10 Ways To Be The Healthiest In Naples

In case you didn’t notice Naples, FL is considered a Blue Zone. This means it’s one of the areas where people are living longer than other areas in the country or world. This is great and all but when I think about it at what quality of life are we living longer in Naples. My goal in life is to live a great, active life past 100 years old. I don’t want to be one of those people who are super old but also so frail that I can’t do anything!

So what can we do here in Naples that will allow us to not only live really long but also maintain a great active life doing so!

Well there are a variety of things we can do and I wanted to compile what I believe to be the top 10 things we can do to be the healthiest in Naples. There may be some things that you disagree with in this list but in my opinion this is the best list at this moment. With that being said let’s get into it!

1. Grocery Guide

A grocery guide might sound funny to you but it’s actually really vital in this instance! You really are what you eat so the type of food you’re eating is important. Not every grocery store carries the same food and not all food is created equal. As a general rule of thumb I always tell people to stay away from the middle of the store as that is where most of the food that is packed with preservatives lives, mainly in the big box stores (Publix).

Focus on buying organic and pay attention to the ingredient label. A general rule of thumb is if you don’t understand the names of ingredients on the back it’s probably not the best option for you. A lot of these complicated ingredients will be used as fillers and preservatives which are harmful to our bodies when consumed on a regular basis.

It’s worth noting that when it comes to meat, try and get things that are organic, free range, and/or grass fed (especially dairy and meat). Salmon is a fish that has gotten a lot of hype but research has shown that farmed salmon is the equivalent to junk food nowadays. So when you’re shopping pay attention to these things!

Luckily for you I have a Naples Healthy Grocery Guide that is totally free for you to download, it goes in depth on what to get and where to get it…highlighting different stores for different products! Click the picture before and it will bring you to a downloadable link!

2. If You’re Eating Bread It Should Be Sourdough

Okay, I LOVE bread!

Like a piece of bread with a lot of butter on it is a snack that is undefeated in my opinion. Don’t get me going with the rolls at Texas Roadhouse!

At the same time eating a lot of bread isn’t the healthiest option for you.

This got me looking down the sourdough rabbit hole. I learned really quickly when it came to sourdough the options are endless when it comes to recipes and complexity. There are people who are working their dough multiple times a day, testing the PH, and all sorts of other weird things. Then there were people I’d talk to who mentioned how easy and simple it was…this intrigued me. 

The reason I looked into sourdough and why you should as well is because when it comes to bread this is the healthiest option. It only has 4 ingredients to it! Sourdough is also a bread that naturally rises, there is no extra yeast put into the recipe. The part of the bread that is sourdough is composed of bacteria and yeast, these bacteria and yeast ferment the carbohydrates in the flour which gives off gas and allows the bread to rise without a bunch of extra yeast. This allows for a lower glycemic index, lower gluten content, better for digestion, and overall I love the taste of sourdough!

If you’re interested in learning how to bake sourdough bread or incorporate sourdough into your life in other ways you need to come to our Sourdough Starter Event held monthly at our office. We go over a new recipe every month and everyone gets a free starter along with instructions. Keep an eye on our Eventbrite page.

3. Beach Sunset

It’s pretty insane to me the amount of people who live here full time or only live here seasonally who never go to the beach. In the neighborhood we live in I would say that maybe…mayyybbeeee half of the residents go to the beach on a regular basis. I do understand people not wanting to go to the beach because of the sand and the mess it can create but the benefits far outweigh a little bit of sand getting inside your car. 

Every Sunday, as long as we aren’t out of town, you will find me, my wife Nateja, and our dog Bella at the beach for sunset. It is the absolute best way to wind down from the week and weekend, and get ready for the week ahead. 

You also get the benefits of grounding with the earth and sunlight that isn’t as bright as middle of the day. As you know a sunset produces an orange, red, and deep yellow light. Years ago when TV’s, smartphones, tablets, lights, and all the other electronic devices weren’t around, viewing sunset was more a normal thing for so many people. What we see is that viewing a sunset and being exposed to the light it produces actually increases melatonin production and helps us humans establish a proper circadian rhythm and sleep cycle. Viewing sunset also elicits the emotion of awe which has been shown to be a huge stress reliever.

According to marine biologist Wallace Nichols book, Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do, who writes, 

“We are beginning to learn that our brains are hardwired to react positively to water and that being near it can calm and connect us, increase innovation and insight, and even heal what’s broken.”

Not only does being exposed to direct sunlight hugely benefit our health and wellbeing but being by the water and sitting on the sand has large physiological effects on our brain and body.

4. Farmer’s Markets

With the weather being so nice all the time in Naples we are able to have Farmer’s Markets all year round! With that being said if you’ve been to one down here you know the difference in the markets between November – May compared to June – October. Safe to say that they decrease by over 50%…but in the end you can still get great stuff at them!

My favorite Farmer’s Market to go to is the one in Old Naples. During season they shut down 3rd street and there are a ton of vendors selling some great pastries, bread, flowers, organic produce, organic juices, and organic honey. I’m sure I left something out but you get the point!

There is also another great Farmer’s Market at The Shoppes at Vanderbilt that is open from 8-noon on Saturdays. This one is in the parking lot of the shopping center, it offers a ton of great options similar to the one in Old Naples…it really comes down to which one is closer. This Vanderbilt one is definitely a better year round market as the one in Old Naples really slows down and is moved to the parking lot behind Naples Pub with a quarter of the vendors showing up as well. 

Either way in my opinion Farmer’s Markets are some of the best ways to get fresh and healthy food and it gives you a reason to get outside, soak up the sun, meet and mingle with other people, and help boost the local economy!

5. Get Your Blood Pumping!

I don’t care what you do for work, what your age is, or anything like that. We all need to be exercising in some capacity! I know it can be really hard if you work long hours but in the end research has shown that getting as little as 20-30 minutes of exercise a day that increases our heart rate is hugely beneficial for our health.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity 3 days a week.

I used to be someone that would be in the gym 5-6 times a week but lately I have been going 3-4 days a week and keep my workouts between 20-40 minutes depending on what I’m doing that day.

Luckily for you there are a ton of really great gyms in the Naples area that offer a variety of different classes. If you’re someone who really struggles with working out consistently, going to one of these gyms is going to be perfect for you as it will hold you accountable.

If you’re unsure which gym to choose I recommend that you check out ClassPass…it’s an app that allows you to check out a bunch of different gyms and fitness studios. How it works is you buy credits and each business that participates on ClassPass will offer classes for a certain amount of credits.

What’s really cool with ClassPass is it gives you your first 14 days for free. So you can take those 14 days, try a bunch of different workouts and places, and make a decision from there. You can join a gym exclusively or get a membership with ClassPass and continue going to various gyms and workout classes as there are times when it is actually cheaper than becoming a member at a specific gym or studio.

6. Restaurants

When it comes to Naples it seems like there are more restaurants than anywhere else I’ve ever been…other than a giant metropolitan area! There are endless possibilities when it comes to choosing a restaurant. At the same time if you’re trying to make healthy decisions choosing a restaurant can be vitally important.

I’ve noticed that a lot of restaurants here in Naples are Italian restaurants or steak and seafood restaurants with some others thrown in there as well!

When my wife and I go to a restaurant we aren’t always looking for the healthiest options but we do really like it when we see that the menu states that their meat is organic and grass fed and their fish is wild caught.

Things we avoid at most restaurants down here is Salmon. Yes Salmon is a super healthy food to eat but where do they catch salmon?! It’s certainly not in the gulf! It’s usually wayyy up north which means there’s no way the fish can be fresh. I’m aware that a lot of the fish and meat that’s served at restaurants isn’t the freshest but if there is an option for something that is caught locally that’s what I’d suggest you get. I know places like Steamers get a selection of fish from local fishermen along with a lot of other places when it’s stone crab season.

Also places like Nat Nat Naples focus on fresh food along with organic wines which are definitely healthier options for you.

Without a doubt eating at home is always the healthiest option but every now and then eating at a restaurant is a ton of fun. If you want to make healthy choices when you’re at a restaurant try and search for things that are locally sourced/wild caught. There are a ton of amazing options when it comes to restaurants in Naples, I hope you get out and enjoy them!

7. Sun

We are so lucky to have sun majority of the time where we live!

With that being said it’s pretty popular for a lot of people to put on some sort of sunscreen before leaving the house and being out in the sun. This is understandable as the sun can be really strong here and give you some severe sunburn. At the same time sunscreen is also blocking all the benefits that we receive from being in direct sunlight! Some of those benefits include:

• Boosted immune system
• Better mood
• Better sleep
• Lower blood pressure
• Vitamin D
• Healthier Weight
• Stronger Bones
• Improved Circulation
• Cancer Protection
• Healing skin conditions
• Heal inflammation
• Improves brain function
• Sunlight kills bacteria
• Sunlight strengthens bones

I understand how people are nervous about getting skin cancer from prolonged sun exposure but there is more and more research out there that’s showing some of the products we put on our skin are increasing our risk of cancer even more than sunlight. 

Being outside exposed to the sun for 30 mins – 1 hour without sunscreen has shown to increase the benefits we receive from the sun. So if you’re someone who’s really nervous about being exposed without protection you don’t need to be outside for too long without sunscreen on. What’s great is you could get all of this benefit right when you wake up in the morning when the sun is not powerful, or like we mentioned earlier, at sunset and receive all of those benefits as well!

Really what I’m trying to say is get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather we get to have here in Naples, it will benefit you much more than hurt you!

8. Make Sure You’re Taking The Right Stuff

Even if we follow things like the healthy grocery guide I mentioned above it can be really hard to make sure we are getting the proper vitamins and minerals for our bodies. This is where things like vitamins and supplementation come into play. 

Now there are a lot of things we can look at when it comes to this. When people come into the office there are some who don’t take any supplements and others who have a giant list of things they take. It’s great that people are aware of the need for some supplements but what can get tricky is where to get them.

If you are taking supplements and you’re getting them from places like target, costco, publix, or walmart I hate to tell you this but those are not good supplements. Oftentimes those supplements are poor quality and are synthetically made instead of being in their natural form. This is why when people ask me where they should get their supplements I recommend places like Food & Thought along with Nature’s Garden. Both have an amazing selection of products and staff that is very knowledgeable.

If you are unsure of what supplements and vitamins you should be taking, you’re not alone. Getting a blood panel done can be hugely beneficial when it comes to this. I recommend Well Infused Naples as they have an amazing bundle of services to go along with that blood panel. They’ll be able to tell you what you may be deficient in and point you in the right direction. The offer Vitamin IV Therapy, Salt Therapy, Hormone Therapy, and so much more. I really can’t say enough good things about the services they offer along with the staff at Well Infused.

9. Holistic Healthcare

The word holistic is thrown around quite a bit nowadays. I’ve witnessed a lot of providers use it, then when I check out their office or services there isn’t much of anything that seems holistic to me. This is frustrating and confusing to the consumer in my mind. 

Two of the things that I find most helpful for a lot of people are massage and acupuncture. Both are similar yet very different from one another. Sure they are working with specific points of the body but the impact and goal of each is quite different. Massage really focuses on the muscular system of the body and makes sure that the muscles are loose, free, and all working together. Massage can also help with a lot of people’s blood flow and lymphatic drainage which is huge when it comes to a lot of pain and chronic health challenges that people face today!

Acupuncture offices can have the same vibe as massage but their goal and procedure is entirely different. I’m sure you know what acupuncture is so I’m not going to explain all of that. What’s really cool about acupuncture is that they can pinpoint (pun intended) certain conditions using different areas of the body. You can go to an acupuncturist with a specific complaint and they have a specific protocol to help you out! 

I do have a couple offices that I recommend for massage and acupuncture in the area! If you are in south Naples Infinity Massage will be really convenient for you! In north Naples and Bonita Springs Rowan Wellness is going to be your go to! As for acupuncture in my opinion your best bet is going to be Dr. Deanna Carell is top notch. She can help with all of your acupuncture needs…even fertility and aesthetics!

10. Proper Nervous System Care

The nervous system is a hot topic right now which makes me really happy! Nervous system regulation is such an important part of our everyday life and overall health and wellbeing. There are a number of things you can do at home to help with nervous system regulation and I created a guide just for that! Yes the title mentions migraines but the at home exercises in the guide are applicable to every condition out there and general nervous system health. CLICK HERE for the guide!

This guide isn’t for everyone as there are a lot of people out there who struggle with doing things themselves. They need accountability in order to achieve things, which is totally normal and I can 100% relate!

That is where what we do at The Specific Chiropractic Center Naples along with my wife at The Collective Chiropractic come into play! We both focus our care around the nervous system. At every visit we assess the nervous system to determine if things are shifting and adapting or if it’s stuck in a certain way. We also want our body to be adapting to our environment. When we aren’t adapting we aren’t living to our full potential. We help people in our offices all the time with things like headaches, migraines, autoimmune disorders, vertigo, chronic pain, pregnancy and prenatal health and wellness, sleep issues, and more.

We believe that true health stems from a healthy functioning nervous system. Without a nervous system that is adapting properly to our environments it leads to inflammation within the body and chronic health challenges. We have found that people who want to get the most out of life and the things mentioned above benefit greatly from a healthy functioning nervous system. 

There we have it…

10 ways to be the healthiest in Naples. I believe that all of these are things that people should be doing. Yes you can pick and choose certain ones but if you commit to all of these you will see a change in your health. Some are definitely easier than others and I hope you don’t discount some of the things because they may seem weird or out there. If you think there are other things that we should include or add to this list, reach out, I would love to hear from you!

Learn more.

Here are a few more posts on how chiropractic care can help those who suffer from headaches and/or migraines.