Ralph Teller doesn’t claim to have all the answers to living a healthy life, but he is certain of one thing: the answer is simple.

A simple diet low in processed foods, regular exercise and rest, an uncomplicated lifestyle, strong relationships, and clear thinking—these are the tools that anyone can use to build, as the title of his book states “Natural Health, Peak Performance, Longevity Lifestyle.”

“There is a natural way to live,” said the Fall City attorney and triathlete. He encourages people to find that way for themselves. He wrote his book to share his own insights on the subject, and to give people some trail markers, or things to consider, in their own processes.

Teller, soon to be 59, found his own way years ago in New York City, where he had to balance the demands of full-time undergraduate studies with a 30-hour-a-week job.

“Being in that New York mode, you can lose sight of things,” he said, so he focused on an exercise that relieved his stress and had the added benefit of increasing his lung capacity: swimming.

“Starting at age 25, your lung capacity starts dropping 1 percent each year, but swimming can increase your capacity,” he said.

Teller continues to swim today, although in the summer he’s more likely to swim across Lake Washington, along the I-90 bridge, than he is to swim in an ordinary pool. That swim is part of the training regimen for local athletes who want to compete in the ultra triathlon—a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run—and, Teller said, “it’s actually one of my favorite things to do. We do it at 5:30 in the morning…. When the water is still, you can see salmon jumping a half-mile away.”

Swimming is one of the recommended exercises in Teller’s book, as are cycling, running, and for those who want to start getting healthier, walking and hiking. The essential point to any exercise, he says, is to make it a routine part of your day.

“It’s not just a walk, it’s a regular walk,” he said.

Sections of his book cover metabolic efficiency, exercise, nutrition, sleep—which is earned, he says—breathing techniques, since breathing patterns are such a strong indicator of overall health, and philosophy. The book complements Teller’s website, www.1vigor.com, offering articles, exercise logs, and leader boards, tracking how many miles or hours other members have logged during the year in various sports.

The book “Natural health, Peak Performance, Longevity Lifestyle,” is available in print from 1vigor.com, Amazon and the Snoqualmie Ridge IGA, or online on the Kindle.