Question: "I seem to have a hard time beginning a wellness program and motivating myself. Are there quick and easy daily tools that I can use to get started?"
Suggestions:
Corrective Exercise
A daily practice of postural awareness and diaphragmatic breathing can establish a strong connection between the mind and body, which can lead to a greater appreciation for the body and as a result greater motivation to care for it. These simple exercises carry with them great health benefits such as improved musculoskeletal balance and decreased pain, increased sleep quality as well as energy level, improved nervous system function including improved digestion and absorption, circulation, and tissue repair just to name a few.
Postural Awareness
This is the practice of ideal posture during daily activities such as sitting at your desk, standing in line at the store, or walking up a flight of stairs. Postural awareness strengthens your proprioceptive sense allowing you to feel your body in space, to accurately identify its size and shape as well as its relationship to the environment.
Ideal posture is defined as the position from which the musculoskeletal system functions most efficiently. The state of ideal posture allows for safer, stronger, more coordinated movement to be performed with the least amount of energy.
To help guide your body into the position of ideal posture first stand relaxed with your feet shoulder width apart. Imagine a large helium balloon attached to the top of your head gently lifting you from the ground. Feel your spine lengthen, your shoulders effortlessly rolling back as your chest lifts. Next, soften the knee joints just enough so that they are not locked out or hyperextended. Now close your eyes and feel your body’s stance, feel the position of every joint. Paint a picture in your mind, with as much detail as possible, of what your body looks like at that moment. This picture, along with the feeling become your reference for returning to ideal posture.
Diaphragmatic breathing
This exercise can be done anywhere at anytime. It will be easier to begin learning this exercise while lying on your back.
Start by interlocking your fingers and placing both hands over your belly button (if you are sitting or standing, practice ideal posture). As you begin to slowly inhale let your abdominal wall expand into your hands pushing them away from the spine - the first 2/3’s of the inhale should come from the abdominal cavity and the last 1/3 of the inhale should come from the chest cavity.
Now as you begin to slowly exhale, gently draw your belly button in bringing your hands towards the spine- this will assist the lungs in expelling the air via intra abdominal pressure. Make sure to avoid over activating the abdominal musculature (the spine should not move).
Count the seconds it takes to fully inhale and then the seconds it takes to fully exhale- working up to 10 seconds each direction.
Focus on the air flowing through your body- working towards a smooth, rolling transition from inhale to exhale.
Jasson Zurilgen
C.H.E.K. practitioner
www.Heroicsusa.com
Chiropractic
There is never an easy way to start a new habit. Just start! I’m sorry, but aside from coming over to your house and cracking the whip, which I am willing to do, there is little I can do to motivate you. This has to come from you. I can tell you, however, that when you start to look, feel, and express yourself in an amazing way as a result of your wellness program, the motivation will flow like wine! So just start! The two best ways to get started with a new plan are to start small and to set a time frame. The Buddhist’s have a saying the “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Starting small accomplishes a couple of things: it gets the ball rolling without adding complications or pressure to your life and it will not put your body into turmoil as it begins to change and grow. Setting a time period of 6months will also help to train your mind to accept a very important concept: there is no process that does not require time. Steve Covey, author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” says that it takes 26 consecutive days to start a habit. So, for the first 26 days of your program, just focus on consistency. That is your short term goal. After that, your momentum will carry you through as the habit works its way into your daily life. One more thing, never give yourself a hard time for failing. There are no failures, only successes! Winston Churchill stated that “success is the ability to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” So hurry up and fail I say!
Jason Penaluna, DC
Penaluna Chiropractic Studio
www.PenalunaChiropractic.com
Naturopathic Medicine
Starting a wellness plan successfully:
1. Be specific: A wellness program should contain specific elements, not generals. For example, it is better to say “I will drink 8 glasses of water a day” instead of saying, “I should start drinking more water”. Organizing your life in simple statements of “I will” instead of “I should” will give more motivation and have lasting effects. The statement “I should” does not carry tangible meaning in the brain. If our life is structured as “should” we will create long lists of intangible goals. We will feel unsuccessful and failure is inevitable.
2. Be realistic and start slow: It is better to have a small start and have success than to have an in depth plan that fails after a few months. Outline the major pillars to healthy living giving yourself a large picture of where you would like to be in 6 months-1 year. Pick one new element of wellness to incorporate into your daily life. Keep a chart to keep you accountable. Give yourself a sticker, gold star or checkmark for each day you completed your goal. After 1-2 weeks add a new element but still keep track of the first one. It takes about 30 days to make something a habit. You will be able to see at a glance your ability to be successful: positive reinforcement of healthy habits. It is also great to keep a simple journal that includes the way you are feeling, good or bad. That way as time goes on you can look back and see your progress.
3. Be Accountable to someone: Whether it be your doctor or a friend, have someone you will meet on a regular basis to discuss the headway you have made. This is probably the most important part to being successful with any wellness plan.
Alexandra Porter, ND
Kerala Ayurvedic Clinic & Academy
Or Northcreek Clinic
Acupuncture
Simplicity is key. Choose 1-3 things to adjust within your lifestyle to start. For example, getting the right amount of water per day, which would be a minimum of half your body weight in ounces. Or looking at what time you’re going to bed, are you turning in early enough to allow yourself to wake rested and refreshed? Are you having breakfast on a daily basis? The strongest time for our Stomach meridian is from 7-9am. This meridian is not just in charge of our nourishment on a physiological level, but governs how we are able to process the ways we nourish our mind and spirit as well; our ability to truly care for ourselves and others in a mindful way, while supporting a mind that isn’t “chewing” on thoughts incessantly. From a diet standpoint, you can choose to only buy your produce organic or even better, local and organic. In addition, eating energetically according to season can be something to explore. “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford can be a great resource. One might consider connecting with the breath as a daily morning routine – this can easily be done through activities such as meditation, qigong, yoga, or simply going for a brisk walk.
David A. Tucker, MSAOM, L.Ac, LMP
The Zen of Healing
www.thzenofhealing.com
Massage Therapy
Motivation can be a tough one, we’ve all been there! In my experience, the more you can listen to your body and cultivate awareness, the better you begin to feel about healthy changes. Massage can be a wonderful tool to help you ground and come home to your body, heightening your ability to hear the messages it has for you. Often times, we don’t realize when we hold tension in particular areas, or how good a little soreness in the tissue after an awesome workout, can actually feel! Even a massage once a month helps to establish a relationship with your body and creates motivation in itself to want to care for this physical gift we’ve been given.
A fun little exercise I got from Courtney Putnam of Rising Bird Healing Arts, is to create a close bond with your body by giving your different body parts characters and personalities. Do you have the shoulders of a nervous teenager? The ankles of a curmudgeonly old man? A shy neck, excited quads? Try it! What personality does your abdomen have?!
Guinevere Amadeo, LMP.
Seattle Holistic Health Examiner
www.guinevereamadeolmp.wordpress.com
Cranio-Sacral
Yes! There are almost too many to choose from, but I'll keep it simple. If I had to suggest two things to you to start today on your road to health, they would be 1) drinking water throughout the day, and 2) relaxed breathing. These are two things that you already do to some degree in your daily life and they require little to no additional money.
A good rule of thumb for drinking water is to consume half of your weight in ounces, daily. So if you weigh 100 pounds, drink at least 50 ounces and if you weigh 200 pounds, make that closer to 100 ounces. This is a general guideline, but very helpful to start out with. If you have access to filtered water, that's wonderful, but if you don't I'd personally choose tap over plastic bottled water these days.
A very basic breathing tutorial: sit comfortably and take full, relaxed breaths in and out. Feel your diaphragm expand with the inhale and contract with the exhale. Rest your hands around the lower portion of your ribcage (where your diaphragm is located) to feel this movement. Do this to start for 5 to 10 minutes each day and work up from there. Remember, this is your time to relax and just enjoy breathing! Like I said, this is very basic, so please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions.
Shawna Lendzion Harbin, LMP, CCSP
www.noctilucaessentialwellness.com
Aromatherapy
There are some very easy ways to start incorporating Essential Oils into your daily wellness regimen. I encourage you to get to know 5-10 essential oils very well at first. Find out what their names are, what they can do for you. Take an introductory class on Aromatherapy: (www.learnatsouth.org, click "aromatherapy", or www.theida.com) and then decide what your needs are based on what essential oils can do for the body. For instance, if you are working on your body weight, peppermint is a great oil to help motivate you to exercise (includes moving and playing!), Cypress is a great immune support oil (utilize in an aromatic bath a day for longevity). I am in the process of creating a line of essential oil synergy solutions. Until then, contact me and I will match you up with essential oils for your wellness regimen.
Carol Walter
Certified Aromatherapist
http://www.solaceessentials.com
Medical Intuitive
Negative thoughts attract toxins – Like energies attract. If we could be conscious of every negative thought that we had we would be very healthy. After every session with a client, where we have “changed their mind”, toxins will be released from the body. It works the other way as well, lots of antioxidants, that release toxins will help release negative thinking. Using both techniques is the best for clear, aware, daily simple living
Clients and I have experienced a positive improvement with toxin release: Glutathione, Zeolite, and the Ionic Foot Bath, all help with helping toxins move out of the body.
Mental issues about release will also relate to the Gall Bladder and Liver in disseminating on what to let into the body. The Bladder will have issues on what to let go. The two together may have trouble working together if they are overloaded with toxins. Introducing antioxidants and cell wall pliability will help these two organs to work together.
Jacob Caldwell, LMP.
www.stepstoenlightenment.com
Although OMM contributors are professional healthcare providers, the information and advice published on OneMindMedical.blogspot.com is generalized and not intended to replace a thorough evaluation of your unique physical concerns. You should not use this information for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician or applicable practitioner in all matters relating to your health, and particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on your part in response to the information provided in this web site is at the reader's discretion
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