19 Milestones To Achieving Optimal Health

Signs Your Health Is Optimal

Here are a few signs that you've reached the next level when it comes to your wellness! Don't be discouraged if you don't check off every single item on the list - we're not aiming for perfection, but to always keep improving.

1. Inflammation is at normal levels

Inflammation is at the root of most chronic health issues, but this chronic, low-grade inflammation isn’t the same as the acute variety that you might experience if you get an injury, so pain isn’t always present when inflammation is ongoing. The best way to determine your inflammation levels is by getting lab tests for inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP).

2. Your microbiome is balanced

Inside and on your body, you host trillions of bacteria, and the balance of those populations are super important to your health, immune system, and digestion. Imbalances like SIBO and candida yeast overgrowth are increasingly common. A sign that your microbiome isn’t what it should be is that you are having (and pardon me while I get personal) at least two healthy bowel movements a day that resemble snakes (not pebbles or soft serve), and do not suffer from bloating, constipation, or diarrhea.

3. "Longevity traits" are part of your personality

Some exciting research looked at the personality traits that are most commonly found in people who live long, healthy lives. This is what they possess:

• Conscientiousness
• Openness
• Emotional stability
• Friendliness
• Emotional expression
• Energy and stamina

I find that my patients who are lacking in these six categories tend to have a more difficult health journey, but you can consciously cultivate all of these.

4. Your brain fog is cleared

Muddled thinking and forgetting names and words are so common today that these brain blips are considered a normal part of getting older. Not so! Brain fog is a clue that something is wrong. You have more brain cells than there are stars in the galaxy, and you need to take care of every single one. If you’re struggling with brain fog, here’s my guide to reaching mental clarity.

5. Your hormones are on point

Hormones play a major role in many crucial operating systems in your body. If your endocrine system (the system of all the organs and glands that produce your hormones) isn’t carefully balanced, you will feel it in your mood, energy, and symptoms. When your balance is off, you can suffer from adrenal fatigue, thyroid problems, and the many uncomfortable symptoms that come from estrogen and progesterone imbalances. Your doctor can test you for hormone imbalances.

6. You aren't deficient in nutrients

If you lack any of the essential nutrients your body needs to conduct its biochemical symphony your cells can’t function optimally. Your doctor can test you for common nutrient deficiencies like vitamin D, and magnesium, and imbalances between copper and zinc. Correct those and your body will thank you.

7. Methylation problems are addressed

Methylation is a biochemical highway system that keeps your brain, gut, and hormones at peak performance. But methylation impairments such as the MTHFR mutation are super common and interfere with essential processes like folate metabolism and dopamine uptake. These are not widely considered in conventional medicine, even though these mutations can have a profound impact on your health and mood. A simple genetic test can discover any methylation mutations so you can better support what your body doesn’t do very well.

8. You are no longer "hangry"

If you get irritable, weak, or shaky if you miss a meal, chances are your blood sugar is not balanced and you are familiar with the state of being “hangry” (hungry and angry). Blood sugar stability is one of the most basic and crucial aspects of optimal health. If you aren’t sure about yours, you can get a fasting blood sugar test from your doctor. Also, here is my advice on 15 signs to look out for, plus exactly what to do for better blood sugar health.

9. You have a healthy libido

Low sex drive seems to be an unfortunate but ubiquitous condition these days, and just like brain fog and fatigue, people often assume their low libido is just a “normal” part of getting older or being busy. Again, not true! Just because something is common doesn’t make it normal. If you are rarely ever “in the mood,” your doctor can do some tests and assess the underlying cause for your depressed libido.

10. Your weight doesn't fluctuate

If you’re at optimal health, your weight should stay relatively stable and be healthy for your height and build. If your weight fluctuates significantly over the course of weeks or months, you likely have a problem with hormones, inflammation, or both. Leptin resistance is another common problem for people who can’t seem to lose weight even with dieting and exercise.

11. You enjoy healthy food

Clean eating really can become a way of life and it is a transition that every successful patient of mine has to undergo. If you are truly healthy, your tastebuds will adjust and you will see healthy eating, not as a chore but as a privilege. Yes, you can actually learn to love it!

12. Unnecessary medications are a thing of the past

Many people take a lot of medications, both prescribed and over-the-counter, and oftentimes they are unnecessary. If you immediately reach for a pill bottle for even the slightest discomfort, try phasing that out for more natural remedies like deep breathing, fresh air, and a more nutrient-rich diet. I also encourage anyone on prescribed medications to have an open, honest discussion with their doctor about options. Here is a list of some common medications that I find to be overprescribed including their potential health-impacting side effects.

13. Your skin is clear

Your skin is your largest organ, and it speaks to you through its condition, so what’s it telling you? Problems like acne breakouts, psoriasis, eczema, and rashes are a sign that something’s not working well. The first think I look at when my patients have skin issues is the gut-skin connection.

14. You sit less than walking or standing

You may have heard that sitting is the new smoking, and there are good reasons to support this dramatic claim. Prolonged sitting increases your risk for a wide range of diseases, especially diabetes and heart disease, and it is also associated with a shorter lifespan. If you’ve been considering a standing desk, wait no more, or at least get up for more frequent walking breaks.

15. You don't stress often

Chronic stress affects just about every system of your body and can undermine your most puritanical health efforts. Making time for self-care, mindfulness, and other methods for stress management is essential to optimal health.

16. You sleep through the night and wake up refreshed

Just one night of poor sleep can spike inflammation levels and interfere with optimal thinking and functioning. If you are not getting eight to ten hours of high-quality, uninterrupted sleep every night, you won’t achieve optimal health. If you aren’t waking up refreshed, your sleep quality may be poor. Talk to your doctor about assessing and improving your sleep quality.

17. Simple activity doesn't wear you out

If walking up stairs, carrying groceries, or getting dressed leaves you out of breath, you are not investing enough time or attention to your physical activity. Healthy people move vigorously on a regular basis and don’t get winded doing simple activities.

18. You have an exercise routine

Speaking of fitness, most of us should be sweating about six times each week. Whether it’s a brisk walk in nature, yoga, or HIIT training, exercise increases something called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which regenerates brain cells and keeps you younger longer.

19. You don't crave junk foods

Intense food cravings are a sign that something isn’t working correctly. Something is off – hormones, blood sugar, stress level – and all of these can sabotage your good intentions and quest for optimal health.

How to Level Up Your Wellness

If you haven't reached these milestones yet and you're wondering what to focus on next, here are my top 5 tips for leveling up your well-being, with a focus on the often overlooked emotional side of health.

1. Replace complaining with gratitude

While you might recognize the importance of gratitude, fear, stress, anger, anxiety, and bitterness can easily creep in. Instead of thinking of gratitude as yet another thing to cross off your daily to-do list, reshape how you practice it.

The next time you want to complain, take note of what triggers you in order to set up healthy boundaries for whatever isn’t serving your mental and physical health. Not only will you feel better by cutting out the negative, you’ll also be making room for the things that do make the cut on your gratitude list.

2. Do a good deed

There is a lot of talk in the wellness world about setting up boundaries and removing yourself from toxic people and situations. Although I believe this is vital to our mental health, if we aren’t careful, it can also lead to a self-serving mentality that doesn’t leave room for compassion, empathy, and sacrifice for others. Studies have even shown that helping others (1) can give you a sense of purpose, improve your mental health, and bring about a sense of connection.

Just remember, you don’t have to give at the expense of your values or push yourself to your physical or emotional limit. Choose a cause and volunteer your time or resources in accordance with what you have to give.

3. Change your diet

I don’t believe in “good” or “bad” foods. But as a functional medicine expert, I understand that there are bad foods for you. Since everyone’s biochemistry is different, you might respond negatively to a certain food that someone else might thrive off of. Swapping out inflammatory foods and drinks that don’t love you back with nutrient-dense foods that do is the opposite of “toxic diet culture.” Just like you have healthy boundaries with people, it’s ok to have healthy boundaries with foods that don’t agree with you. Fueling your body with the fuel it needs and loves is another way to show your body self-respect.

4. Allow yourself to feel

We all feel anger, excitement, anxiety, fear, stress, and sadness at some point in our daily lives but society doesn’t always give us the space to feel these emotions - whether that’s due to a “lack” of time or preconceived notions of how we should present ourselves.

However, this leads people to go through the motions of life with unresolved trauma that has been buried deep inside. Instead of subscribing to society’s rules of how we should act, let yourself feel every emotion that comes your way so that you can move on to the next stage of the healing journey: resolution. Give yourself space to journal, cry, or talk through your feelings with someone you trust. Once you have identified your feelings, you’ll be able to walk through trials in your life a lot easier.

5. Take responsibility and don’t shy away from conflict

Creating distance and blaming others is a lot easier than admitting when you are wrong. Personally, conflict has only gotten worse in my life - not better - whenever I’ve tried to sweep problems under the rug. While it might be tough at first, I’ve experienced a lot more freedom and reconciliation once I’ve apologized, owned up to my mistakes and been willing to listen to the other person. As for when the conversations haven’t gone so great? Well, that only revealed the healthy boundaries that needed to be put in place.

The Takeaway

There is no “one-size-fits-all” formula for any aspect of wellness. You might be great at facing conflict but not so great at setting up healthy boundaries. Health is an ever-evolving journey, so take what is going to benefit you the most and put the rest aside for a time when you might need to come back to them.

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

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