists of ingredients you don't recognize.

37. Ignore labels

    Most of the marketing claims are meaningless, and a lot of the data is confusing. Most of the very best foods (in the produce department) have precisely one ingredient and, often, no labels at all.

38. Say no to soda

    Both regular and diet soft drinks stimulate a pro-inflammatory insulin response, trigger cravings, acidify the body, decay your teeth and leach minerals out of your bones.

39. Ask for what you want

    If you want extra this, none of that, something on the side, X in place of Y, broiled instead of fried, and everything prepared just so — say so. Being picky about what you put in your body is nothing to be ashamed of. Picky eaters unite!

40. Drink a lot of water

    The health of every cell and synapse depends on it. And when you're dehydrated on a regular basis —Êeven a little — your metabolism, energy and immunity all suffer mightily.

41. Filter your water

    You'll drink more when it tastes pure and you know it's clean. If plain water doesn't turn your crank, enjoy water with a slice of lemon, orange, cucumber, or a splash of juice. Or try herbal tea instead.

42. Love what you've got

    Treat your body with respect and appreciation. Focus on what it can do, not what it can't. Find something to celebrate, not something to criticize.

43. Redefine your goals

    If you've been trying to lose weight and struggling, make it your goal to get superbly healthy and fit instead. And then don't be surprised when the excess weight starts melting off.

44. Beware artificial hungers

    Notice what triggers your sudden desires and uncontrollable appetites. Stress and anxiety both masquerade as hunger. Find better ways of dealing with them or warding them off.

45. Identify real hungers

    You can't eat or spend your way out of loneliness, fear, boredom or lack of meaning. Find healthy ways to honor and shift them, instead.

46. Be human

    Cut yourself a little slack now and then, and forgive yourself your unhealthy trespasses. Learn what you can from them, and then move on.

47. Make being healthy easier

    Self-restraint is a limited resource. Do everything in your power to make healthy choices automatic choices and to keep unhealthy temptations out of range.

48. Don't believe the hype

    Give up on gimmicks, fads and instant fixes. Most miraculous weight-loss schemes do more harm than good, and yo-yo dieting is a recipe for weight gain.

49. Look beyond unrealistic role models

    Find your inspiration in people whose lives and goals have some relevance to your own. Also remember that most of the pictures you see of celebrities and fitness models have been extensively retouched.

50. Question authority

    Big organizations like the FDA, USDA, AHA, AMA and ADA all struggle under real limitations and conflicts of interest. Know and understand them.

51. Face the facts

    Your body is a mirror: It reflects your choices, your priorities, your habits, your attitudes and your quality of life. If you don't like your body, be willing to change the way you are living.

52. Maintain a morning practice

    Take a few minutes each sunup to set your intentions, take a few breaths, read an inspiring passage and start the day on your own terms. You may be shocked at the difference it makes.

53. Move your body

    Every day, every which-way you can, in as many ways as you enjoy. Movement nourishes your body, clears toxins, and reduces the inflammation that breeds illness and irritation.

54. Reframe exercise as a privilege

    You don't have to exercise. You get to exercise. Visit a person whose mobility is severely limited, and you'll appreciate the distinction. Do what you can, and count yourself lucky.

55. Break a sweat

    The more often, the better. Sweat is a signal that your metabolism is switching into a higher gear. Sweat is weakness, complacency and toxicity leaving the body.

56. Stay strong

    More muscle and sinew means more capacity to do anything. Don't let age, aches and pains, or lack of time be your excuses for abandoning your strength.

57. Maximize your mitochondria

    Every time you exercise, you upgrade your body's energy-and-vitality factories and build your metabolism.

58. Find your fitness edge

    Flirt with it in ways that feel good and exhilarating. Bursts of high-intensity exercise trigger positive, dramatic changes and help catalyze the body's healing response.

59. Get past body envy

    Release supermodel and celebrity obsessions. Translate your desire for a fitter, more beautiful body into positive, self-respecting daily action that nourishes you and makes you stronger.

60. Embrace meditation

    There are few life skills that will pay of as handsomely or give you as much peace and healthy perspective. Even a few minutes of meditation a day can trigger positive transformations in your biochemistry, neurology — even your DNA.

61. Study your systems

    Learn how your body works, and respect its genius. The unfortunate fact that most of us aren't formally educated in how to properly care for our bodies doesn't mean you can't learn.

62. Get to the bottom of your symptoms

    Body trouble? Find the source. Root out the cause. Don't settle for a drug that forces your symptoms to go underground only to pop up somewhere else with a vengeance.

63. Self-medicate with caution

    Get honest about how you're using alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, pain killers and other drugs to simulate well-being or cover discomfort.

64. Abandon victim thinking

    "Poor me" doesn't get you anywhere you want to go. Instead, dust yourself off, see the choices that got you here, then reclaim your prerogative to choose your own better way forward.

65. Sleep well

    Rest = recovery, repair and resilience. Exhaustion = illness and messed-up metabolism. Prioritize ample sleep time as the health essential it is.

66. Breathe deep

    In for four, out for five. Oxygen's good; breathing keeps you alive.

67. Get off your butt.

    Sitting for more than an hour or so at a stretch is deadly. Get up, stretch, walk around. Do some deep knee bends or go climb a couple flights of stairs.

68. Slow down

    Perennial rushing is toxic to the body and mind. Find moments of silence and contemplation where you can just be. Create margins of sanity. Practice the defensive art of scheduling breaks and vacations.

69. Connect with community

    Find ways of being active and involved in some kind of group activity. Joining a group, if you haven't already, can reduce your risk of dying this year by half.

70. Heal your relationships

    Mend fences, build bridges, forgive trespasses, grieve losses and let toxic grudges go. Then move on. Get help with this if you need to.

71. Get outside

    You need sunshine, fresh air and time in nature. Daily. Grab five minutes in the morning, five on the way home from work.

72. Respect your environment

    Keep in mind that human health depends upon the health of a lot of interconnected ecosystems and the planet as a whole. Make choices that respect that reality.

73. Embrace play

    Fun, novelty, humor and joy are key sources of energy, strength and inspiration. If you're suffering from a case of fun-deficit disorder, remedy that situation ASAP.

74. Consume media wisely

    Seek out entertainment and information that makes your life better. Choose not to watch, read or listen to stuff that demoralizes or immobilizes you, incites craziness, or insults your intelligence.

75. Be your own biggest fan

    Refuse to bad-talk your body, nitpick your appearance or kvetch about your weight. Find something to dig/love/ appreciate about yourself — just the way you are.

76. Turn off the TV

    Opiate of the masses. Fritterer of time. Fryer of focus. The average American watches several hours of TV a day. How much of your life are you willing to hand over to a box?

77. Eliminate tolerations

    If something's driving you crazy, deal with it. Noticing and resolving daily annoyances, messes and downers helps free up energy and increases your pleasure in living.

78. Follow the money

    Look at your checkbook register and credit-card statements for clues about where your spending is inconsistent with your healthy goals and values.

79. Redirect your resources

    Take some of the money you're spending on unhealthy distraction, consolations and indulgences, and re-route it toward your healthy-living priorities instead.

80. Ditch debt

    The stress of being stretched too thin financially is at the root of a great many health ills. Develop the skills you need to master your money and live within your means.

81. Invest in your health

    Money spent proactively on your health delivers far better returns than money spent reactively on treating illness and disease. When healthy choices seem "too expensive," consider the long-term costs of health-sapping alternatives.

82. Wise up

    Keep seeking new wisdom and mastering new skills that help you take better care of your body and live a more satisfying life. Continual learning and discovery support both health and happiness.

83. Build on your successes

    Look at what has worked well for you in the past, and do more of that. Identify and leverage your strengths. Be willing to learn from your "failures," too — but refuse to wallow in them.

84. Surprise yourself

    Don't be boring. Every once in a while, do something unexpected or out of character and see what happens.

85. Find your tribe

    Surround yourself with other healthy, positive, active people who share your passions. It's a lot easier to thrive around people who are thriving.

86. Laugh it up

    Seek out mirth, glee and merriment at every opportunity. Laughter triggers a cascade of healing, energizing chemicals.

87. Get a buddy

    Do your healthy thing with a pal or partner. Camaraderie and accountability go a long way toward creating success.

88. Give your best gifts

    Developing and sharing them endows you with enthusiasm and energy. Neglecting or squandering them slowly kills you.

89. Pace yourself

    When working hard, take brief rest breaks every 90 to 120 minutes so your cells can recharge. Be kind to yourself, and be honest about how much you can take on at any given time.

90. Vote your values

    Take your healthy convictions to the polls. Share them with your elected representatives. Vote with your dollars, too, to support healthy products, companies and communities.

91. Visualize the possibilities

    What if we lived in a world where the majority of people were healthy and happy most of the time? Imagine that future — then start creating it in your own life, one step at a time.

92. Follow your bliss

    The more positivity and enthusiasm you can build into your life, the healthier, happier and more satisfied you'll be. Happiness breeds healthiness.

93. Be responsible for yourself

    Own your decisions and actions, no matter what the circumstances. Refuse to abuse or be abused on any level. See challenges and setbacks as learning opportunities.

94. Take the high road

    If you feel yourself getting dragged down or losing traction in your healthy commitments, ask: What's my highest choice right now? What can I do to make this situation better?

95. Make time

    The hour you give yourself for self-care pays you back three. Think you're too busy? The busier you are, the more effective and energetic you need to be, and the less time you have to get sick.

96. Make space

    Declutter your house, your office, your car, your desk, your mind. Create room for your chosen future; create space that reflects the way you want to feel.

97. Focus on action, not outcomes

    Live the life of a healthy person, and the results will take care of themselves. Every healthy step is a victory. Every day is an opportunity to feel, live and be better than the day before.

98. Make it a party

    Discover new healthy passions. Revel in new healthy pleasures. Have so much fun getting and being healthy that everyone around you wants to do it, too!

99. Let go of excuses

    Yes, you're busy. You probably have a lot of priorities competing for your time, energy and resources. But wouldn't all those priorities be better served by a healthier, more dynamic you?

100. Show up

     No one is going to do this for you. You can't fake it, and you can't phone it in. Your body is where you're going to spend the rest of your life. So make it a great place to live.

101. Pass it on

     Pssst! Being healthy is a revolutionary act. The more of us who stand up for our health and happiness, the more power we have to change the world — one person, one life, one revolutionary act at a time.