Foundation of Good Health
Anyone that has built or bought a house knows that one of
the most important things about a house is the foundation. If it’s done poorly, the entire
structure of the house is at risk and no matter how well the rest was built,
the house could be doomed.
Holistically speaking, I believe that in regards to the
health of our bodies, emotional wellness is the foundation for good
health. Think about it for a
second. When you are stressed, do you crave steamed broccoli or do you grab the
ice cream, cookies, chips and fries? The hormonal effects of stress, which we
will teach you in our lifefuse program, lead to your cravings that keep you
from following the diet you know is healthier for you.
Likewise, when you are stressed, mad, or worried, how do you
sleep at night? Most of us will
have trouble falling asleep or toss and turn waking frequently, or wake up
tired like we never slept at all.
This leads to fatigue and a vicious cycle of caffeine and energy drinks
to get through the day. This
roller coaster ride often makes exercise feel like an impossible task and that
trip to the gym gets replaced by lying on the couch exhausted after work and
feeling guilty for not doing all the things you planned on doing.
Most Struggle Improving their Diet and Fitness when Stressed
In practicing integrative medicine and wellness for years I
have found that until a person can improve their emotional wellness, their
attempts at diet and exercise can often be frustratingly futile. Thus, learning techniques for stress
reduction will become the foundation for your health plan and its strength will
allow the framing of your house (nutrition) and the plumbing and electrical
work (exercise) to reach its maximal potential.
You have to learn techniques to control stress. If left
unchecked, it will cause the most cracks in the foundation. It has been estimated that stress
directly or indirectly causes up to 80% of the health conditions that people
see a doctor for. It has devastating effects on your immune system causing
frequent infections. It affects your heart by causing elevations in blood
pressure and cholesterol. It also worsens depression and asthma. These are just
a few of the many affected conditions. Imagine a young child just having
learned to ride a bike going down a steep hill and not braking or slowing down
as he speeds down the road.
Ultimately, he would lose control of the bike and likely crash. But if
he learned to put the brakes on or even stop at intervals down the hill he
would remain in control and arrive safely with a smile at the bottom of the
road. This same situation happens
to us daily as we race through our day without taking breaks or slowing down to
allow our bodies and mind to catch up and stay in control. Racing thoughts, tension, and stress
hormones speed ahead and cause us to emotionally and physically crash.
So as you continue on your path to a healthy lifestyle,
enjoy learning and using stress reduction techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, visualizations, music therapy and even biofeedback. I encourage you to
share them with your family, friends and co-workers. Hopefully, you and your family will end you day smiling and
with a strong foundation to build upon for the rest of your life.
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