by Beth Nolte, L.Ac.
We are what we
repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit. –Aristotle
No
matter the specifics of our healing journey, whether working to heal a physical
condition, old patterns that no longer serve us, or a trauma that we have
experienced, we often hear an inner voice telling us that some part of our life
is out of balance. That voice is our intuition, our body wisdom, sending us a
message about what we can do to support and further the healing process. However,
making changes can seem daunting, and we often procrastinate doing those things
we know we really should do.
The
good news is that change doesn’t have to be drastic to promote healing – in fact,
even small adjustments to our daily life can have a huge impact. Rather than
making sweeping changes to our diet or exercise program, just a few healthy
choices, made repeatedly and consistently, can create a truly healing
lifestyle.
So
what are the things your intuition is urging you to do? It might be…
Exercise
& Go outside ~
Did you know that 10 minutes of exercise
per day has been shown to improve cardiovascular and heart function and overall
health? If you haven’t been exercising regularly, 10 minutes per day is the
perfect way to begin: there will be noticeable improvements in energy levels,
sleep, cognitive function and mood, with a minimal risk of injury. If you're ready for more, exercising vigorously for 40 minute workouts, 3 times per week
confers additional benefits for blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
You
don’t need exercise equipment or an established program to get started. Walking
for 10 minutes and a few basic stretches is an easy way to achieve balanced
exercise for the whole body. YouTube is a great resource for free instruction
with videos of many different exercise programs. There are phone apps as well
that can help you get started. Also, many at-home exercise programs include 10
minute options, such as Yoga Tune-up’s At Home DVD program, and Barre3’s online workouts.
In
addition to exercise as part of a healing lifestyle, research shows that
spending time outside in natural light promotes feelings of happiness and
well-being, improves concentration and also speeds the healing process. Best of all, you
can combine outdoor time with exercise by taking a walk around the neighborhood
or through a park. It’s truly good for body, mind and soul.
Express
your creativity ~ The creative force is an important part of
being human, and studies show that it benefits our health when we explore it.
In The Connection Between Art, Healing
and Public Health, researchers examined over 100 studies and concluded that
engaging in creative art (painting, writing, dance, music, and more) improves
immune function, reduces stress, anxiety and depression, promotes feelings of
well-being, flow and spontaneity, and improves medical outcomes.
If
you haven’t explored your creative side recently, pick up an old hobby or try
something new: make a collage of pictures that inspire you, use a camera or your cell phone to document your life, spend some time journaling,
or express life's frustrations and joys with some paint or modeling clay. Whether you create something simple or complex, expressing yourself creatively can be profoundly healing.
Massage
therapy ~
Massage therapy is an integral part of the healing process
for many conditions. The professional massage therapists at Radiant Health
Center are skilled at identifying and treating areas of muscular tightness, structural
imbalance and fascial restriction. Massage improves blood and lymph
circulation, promotes hydration of muscles and fascia, breaks up adhesions/scar
tissue, reduces pain and tightness, and improves structural (and postural)
balance. Through these actions, massage therapy can help each of your body systems function more efficiently. And it feels great too!
Self-massage
strategies ~ Between professional bodywork treatments, it
can be helpful to do regular self-massage with foam rollers, therapy balls and
other tools. Some areas of tightness and adhesion make significant progress
with gentle manual therapy on a regular basis. It can be especially helpful
after exercise and in times of increased soreness and pain to treat yourself daily. Here at Radiant
Health Center, we LOVE self-treatment with rollers and therapy balls. We’re
working on a series of how-to videos on self-massage and stretching strategies, so
stay tuned to our blog and YouTube channel for more on these topics.
Acupuncture
~ According to traditional
Chinese medical theory, the body, mind and emotions are one interconnected
whole with each part affecting the others. An imbalance that develops in one aspect
of our physiology will cascade across body systems in ways that are predictable, and in patterns that have been studied for thousands of years. This system views
the body as having pathways of communication (meridians and acupuncture points)
that can be stimulated to create specific effects in the body, mind and
emotions.
Modern
research shows that acupuncture reduces pain and inflammation locally and also
along neuromuscular pathways (i.e., not locally, but in an area that is
connected through the fascia). It stimulates immune response, vasodilation and
blood circulation in targeted areas. It can be used to release tight muscles
and reduce stress. And, studies show that acupuncture communicates through the
nervous system, sending signals to the brain, causing numerous changes such as
the release of endorphins, stimulation of the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”)
nervous system, changes in perception of pain, and more. Acupuncture is gentle
yet powerful medicine and can be used successfully for many different
conditions, such as pain, inflammation, injury, allergies and other immune
issues, digestion, reproductive issues, and more.
Food
& nutrition
~ This
area of our lives can get compromised during times of tight finances or a busy schedule, but even
small changes are often all that is needed to promote healing. Listen within: what
is one change you know you should make? Do you eat a healthy breakfast? Should you eat more vegetables or more protein? Should you eat fewer sweets or
less processed food? Do you have patterns of addiction that need to be
addressed?
If
you find resistance coming up within, just make one simple change, perhaps
adding healthy snacks to your daily routine, like raw veggies, nuts and fruit.
Do that every day and you are promoting healthy nutrition and a healing
lifestyle.
If
you are interested in a more thorough assessment, our nutritionist, Ellen Syversen, offers clients holistic nutrition counseling, therapy and education
with the goal of correcting imbalances in body chemistry, and achieving optimal
wellness naturally. Some of her areas of expertise include chronic fatigue,
food sensitivities, pre-pregnancy optimization, hormonal balance through diet,
digestive problems, blood sugar issues, childhood nutrition and weight
management. Ellen loves to practice what she preaches, and enjoys getting
people excited about expanding their food horizons and using natural
supplements to restore health and wellness.
Get
some alone time, and moments of silence ~ Modern life is abundant in fast-paced, high
stress activities. To support our ability to be dynamic and take action, we
need to nourish the other side of the coin as well: silence, rest and some time
alone. The Chinese tai ji (yin-yang) symbol demonstrates this. “Activity and stillness alternate; each is the
basis of the other.” We need both action and rest, movement
and stillness, communication and silence. With all the demands of modern life
and of family, it can be a challenge to take time out just for ourselves, but for many of us it can be a very important addition to our life.
Give
back to the community
~ It
takes a village, as the saying goes, and we are truly, at a deep level,
interdependent. Repeated studies show that helping others makes us happier
and also promotes healing in ourselves. It is also found that witnessing
others’ difficulties can put our own troubles into perspective, and reduce our feelings of anxiety and depression. Even a small amount
of time each month dedicated to helping others can be deeply healing for
ourselves.
So,
what is your inner voice urging you to do?
