The Daily Dozen for a Long Life:
A guide to make the most of every day!
One of the best things we can do to extend our life is to enjoy each and every moment. No matter how much you take care of diet and exercise, there is another element which is crucial for longevity. That additional element is all about the mind, and about your perception of the world around you. Believe it or not, you have the power to manifest the very best in your life, so who wouldn’t want every day to be a good day?
Make every day a Great Day
When we wake up in the morning, we have a choice to make. We can allow the pressures of the outside world crowd into our mind, and these thoughts are guaranteed to dominate our day. On the other hand, we can choose to be incredibly grateful that we have woken up, we are alive, and we are blessed to be a part of this incredible place that we call Earth! What is there not to be grateful about?
Do you want to live a long and happy life?
The problem with the two options that we need to make every morning is that it can define the path of our life! When we choose to be grateful and happy to be alive, we have the ability to manifest a truly great day. When we allow our mind to welcome pleasant thoughts, we not only experience an elevated mindset, but we also begin each day with an inspired attitude to make the most of the new day. If we become overwhelmed by negative thoughts, we virtually guarantee troubles and strife.
Longevity comes from within
The benefit of a positive mindset and an inspired attitude is the hidden benefit to our health. Which attitude would you prefer? One of lightness and happiness, as apposed to dark and stormy? There is scientific evidence that our body produces different hormones according to the mood that we feel. The better we feel, the better the hormones that flow through out the body, and the better the health of each and every one of those cells throughout the body.
“A day is actually a snapshot of your life in miniature –
make every day a good one!”
The Daily Dozen for Longevity
So how do we make sure that our day gets off to a good start, and stays on track? We need to be very careful about our mindset and our thoughts each day, because there are any number of distractions and problems that can ruin our day. Here is a list of simple ways that we can start the day with a positive outlook, and more ideas to keep a positive attitude! This is my list of the Daily Dozen for a long and happy life.
1. Dawning of the DayDaylight
Enjoy each new day like it deserves. There is no doubt that every day is a special gift that we should appreciate, and what better way than to watch the sunrise. Dawn is a special and quiet and relaxing time of the day, and you can make this your hour of power! Welcoming teh new day is a unique opportunity to give thanks for being alive – make it special.
2. Deliberate and meditate
When the world is quiet, this is the time to plan your day. If you want to create the very best vision for your day, then that only comes about with deliberate intent to make this day great. Meditation is one of the best ways to do this! Even a short meditation for 5 or 10 minutes in the morning can change the course of the day. Then plan out the rest of the day with your intent for what is important, and what you need to get done. This is the best way to ensure you meet your objectives, and get the most satisfaction.
3. Drink Clean Water
Hydrate your body with clean fresh water each morning. Hydration is a crucial step towards maintaining better health. Not only does clear and clean water purify your body, but you can also flush out waste and toxins with a cleansing drink of water every morning. Hydration first thing each day is the best way to clean the lymph system and flush out the toxins which have built up in the body overnight.
4. Diet of Healthy Food
The next step is to choose a healthy diet, and enjoy and appreciate your meals throughout the day. Now I understand that there are so many diets and weight loss fads out there and it can be confusing. Research has failed to prove which particular diet is best. However, there is no doubt that a moderate diet of based around plant based products and avoiding processed foods is the healthiest way to go. It is also important to enjoy preparing and eating your food, so make it an important part of your day!
5. Drip with sweat
Now this is important, because we need a small amount of exercise and movement every day. But perhaps the word “Drill” is a little misleading, because there is no need to make a regime out of simple exercise. The fact is that we don’t need to be doing excessive amounts of exercise, we just need a little movement each day, or every other day. The reason is to keep the muscles and joint active, because if we become sedentary, this can be more harmful than smoking.
When it comes to how much exercise we should do, the secret is that we need to work up a sweat if possible. This means that when we work up a sweat, that means we have elevated the heart rate and worked those large muscles. This has the effect of massaging the lymphatic system which flushes toxic waste and metabolic by-products out of the body. When the lymph system becomes stagnant, all the toxins build up in the cells and muscles, which makes it harder to get up and do the vital exercise.
6. Daylight
It is very important for the production of Vitamin D within the body that we get some fresh air and sunlight during the day. Sunlight on the skin is the best way to generate Vitamin D in the body which is essential for proper brain and body functions. The amount of daylight needed to produce the right amount of Vitamin D depends on many variables, so be sure to follow advice for your geographic and demographic factors.
7. Deletion
Do you have any bad habits or poor lifestyle choices that you might go without in order to be healthier? Ooooh, now here is a controversial one – I am sure there is something that you might go without and actually feel better. No matter whether it might be sugar, processed foods, alcohol, chocolate, shopping, or some other addiction. We need to look at our behaviours and decide whether these habits are actually serving us, or do they take over our life, or hijack our day.
8. Desire and passion
What are your desires, dreams, or passions? What makes you feel special, what can you do for yourself, that makes you feel good? When we design our day according to our desires and passions, we find that we are much more content with our day, and more motivated to get up in the morning. If we delete some of the unwanted aspects of our daily routine, it can be very fulfilling to replace those bad habits with good habits.
9. Drive and Determination
What drives you to do better? What can you do today that you don’t need will power, but something that comes from within? The best part about finding our own internal determination and motivation is that we never need to rely on will power. When we follow our heart and do the activities that we most love to do, we maintain our high energy levels, and never get tired. This means we get more done, we are more productive, and more motivated throughout the day.
10. Devotion
Do you have time to give thanks to whatever higher power is looking over you? No matter what or who you believe your higher power, it is always healthy to pause and reflect that your life is being lived in accordance with your spiritual powers.
11. Discourse
Now it is time to talk to your neighbour, or family or your loved ones because we need to have interaction with people throughout the day. Social connectivity is one of the best ways to maintain our health and longevity. No matter who you find to talk to during the day, be sure to interact openly and attentively, to ensure that you really connect with the other person, and make your discourse enjoyable!
12. Dusk 
At the end of every perfect day, be sure to go out and enjoy the sunset. If sunset only happened once per year, we would not want to miss it. So be sure to go out and and make it a daily habit to observe the natural spectacle. So why not watch the sunset every day, and spend some quiet time reflecting on all the things that you have to be grateful for.
Oh and of course, there is just one more for the Bakers Dozen:
13. Do a good deed every day!
Just like my Dad always says, there is no better feeling than doing a good deed for someone every day. This can be as simple as giving someone a smile or a wave, or it can mean actively helping someone overcome a difficulty. No matter how big or how small, a good deed is never wasted, and you just never know how much good a little kindness can do in the world!
Be sure to count down your Daily Dozen for Longevity.
