Day 8

“Salt Is Essential But Too Much Is Bad News.”
― Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D. 

Finally it’s a REST day! Woohoo!!! You can take the day “off” or get your stretch on with with yoga exercise by Radiant Health fitness contributor, EJ (see video below).

Day 8 Wellness Action: Evaluate Your Salt Intake

Too much salt can increase your blood pressure by drawing more water into your blood vessels. This action increases your blood volume and by extension your blood pressure. When your blood pressure rises above the normal range, your blood vessels are stressed more than the baseline and can get damaged if the increased blood pressure persists.

Evaluating your salt intake starts in your kitchen. How much salt do you use to cook your meals? Do you use MSG (seasoning cubes)? And of course how much processed food do you eat?

Processed foods are usually filled with sodium (and salt) for flavor. Cutting down on these non-naturally occurring foods, is your first line of offense when reducing your salt intake. If you use a lot of salt and seasoning cubes in your meals, you can start to reduce your risk of hypertension by cutting down on the amounts you use. Check out today’s Radiant Reading for practical ways to cut down on seasoning cubes and overall salt without giving up on flavor!

Day 8 Workout: Rest and Relaxation

Exercise is important but so too is rest and recuperation (R & R). R & R puts energy back into your body while exercise takes it out. However, it’s not a good idea to do nothing either as that can leave you feeling more tired and make getting back into exercise tomorrow harder than it needs to be.

For your R & R, do 10 to 15 minutes of light physical activity that isn’t really exercise; take a stroll with your better half (or your kids!), go for a swim, do some gardening or just have a stretch. If you prefer something more structured, do 10 to 15 minutes of yoga sun salutations to help stretch your main muscles and mobilize your joints. (See video)

Click here for full written yoga salutations instructions. 

Today’s Radiant Read: “Less Salt Please!” Rethink The Cube

How do you plan to relax today? Let’s jive on Facebook. Go straight to Day 8‘s Facebook group post by clicking here.