Oil-pulling has started to gain some notoriety lately, especially after being promoted on by health and wellness bloggers the world over. For those who somehow haven’t heard of it before, oil-pulling is when you take a mouthful of oil and swish it around your mouth for anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes. The point is supposed to be that it “pulls” the “toxins” out of your mouth, leaving it cleaner and healthier.

Now I can’t speak to what toxins they are talking about, because I’m not an expert. All I know is that it makes my mouth feel cleaner and less smelly, so that’s enough for me. I’ve given it a go with the usual suggestions (coconut oil and sesame oil mostly), but I didn’t enjoy the feeling or the price tag associated with either one. So I decided to try doing the same thing using just water and the results were the same – only it’s cheaper and doesn’t feel gross. So a win-win, as far as I’m concerned. Feel free to try any of the three you and to choose whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.

Another routine for maintaining good oral hygiene is a good old fashioned gargle. But, instead of using a store-bought mouthwash with god-knows-how-many ingredients, I just use a homemade saline solution – that’s to say: I use salt and water. Not just because I’m cheap, but also because I’m not a fan of all those artificial colours and flavours in commercial mouthwashes.

Now, because this can be very harsh in your teeth and gums, it’s a solution I vary the strength of depending on whether or not I have any pain in my mouth. If you don’t have any cavities or swelling in your mouth, I’d suggest you stick to a very thin ratio of ¼ tsp salt to a cup of water. Just make sure to gargle all the way to the back of your tonsils, as this keeps pesky sore-throats at bay.

I’m very specific here, because I want to caution you against drinking things like soda, fruit juice, cocoa, dairy and coffee. These not only contain an alarming amount of sugar, which will make you crash before your first work break, but they also don’t offer you any vital nutrients. Water is the way to go, if you want to rehydrate without any added calories or nasties. My second choice would be some kind of home-made fermented drink like kombucha or water kefir, naturally sweetened without sugar.

If neither of those are for you, my third suggestion would be a tea that naturally doesn’t contain caffeine, again lightly sweetened with some kind of natural sweetener other than sugar (preferably date syrup for the added vitamins and minerals. Smoothies would be my last choice, because it’s always better to eat a fruit in its whole and natural state. Blending them into a smoothie spikes your blood sugar and contributes to the development of insulin resistance. It’s not as bad as fruit juice, because at least smoothies retain the fibre. All I’m just saying is, I wouldn’t want to make smoothies or juices a consistent habit for my daily hydration. If you haven’t already read my article and watched my video on the importance of proper hydration, click here (water).

The 5 Tibetan Rites are an ancient system of exercises consisting of 5 stretches to be done every single day, preferably in the morning. They are said to keep the body young, strong and flexible, if done consistently and correctly. I’ve only been doing them for three years, so I can’t speak as to whether they will keep me strong into old age, but what I can say with confidence is that they make me feel more awake and ready to face the day.

Let me explain how to do each exercise. Each one needs to be repeated 21 times. Don’t ask me why, ask the Tibetan monks who created them.

Rite 1

Stand up straight with your arms outstretched completely horizontal, with both palms facing down. Start spinning around in a clockwise direction (from left to right). Here’s a pro tip to lessen your chances of getting too dizzy: keep your eyes on your right fingertips the whole time.

Rite 2

Lie down on your back with your hands against your hips and your palms on the floor. Keep your fingers close together. Raise your feet until your legs are at a 90-degree angle to your body. Don’t let your knees bend. As you lift your feet, also lift your head slightly towards your core without lifting your shoulders. Hold this position for a moment and then slowly lower your feet back to the floor along with your head. Allow all your muscles to completely relax for a moment, then repeat.

Rite 3

Kneel on something soft enough so your knees don’t hurt. Keep your palms flat against the side of your legs. Lean forward as far as you can, bending at the waist with your chin on your chest. Then lean backward as far as you can, as though trying to touch the back of your head to your feet. Don’t move your arms from your side. Stop before you start to lose your balance and repeat from the start.

Rite 4

Sit up straight with your feet stretched out in front of you as straight as possible with the ankles touching. Keep your palms flat on the floor beside your hips, fingers together and pointing slightly outward. Keep your head facing forward. Now gently raise your hips while bending your knees, so your calves are completely vertical. Make sure your arms are vertical as well and that the rest of your body from your knees to your shoulders are completely horizontal. Rest your head gently back, so that you’re facing up and tense your whole body. Hold this position for a few seconds, return to the first position and relax for a moment before repeating.

Rite 5

Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Stretch your legs back, keep your feet shoulder-width apart and push your bottom up to form a triangle. Keep your feet as flat as possible, so you feel the stretch in the back of your calves as you push. Rest your chin on your chest and allow your body to come forward into a sagging position where you use your arms and shoulders to bring your head up and back as far as possible while pushing your hips into the floor. Tense your muscles for a moment and repeat.

I’m not going to spend much time explaining this one as I’ve already written extensively on the benefits and types of meditation. If you haven’t read those articles or watched those videos yet, click here (meditation). For now, suffice it to say that spending some time in the morning just being comfortably you, and breathing without letting your thoughts run amok, will discipline your mind and emotions. This will help you not only with your personal relationships, but also at work and in your inner world as well.

Again, I’ve written a lot of things about gratitude, so if you’re interested, click here (gratitude) or simply write “gratitude” into the search bar of this website and you’ll see all the related articles. For now, let me just explain what I do in the morning to feel grateful: I commit to writing two things I’m grateful for every morning.

One has to be something simple and natural that I have always had and don’t put any effort into, like having the gift of sight to see with. The other has to be something a little more complex that I achieved using some skill or effort, like the fact that my house is clean and organized. Combined, they remind me that even though things aren’t perfect, my life is still way better than it could have been without these two things, so I might as well appreciate them.

I don’t think I’ve spoken about the beauty of free-writing before, so here I go. It’s a practise that has the power to clear even the most cluttered mind. It forces you to organize your thoughts, if not as you put pen to paper, then at least you get the chance to organize them once you read what you’ve written. It doesn’t matter what you write, how much you write or for how long. What’s important is that you commit to writing without thinking about it beforehand. That’s the essence of free-writing; not having a plan in mind. Just writing what comes to the forefront of your brain as it appears. This tends to bring forth the things you’re most concerned with, allowing you to work through the issue in a healthy way.

Personally, I like to stick to filling one page of my notebook per day. Said notebook isn’t very big. Just big enough to give me time to establish an issue and work through it. It takes about 5-10 minutes to finish writing on each page, depending on how quickly I write or whether or not I stop to think. It might be different for you, but the main thing is that you don’t write too little, or it won’t have the desired effect.

The word “workout” tends to scare certain people away. They certainly wouldn’t want to do it every day. To this I say, what’s better? Three 60-minute workouts a week or one 20-minute workout a day? The former means you work out for 180 minutes a week, whereas the latter means you work out for 140 minutes a week. So it may seem like you’re working out more, but you’re actually working out 40 minutes less.

The difference is, you’re building a consistent habit, and if you’re doing it first thing in the morning, not only will you be more likely to do it, because you won’t be as tired after a full day at work, but it will wake you up and energize you, making you more alert for the day. And of course, it will keep you trim and if you choose to do bodyweight exercises at home without equipment, you’ll also be saving money. Who needs a gym, when they’ve got their own bodyweight? If you’d like to know what exercises I personally do each morning, comment below and I’d be happy to share my routine.

I know so many people who insist that they don’t need to have breakfast in the morning. I don’t know if it’s because they think they don’t have time, or because they don’t feel like putting it together, but I insist that everyone needs to have breakfast. Without it, you just won’t have the energy to face the day. Your body needs glucose to convert to energy after a few hours of not eating while you slept. Waiting another 4-6 hours until lunch time just isn’t going to cut it.

Spend a week having a filling breakfast full of carbs and fibre and you will see a massive difference in the amount of productivity you can squeeze into your morning. I promise you this! I suggest carbs and fibre, because carbs are what your body converts most easily to energy and because fibre jumpstarts your bowels in the morning, releasing unwanted toxins from your body (in the form of poop and pee of course) and making space for fresh food to convert into energy.

This one’s completely unique to you, so I can’t suggest anything in particular. For me, it’s reading a book. For my partner, it’s playing video games. For you, it might be playing music, baking or enjoying a bubble-bath. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s something that brings you joy. We all need something like that in our lives, because all work and no play not only makes us dull, but it also makes us unhappy.

I caution you NOT to use this time to catch up on work, cross things off your to-do list or do household chores you don’t like. This is YOUR time, so spend it doing something that will relax and revitalise you. Respect this space of solitude. Block it off on your calendar and treat it like you would an important work commitment. If you enjoy sharing this time with your loved ones, by all means, spend some of it with those you care about, but I would recommend spending at least a portion of it on your own.

As I’ve said in the past (solitude video), solitude is an important skill to master. It helps you get to know yourself better, and allows you to get used to showing yourself love. This kind of self-care is rare nowadays, because a lot of us are so time-poor, which is why it’s so important to make time for yourself and to try to enjoy your own company as often as possible. It’s a vital skill necessary for good mental and emotional health.

I hope you find these tips helpful and that you give them a go, if you’ve never tried them before. If you’re finding this advice hard to implement, ask for help in the comments below, send me a message, or book a FREE breakthrough session and I’ll try to help you through Skype.

You can find more Happiness Strategy videos on my YouTube channel, so subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode! I come out with a new one every single Sunday.

Until next time, remember: Happiness doesn’t require energy. It requires Strategy.