Living Well™ Means Choosing Well

At AIM, “living well” means taking care of all your physical, intellectual and spiritual needs so you can pursue the lifestyle that makes you happy. And the key to living well is to acknowledge that the most important factor in your overall health is you—you have the power to improve your health through the lifestyle choices you make.

The Choice is Yours

There are many things in this world that affect our health. But while we have little control over factors such as our genetic makeup or age, we can make a significant impact on our overall health through the lifestyle choices we make. In fact, the United States Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 80 percent of all illnesses have environmental and lifestyle causes.

Just think of all the choices you do have control over. Should you skip a meal, grab a burger or have a salad? Stay at a stressful job or find something more fulfilling? Live in an area with high air pollution or crime, or move? Get out and go for a jog or sit on the couch and watch a game on TV?

Three Simple Steps to Living Well

Although the choices seem endless, making the right choices in just three areas can help you enjoy the quality of life you want. You must eliminate poor lifestyle choices, so you can prepare your body to operate at its best. Nourish your body to give it the fuel it needs to run efficiently. And replenish the items your body may be lacking or need more of due to environmental or physical stresses.

Eliminate

The first step in living well is to eliminate the factors that result in poor health. These may be either lifestyle choices or toxins we expose ourselves to. Here are just a few items that negatively affect our health:

• smoking
• excessive alcohol intake
• too much caffeine
• lack of exercise
• drug abuse
• lack of sleep
• diet high in processed foods, fats and sugars
• diet low in fiber, fruits, vegetables and other complex carbohydrates
• high stress
• living or working in an area high in pollutants

Along with eliminating bad lifestyle choices, we must also be sure that we’re flushing toxins out of the body. This is known as detoxification. Toxins in the body may include heavy metals, alcohol, drugs, agricultural chemicals, pesticides, fungus, molds, bacteria … any number of things that we are exposed to in our position at the “top of the food chain.” To eliminate toxins from your system, be sure to drink eight or more glasses of pure water a day and eat a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables.

Nourish

When you eliminate an unhealthy lifestyle choice, you should replace it with a healthy one. Make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs by eating a well-balanced diet. This is one that is low in fat, processed foods, and sugar, and high in pure water, juices, complex carbohydrates, fiber, fruits and vegetables.

• 70 to 75% of calories should come from complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains)
• 15 to 20% from proteins (low-fat meats, poultry, fish and legumes)
• 5-10% from fats

You should also get plenty of exercise and rest. And don’t forget to nurture the other aspects of your life as well—plenty of laughter and a strong social network can also help keep you healthy.

Replenish

While eliminating and nourishing will go a long ways towards helping you maintain your health, there are times when extra stressors deplete the crucial nutrients your body needs to stay strong. For instance, pregnant women, athletes in competitions, people under high stress, those who live or work around chemicals or pollution, or those who are ill or injured all have specific nutritional requirements.

As an example, if you live in an area that has high levels of air pollution, extra doses of antioxidants may help protect your cells from free radical damage.

One Step at a Time

Of course, you can’t expect to change years of lifestyle habits overnight, so take it one step at a time. Pass up that cookie after dinner tonight in favor of a banana or apple. Tomorrow, turn off the TV and go for a walk instead. Many little steps will add up—and soon you’ll be eliminating, nourishing and replenishing your way to a lifetime of good health.

AIM Products

All AIM products are designed to help Eliminate, Nourish and Replenish, but here are a few that are key to good health.

Eliminate: AIM Herbal Fiberblend® offers a unique combination of the soluble fiber Psyllium
and cleansing herbs to help your body detoxify, maintain bowel health and provide dietary fiber.

Nourish: AIM Garden Trio® (AIM BarleyLife®, AIM Just Carrots®, AIM RediBeets®) is an easy and convenient way to get the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Replenish: AIM CellSparc 360® combines coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) with tocotrienols and fish oil to provide total cardiovascular support.

Replenish: AIM Proancynol® 2000 combines green tea, grape seed extract, alpha-lipoic acid and other powerful antioxidants to help fight free radicals and maintain a healthy immune system