Wellness = Practice
When you want to feel better for the long-term, a repetitive PRACTICE or RITUAL will help you keep your mind and body in tune with each other and stay joyfully mobile. It doesn’t have to be a crash and burn diet, a complete departure from your normal life or a 6-12 week intensive exercise program where you’re not sure if you’ll be able to walk the next day. Take it EASY…but make it DAILY. Here are a few ideas to implement into your daily routine:
1. DRINK WATER – hydration is important – we are around 50-60% water (females are approx. 50% and males approx. 60%) and a general rule of thumb for how much to drink daily is ½ of your body weight in oz (if you’re 200lbs, you’d want to consume 100 oz). WHY is this important? Water allows us to:
a. Form saliva for digestion
b. Allows body’s cells to grow, reproduce and survive
c. Flushes body waste, mainly in urine
d. Lubricates joints
e. Regulates body temperature (sweating and respiration)
f. Needed by the brain to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters
g. Acts as a shock absorber for brain and spinal cord
h. Helps deliver oxygen all over the body
Now that you know all of that – aren’t you excited about drinking water DAILY?!?! This may be just what you’ve been missing!
***Pro tip – figure out a bottle or canteen or other vessel that will hold the amount of water you should consume each day and fill it/them up at the start of each day. You’ll know where you’re at with your water consumption by being able to visually see what’s left throughout the day.
2. STRETCH – taking 15 minutes once or twice or even periodically during the day will give your mind and body pause to reset, reconnect and re-energize. Even if you’re not exercising a lot – we all need to stretch! Muscles do 1 thing and they do it very well – CONSTRICT! If you find yourself stiffer or slower than you’d like…it’s time to take 10 – even standing and bending over to let gravity have its way with you can help. Here’s why:
a. Stretching can help relieve stress
b. Reduces anxiety
c. Improves posture
d. Less risk of injury
e. Improved flexibility and range of motion
f. Relief from back pain
***Pro tip – spend a total of 60 seconds on whatever stretches you choose to do – and break it up if needed – 15 secs x 4 or 20 secs x 3 – breathe into each stretch and only go until you feel the slightest bit of tension – you will feel the expansion with each consecutive attempt – even if it’s just a tiny bit – that’s OK and it’s not much time! (Nevercontinue to do anything that is painful – stretching is all about the small incremental elongation of whatever you are stretching – nothing extreme or painful).
3. REFLECT – CONNECT – MEDITATE – give yourself 10 min to simply pause – however that might feel best for you. There are no rules! The goal is to just BE. Here are some ideas:
a. Spend the 1st 5 minutes of the day simply sitting with your face towards the sun – stimulating the Vitamin D production in your body and thinking about the things you are grateful for in your life.
b. Lie in the grass or sit in a chair and look up at the clouds to see what you see and what thoughts might come to you for acknowledgement or contemplation.
c. Perform an online search or check out an app for guided or non-guided meditation. You may find the lulling sound of a person’s voice guiding you through a mindful journey to see what shows up for you is a fit! If not – maybe put on some non-lyrical music and see where your mind goes.
The point is to give your brain an opportunity to pause amidst the chaos, untangle and sort through observations and experiences, consider alternative interpretations of anything that keeps coming up for you, and discover possible guidance or direction for what you seek.
***Pro tip – set a recurring appointment on your calendar with a REMINDER that goes offtelling you that it’s time for you to take a little time for yourself and treat it as any other appointment – show up and don’t be late!
The more we can connect to and align our mind, body and spirit – the closer we get to wellness.
#wellness #practice #body #mind #fitness #miracleactivationcenter
