We are continually inspired by Nava Medical Director, Douglas Lord, M.D. From his motivational approach to dealing with life’s little challenges, to his “I practice what I preach” approach to health; Dr. Lord is a perfect example of what a healthy lifestyle can do for you.

We admire Dr. Lord so much here at Nava, we decided that we would dedicate month two of the “Summer of Wellness Challenge,” to celebrating some of his favorite healthy habits.

Your challenge for July, if you choose to accept it, is to adopt two healthy habits for the entire month. 

Of course our goal is for you to adopt these healthy habits for the long-term, but let’s begin with July.

Be sure to let us know below in the comments what two habits you plan to try for July!

Brittany, Stacey and I will be representing Nava in this month’s challenge.

9 of Dr. Lord’s Favorite Healthy Habits

1. Get Moving Each Day: Most of us know that daily exercise is the very best way to invest in your total wellness. Exercise can improve everything from your mood to your blood pressure. One easy way to stay motivated is to use a fitness tracker. Many of us here at Nava use the fitbit to track our 10,000 steps a day goal.

Dr. Lord advises that you never let exercise become a chore. Hit the links, learn Zumba or tackle that rock climbing wall. The more fun you are having, the less it feels like exercise!

2. Get on a Sleep Schedule: Go to bed and wake up around the same time most days of the week. Sleep has a much larger impact on our overall health than most people realize. The number one thing to do to get more sleep is to regulate your sleep schedule. Consistency is key. For this month’s challenge, see if you can find a one hour window for your bedtime and wake time, which you can adhere to most days of the week. Not only will you improve the quality of your sleep, but you will give your body the chance it needs to heal cells and regulate body function.

3. Increase portions of fruit & veggies at every meal: Add three more servings of fruit and vegetables to your diet each day. Here is another healthy habit that is much talked about, easy to do, yet so many of us are not doing it. Just adjust your portions at each meal and you can easily achieve this health habit. We really like this pin to help eyeball portions sizes at mealtimes.

Dr. Lord chooses to pack a healthy lunch most days. You rarely see Dr. Lord without some leafy greens and fresh fruit.

4. Strengthen social ties: Make time for quality social interaction each day. These social connections boost brain function and stabilize blood pressure. Shocking fact; loneliness is actually a greater risk for morbidity than cigarette smoking. Socializing reduces loneliness and isolation, both factors that can accelerate aging, increase blood pressure and create anxiety. Read more! 

5. Cut down on sugar: Everyone now understands that sugar is just not good for you. For this month’s challenge, we want to challenge you to “Quit soda for good.” We are very motivated to help all of you break the soda cycle. Diet soda fans, this includes you! Artificial sweeteners are not doing your health any favor.

Dr. Lord has serious concerns about the use of artificial sweeteners and the long-term effects. Best to just kick soda to the curb once and for all.

6. Learn how to manage stress. Dial down the cortisone and you could save yourself a lot of heartache, literally! Researchers are currently studying the effects of stress management on heart disease. The correlations are strong and mitigating the effects of stress is hot topic these days.

Dr. Lord has a saying, “Don’t worry about things you don’t have control over!” Dr. Lord is absolutely correct. We like this article which provides a few easy stress busters!

7. Invest in a quality supplement: Many common issues like; fatigue, insomnia and even skin conditions can be attributed to nutrient and mineral deficiencies. In a perfect world, we would get everything we need for optimum body function through diet alone. Unfortunately today’s processed diets leave us nutrient deficient. At Nava we do testing that identifies any mineral or vitamin deficiencies. We also offer our line of specially-formulated nutraceuticals (Nava Elements,) available to supplement your diet and keep your body functioning at an optimal level

Dr. Lord has daily regimen of supplements that he takes to ensure he is fortified with all of the key minerals and vitamins. Dr. Lord emphasizes finding a high quality Vitamin D and to consider adding a powerful anti-inflammatory supplement like Enhanced Curcumin.

8. Exercise your brain: Start knitting, catch the Sudoku craze or finally master French. Learning something new improves mental fitness. You don’t have to devote yourself to writing a dissertation; one simple new challenge like a daily crossword can go a long way to securing your mental fitness.

Dr. Lord is always changing things up. From learning a new sport to traveling to new places, he is always challenging himself to adapt to new surroundings and to acquire new skills. Learning is the real fountain of youth.

9. Go meat free a few meals a week. Reducing meat consumption is good for your total health. Some of the many benefits include; weight-loss, improved cholesterol, reduced blood sugar levels and better skin.

Dr. Lord actually grew up as a vegetarian! He continues to make vegetables the star of his diet, indulging in fish, shellfish and lean meats less frequently.

We are really excited to share some of Dr. Lord’s healthy lifestyle tips with all of you. Now it’s time to do the work and introduce some of these healthy tips into your life! Healthy July here we come!