Key Components for a Healthy Life - A Focus for 2024

In this episode, I share my thoughts on the 10 key elements for a healthy life, and a few personal stories.   I believe these are perspectives that  even health advocates of opposing views may agree upon.   It's perhaps a starting point for some people, and  a bit of a reminder for others.  Following my talk is "My Message to You",  a short meditative message.
Timeline:
1:16 My personal interest in health and fitness
3:53 Sifting through the noise
6:20 My list of the 10 key components for health and well-being
8:33 Sleep
10:40 Factors that impact sleep, my experience
17:00 Proper Hydration/drinking water
19:24 A Clean Diet
21:00 On those to claim to have a "sweet tooth", and my issues with fries
22:57 Too much of a good thing may not be good
24:00 Balance in everything makes sense/ the 80/20 rule
25:45 Exercise
30:07 Reducing Stress
31:55 Emotional Stress
33:37 Meaningful Social interactions
35:30 Time outdoors
36:12 Breathing properly
39:00 Stretching
41:14 Loving Yourself 

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@inflowwithnatalie 

"My wish for you is to live in positivity, health & harmony" 

Transcript

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Key Components of Healthy Living – A focus for 2024

[Intro]

Hi there, and welcome to 2024.  This is the season when everyone is talking about New Year's resolutions, often geared toward quitting bad habits, and creating goals toward increased fitness and improved health. We may all have different views about what we want to do in the upcoming year. So, I was thinking, no one wants to hear this stuff anymore – it is everywhere.  But after I thinking a little more about it, I figured that it doesn't hurt to share another perspective on the lifestyle improvements that we may want to pay more attention to over the coming year. So in this episode, I share my thoughts on the key components of healthy living that I believe are worth focusing on.

 I’ve spent many years learning about health, the science around fitness and nutrition and basically every topic that I could put my hands on that was of interest to me in this space. Even as far back as I can remember when I was younger, I've always incorporated exercise in my daily routines, and I haven't really stopped since. Even in the 1980s when I was just a high school kid, I was still thinking about getting exercise and moving my body and I did so regularly. Aside from the fun activities kids like to do, including swimming, skating, sports, and just general play, I was one of the early adopters of the 1980s aerobics classes, and I used to make homemade tapes from the radio and wear my Walkman all over town going for my fast-paced walks for hours at a time.  When I was in university, I asked my father to build a wooden step and I kept it under my bed and I would pull it out and do step workouts on study breaks.  Before the Internet became what it is today, magazines and books were where I got my source of information. I was an avid reader of all of the Women's Health, Fitness FX and Oxygen magazines and I would tear out the pages of workouts and recipes and put them in plastic page protectors, in a binder. 

 Back then, I was reading about well balanced diets, clean eating, eating whole foods, getting enough protein and good quality fats.   Even 2 decades ago, the Mediterranean diet was popular, at least in the sources I was going to, and those were the foods that I naturally enjoyed, so I've been eating somewhat along those lines for quite some time now, while making changes as my knowledge expanded. But I'm not here to spew my thoughts and ideas on exactly what everyone should eat or exactly what kind of exercise you should do. There are enough people out there who are touting the newest diet fad, or health advice.  And the range of dietary advice out there is mind-boggling - with information and expert opinions about what to do and what not to do, how to eat, and diets ranging from the government perpetuated food guides, to keto, low carb, no carb, carnivore, vegan, and paleo. The options are endless. 

 Instead, I want to share what I believe are common themes that I think generally hold true across all dietary choices, medical advice, and scientific data as we know it today, regarding how to live a healthier life, along with perhaps one or two of my own ideas. I’m talking about the topics that health advocates with even the most opposing views tend to agree upon.   

 The owner of the company that I used to work for had this approach to business that was about simplifying things, not complicating them. When we had to provide him with updates on our departments, he felt that if you knew your area of the business well enough, you should be capable of providing the entire update on one-page. Each of the executives, indeed anyone providing an update to him at monthly meetings, was expected to show up with no more than one page. Discussion would ensue on the various issues on the page, but it gave him a glimpse of the important ones. His approach was to keep it simple. He was very good at stepping back and looking at the big picture.  He might get into discussions on detailed points, and he didn’t miss a thing, but his expertise was in sifting through the noise and getting to the real issue.   During my time at that company, I loved having any opportunity to be around him, to hear how he thought and to learn from him. That approach of keeping it simple can work for many things.

 That was a bit of a diversion, but I wanted to share that story because I think we can often get caught up in the complexities of things, particularly if we don’t feel we understand them very well. Sifting through information about health and well-being can be confusing given that every month something we thought we knew about health, or diet or exercise, changes and a new study may suddenly claim that something that was once healthy is now unhealthy. Not to mention, the fake news, the inaccurate references to scientific studies, and the selective sharing of information we may be at the receiving end of – all of these things can make everything so complicated.  Even with our friends, sharing what each of us may be now doing for our own health can be persuasive if you see them get results, but it’s also important not to blindly follow the newest craze because a few people are hyped up about it.  This gets further complicated by the fact that we are all different, our bodies are different, we are genetically different, our environments are different, and each of us may be at a different fitness or metabolic health level, so what works for one person may not work for another.   

 So, for this episode, I thought perhaps the best approach is to try to sift through the noise keep it simple. 

 So, here's my view, on the list of the key areas of health and well-being where it may be worth spending some of your time and attention over the upcoming year. None of these are likely a surprise to you - they cover 3 pillars of health – physical health, mental health, and emotional well-being. There are 10 components: sleep, hydration, a clean diet, physical movement, reducing chronic stress, meaningful social interactions, time outdoors, breathing, stretching, and loving yourself.

 The list isn't short. But each of these components is important for our health in my view – and they are also interconnected – in that failure to take care of one component can impact your ability to take care of others, ultimately affecting your health. For each of these elements, you could go down a rabbit hole and find yourself spending endless hours learning. I mean, I once read an entire book just on coconut oil alone, and I have another one on uric acid in my current reading list. The point here is that depending on where you are in your journey, you may already feel you have a handle on some of these aspects of well-being, and that's awesome, because you can just decide to focus on some of the others that you may be neglecting.

When I was thinking about this episode I had almost decided not to talk about the topic because it seemed so obvious and so typical for this time of year. But then I thought to myself, I make lists all the time and I'm constantly restating the same things about what I want to do to improve my well-being; repetition isn't a bad thing. And even if we know, hearing it over and over can help perpetuate the message, and move us toward change.  In my case, for example, proper breathing is something that I've been trying to improve. Sometimes I forget to breathe properly, and I need to remind myself. So bear with me on anything you’ve heard before so let’s just consider it a good reminder.

 The first one is Sleep. In my view, sleep is one of the most important aspects of our well-being. Many of these components are interconnected and improving one can improve the others and I feel like sleep is probably at the top of that list. You can eat clean, exercise regularly, and do all of the right things but if you're not getting enough sleep, you’re not giving your body the rest it needs to repair and rejuvenate, and your efforts to improve your health in other areas will be impaired. 

 Sleep deprivation can impact your life in so many ways - it can make you cranky and interact negatively with others, it can be a trigger for headaches, it can make you feel hungry and cause you to eat more than you should, it can affect your focus and attention so that during work, or operating equipment mistakes can happen, and you can even get in accidents driving, serious accidents. In his book, “Why We Sleep”, Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist and sleep expert, provides in-depth information regarding the importance of sleep, what happens during each  stage of sleep, and how lack of it can impair your body and your mind.  I will link the references in the show notes. 

    During sleep our brains our brains are able to cleanse toxins from our bodies – this waste management system is called the glymphatic system. We often hear people talk about sleep hygiene and its kind of interesting to think that the glymphatic system really is the system that’s removing neurotoxins and waste from our nervous system, and this is engaged primarily when we sleep.   Failure to get proper sleep can also increase our risk of other illnesses.

For the purpose of this episode, I’ll simply say that each of us should make sleep a priority. Think about whether you are getting enough sleep, and whether it is good quality.  Do your own self-assessment of this, and you may sense whether this is an element you need to work on.  And think about what affects your sleep.  For some people, and in my case, food, caffeine, and alcohol can all have impacts on sleep.

 For this reason, I try not to eat for a number of hours before going to bed at night, because eating something too heavy will affect my sleep; on the other hand, if I am not eating enough throughout the day, sometimes that can also affect my ability to stay asleep – so I try to be careful to ensure I am eating properly, but not too late.  

 Having a drink with friends can be a common part of social activities and gatherings for some people.  Over the past few years, I have been moving away from drinking alcohol. I’ve never really enjoyed a lot of alcohol, but I have always liked certain red wines and perhaps the occasional other drink. The science on whether an occasional glass of wine is healthy seems to have always be the topic of much debate over the years and more recently, in January 2023 the World Health Organization published a statement in The Lancet Public Health: “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health” Whether the statement causes more people to change their drinking behavior, is yet to be seen. Certainly, we know that over consumption of alcohol is a common problem across many cultures and social groups. For those who are able to enjoy a single beverage purely for the taste, the pleasure, and perhaps the social element there may be some positive aspects of this, but I guess it's all in the level of control and discipline one has, just like anything else that is on the list of debatably unhealthy lifestyle factors. 

 For me, I have come to realize that alcohol is not something that aligns well with my body and my sense of well-being – I’ve been aware of this for some time and struggled in social settings over the years for this reason.  I was never a big fan of most alcohol, but I did enjoy a glass of red wine, or the odd specialty drink, but I also was never one who liked to consume sugar either.   It absolutely affects my sleep, and I generally don’t feel it is that good for my health.  I do think that my body is more sensitive to these substances than perhaps other people experience, or perhaps my sense of awareness of it is heightened. In any case, given my experience with migraines, and my own recognition that my body seems to be far more sensitive to alcohol, I’ve been reducing my alcohol consumption for a few years now.   

 A few years ago, I decided I would stop having any alcohol after 8:30 pm, on nights that I might be out with friends and staying out later for certain events.  This has substantially improved my sleep and well-being. During the weekdays I rarely drink wine  and I go to bed earlier during the week (like 9:30 or 10:00 pm). If I do have a rare glass of wine at all, I might have one glass at 5:00 or 6:00 when I have dinner. 

 I'm also extremely sensitive to caffeine which I discovered about 10 years ago. I love coffee and I also enjoy tea; and back when I was in university, I could drink tea all night while I studied. So, now I have my morning coffee and I don’t have any coffee at all after lunchtime.   The odd time when I push this even to a 2:00 pm afternoon coffee I find myself tossing and turning through the night and I’m reminded that the coffee didn't help. 

 We can also create sleep focused rituals, that help us prepare for a restful night.  This includes lowering the lighting in your home in the evenings, and reducing screen time as you get closer to bedtime.   I also wear blue blocking glasses for the last two hours before going to bed at night. it’s not a pretty sight, because I'm literally wearing two layers of glasses - my prescription glasses and my large wrap around blue blockers over top.  My husband jokingly reminds me that this is not attractive! However, it's incredible how much I've discovered that reducing bright lights and screens prior to going to bed, by a few hours, does make a difference. I also find it helps if I have any sensation of a headache coming on.   There is some science behind reducing light at night – and to be more aligned with your circadian rhythm, as well as the connection with melatonin levels in your body , that helps with sleep but I won’t get into that level of detail here.   

 I also take magnesium every day having learned that most of us are deficient in magnesium and magnesium also helps you sleep. I initially started taking it because I get restless legs and there is some suggestion it helps with headaches.  

 I generally shoot for 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night and if I hit 8 hours I'm super excited. I consider sleep to be so important that I now prioritize that over exercise, and that says a lot because I believe exercise is the one component of health that is critical and its key to helping prevent many illnesses.  Because fitness and exercise was always so important to me I used to choose exercise over sleep, if I did not have time for both. If I had a long workday and got home late, rather than get to bed on time, I might push a workout later into the evening, thinking that was more important.  I thought that was good for me, but now, if I know I've not been sleeping well and I feel tired I will listen to my body and I will choose getting to bed earlier or sleeping in a little longer rather than choosing to run to the gym. 

 So with regard to sleep, perhaps shoot for 7-8 hours a day, create a sleep ritual that works for you to prepare you within 2-3 hours before going to bed, reduce bright lights and screen time during this period. Perhaps you may like to use essential oils like lavender which can create a sense of calm and readiness for the sleep ahead.  Some may like a chamomile tea in the evening, which also has properties known to contribute to a good sleep, or perhaps a warm bath; and keep your room on the cool side.  The first step is to realize sleep is important and time for you to start prioritizing it. Oh, and if you snore or have sleep apnea – I cannot overemphasize the importance of getting a CPAP machine – numerous health risks are associated with snoring and apnea – and a CPAP will do wonders to improve your sleep and your health.  They have improved significantly over the years and many people now find them to be far more comfortable than in the past. 

 Water. Water is critical for our health, and our bodies are comprised of about 60% water. Water helps flush toxins from our system, and it helps hydrate us and it also helps us when we think we're hungry, but we really are just thirsty. It also helps fuel our body, lubricate our joints and tissues, and cleanse.  Water is a component of synovial fluid which lubricates and cushions our joints and cartilage surrounding them. It’s also good for your skin. 

 Exactly how much water you need each day may be difficult to assess with any degree of accuracy, although there are plenty of resources out there that will give you an idea how to calculate based on your body weight.   The Mayo Clinic confirms that there are numerous factors that can alter your hydration needs. One key sign as to whether you need more water is to look at the colour of your urine – it should be clear to pale yellow.  Keep in mind that hydration can also come from other fluids including non-caffeinated beverages, and fruit and vegetables. You can lose more to the extent that you exercise more, sweat more, including using sauna, and engage in other activities. Needless to say, it's important to hydrate and drinking sufficient amounts of water and staying hydrated is important to good health.

 I personally try to drink about two liters of water per day.  This can be challenging but there are ways to try to stay on top of this.  These days, if you don’t like water- plain old water, you can find all kinds of other alternatives, including fairly clean, sugarless forms of flavoured water that can help. I have a huge water bottle that I used to carry around and if I filled it twice, I knew I got my share. Think about also adding some electrolytes at points through the day so that you don't have an imbalance in your electrolytes, which is also important.  Also, since sleep is so important be careful to try to get your water in more throughout the earlier part of the day. Ideally you should be drinking it slowly across an entire day rather than gulping it down just to get the required amounts in. The former approach proves to be much better for your health and also for maintaining proper hydration. But if you drink too much close to bedtime you will affect your sleep, and this is something that I've experienced myself and I'm working on.

 A Clean Diet.  I'm not going to propose any specific type of diet. Far too many people have different reasons or beliefs for choosing one diet or over another, not to mention those with allergies or food sensitivities. But the thread of truth that I believe applies to all types of diets out there, is to eat clean. The simplest way to start doing this is to eat whole foods – basically in the form it comes in in nature, restrict or reduce highly processed foods (basically anything in a package that typically can last on a shelf for months or years), and stay away from sugar – at minimum, the obvious sugars like refined sugars, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrups, molasses etc.  Keep in mind that while natural forms of sweetener like honey are at least not so refined, they are still sugars.  However, many processed foods, including sauces and condiments may also contain hidden sugars – so watch for them as well, read labels and if you must buy packaged food look for those with short lists of ingredients, and ingredients that are real – avoid those containing long lists of unfamiliar chemicals.  Following just those simple steps will get you on the right path, and if you stick to mainly whole clean foods, stay away from processed foods and sugar, you will find that your body will adjust, and you will likely begin to stop craving those unhealthy foods.   As you improve your diet, you may choose to further investigate the impact of food on health and make other dietary changes.

On a related note, a lot of people seem to have difficulty getting rid of sugar. Some people consider themselves to have a sweet tooth and in fact, they create a whole narrative about who they are by describing themselves in this way. My suggestion is to stop doing that. When you start to define yourself as the person who has the sweet tooth everyone else knows this about you and starts to bring you sweets. Plus, you start to define yourself this way and then you crave sweets. Change the narrative, stop describing yourself like this. It's the same with me. I like french fries, but I don't like to order them in restaurants. But I like to steal other people's fries, believe it or not. But because of that, every time I am at a table in a  restaurant with anyone else who orders fries, they know I like them so they start sending their fries my way. It’s very difficult to say no when there are a couple of delicious fries heading in your direction. So I also need to stop the narrative that I am a fry girl. I don’t order them, and I don’t eat them at home. But I am always willing to steal a French fry.  There is a bit of danger in defining yourself in a certain way if the definition you have given yourself is not the kind of person you want to be. That also applies for food, so think about that one.  

 Getting past the fries story, overall I have personally gotten the point where my primary diet consists mainly of Whole Foods and I try to include variation of healthy foods -  with a significant amount of leafy greens, cruciferous and other vegetables, seafood at times and other meats (ideally local and pasture raised if available). I also eat eggs, nuts, seed, olive and avocado oils, some fruits although I am careful about not eating too many fruits  that are higher in sugar, to limit the sugar/fructose content. These are choices I've made over time and also based on some of my own learning and self-experimenting. I also believe that sometimes even too much of a good thing can actually not be a good for us.   In my case, I used to eat tomatoes and peppers almost seven days a week because I'm a big salad eater. I put them in everything – salads, stir fries, anything I could.  Now there's lots of debate between the pro and anti-plant groups as to whether certain vegetables are healthy or not. What I discovered was I was experiencing inflammation, and it was recommended that I back off  these particular vegetables for a period of time. I think they can be healthy, and they may have a place in some diets for those who aren't affected by them.  Had I not been eating so many of them perhaps they would never have affected me. Now I am at a place where I can have a little, and I will enjoy many of my favourite meals that include tomatoes, but I am careful about not overdoing it. 

My point in sharing this is not to tell you what to eat or what not to eat, but it's very possible that even seemingly healthy foods can have a negative effect if you have an allergy, or you overdo it and you eat them in excess.  I think overall, balance in everything as a lifestyle practice makes sense – balance and variation – whether in food, exercise, or otherwise.  

 That's the same that applies for obviously unhealthy foods. If you have a mostly clean diet and you limit your sugars and your processed foods then going off plan once in a while, provided it doesn't become a habit, may be ok – and something somewhat that your body can withstand. The whole point is about balance. Pay attention to your diet and try to eat clean without sugar and processed food most of the time and you will slowly create a habit of clean eating that allows you to manage better. I refer to it as the 80/20 rule. Try to eat clean 80% of the time and allow for a little bit of going off script when you really want to, for instance in the case of social settings, or maybe wanting to being polite when eating at someone's home when the diet may not be ideal for you, or where you may want to enjoy a wonderful cultural experience of trying new foods during travel (which I enjoy). But it's about sticking to a core practice that is mostly healthy. That's the start. How far you want to go with restricting yourself may be up to you as time goes on. But whatever you choose to do it needs to be practical and reasonable for you and something that you will stick to. And if you go off course, just put yourself back on, don't give up, don't stop trying. I strongly believe that food is medicine, and I've come to believe that some ailments aren't always a natural part of aging. We can do quite a bit to limit the potential for feeling bad and feeling sick by taking care of our bodies and taking care about what we put in them. 

 Exercise. It goes without saying that exercise is critical for our health and well-being.  In fact, exercise is known to be one of the lifestyle factors that can really play a role in preventing illnesses, even in cases where someone may have a genetic propensity for certain conditions.  

 Move your body daily and make this a part of your life.  In the book, The Blue Zones, the author Dan Buettner describes his study of the 5 blue zones in the world, places that are known to have a higher percentage of centenarians than in other parts of the world. The lifestyles, daily habits and dietary patterns of people in the different blue zones may vary somewhat, but there are some common themes across these zones. One such theme is with regard to movement – daily movement, whether walking many miles a day or climbing hilly terrain, or farming or gardening.  When we speak of exercise it is often interpreted as going to the gym multiple times a week or going for a run or some other form of activity the primary purpose of which is ro exercise.  But what really matters is movement - whatever movement might mean to you, I encourage you to engage in active movement, every day. While it’s important to build cardiovascular endurance, and to build muscle, to avoid muscle loss with age, which helps reduce injuries and prevent falls. If exercise is the area of health that you already feel you are neglecting, then you need to just start out by doing anything to create a regular habit of movement. 

  Engaging in weekly activities that include cardiovascular exercise, strength building, and flexibility are all important. I try to keep this in mind so that I spend time each week covering all bases. But the best exercise is the one you will do regularly and enjoy.  Start there. 

 Depending on where you are in your exercise journey don't get caught up in all of the rules and all of the science related topics. Just move. Plan to move and plan to move regularly and as you begin to do that find things that you like and do those every day. That's the start. And if you don’t want to do it alone, or you need support, find a partner. With our busy lives sometimes it's hard to be able to do all of the things you enjoy, so just make a plan to do what you can each week and stick to it. And you can fill the gaps with walks and even mini breaks within your home or office. Taking a walk after eating dinner has the bonus effect of helping to reduce glucose spikes, another health benefit that can minimize the risk of metabolic disease and diabetes.  

 There are numerous tricks or tools people use to get in the habit – whether packing their clothes for the gym the night before and putting them out, potentially leaving your exercise clothing right by your bed for when you wake in the morning, or creating other habits including commitments with others that you are unlikely to cancel. My practice is to only wear exercise clothing when I am going to exercise so that I don’t get used to just putting my workout clothes on and just lounging around. This actually really works for me.

Exercise has become such a part of my life that I feel edgy or anxious  if I go too long without it.   I've been doing beach body workouts for over a decade (now rebranded as BODi). I am not a coach, and I don’t use any of their supplements (as I prefer to choose my own ingredients).   For years, I had a gym membership, but once I had a good space at home, and when I discovered these online programs, I haven't looked back. I typically do the BODi workouts for the strength training, HIIT workouts and full body.  I supplement that with yoga and walks outdoors, or other fun activities. There are tons of no cost workouts available on YouTube, including yoga, Fitness Blender (something I did for years before joining Beach Body). During the summers I replace some of this activity with paddle boarding, or cycling, or playing in the waves at the beach on the boogie boards which, believe it or not gives you a really good arm workout. From time to time, I enjoy skating and swimming, and I am up for trying new things as well. Just don't stop trying.

 Reducing stress. This is a hard one because often we may not even know that we have stress, in our lives. It becomes the norm for so many of us. And while short bursts of stress can be healthy as they have that hormetic effect, in that the micro damage or stress caused by certain activities can actually help to make us stronger, chronic, or extreme stress can have a negative impact, whether physical or mental. For instance, if you are so obsessed with exercise that you don't give your body a break then that constant ongoing physical strain could potentially have an opposite effect to your plan for well-being. This is why for instance when you're learning to run it's recommended that you only increase your running distance and time by about 10% each time you go out. It's about building that stamina and giving your body a chance to acclimatize to the new activity, rather than to overstress it when your joints and muscles have not had the time to adapt.

 Also if you are flat out busy in all areas of your life, burning the candle at both ends, and If you're constantly exercising as a priority over everything else, you may be draining your body rather than giving it a chance to build and heal and reset. At some times in the past, I felt I hit a plateau and no matter how much exercise I was doing, I saw no results; it was only during times when I allowed myself to take a break, to rest and recover, that I began to see more results.  That is another example of how being excessive isn’t always good for us. When we are younger, recovery time may be shorter, but as we get older we may want to give ourselves a bit more recovery time after intense exercise sessions.

 Emotional stress and the mental drain can have a significant impact on our health. In a previous episode, I talked about the risk of winding yourself up, so you don't have that calm or balance in your life. It's important for your health to think about whether you have that balance or whether you are instead in a state of chronic stress.  Take some time to think about your current state - if you find that you may be off balance, and you are more often in a stress mode, then it is critical that you take steps to incorporate more balance into your life.  If you don't feel you can achieve balance on your own, then I suggest that you seek help through experts to help you find a way to become more aware of it and they can provide tools to help you.    Find ways to calm yourself,  whether going for walks in nature, learning meditation, or yoga. It may even be just reading a book that’s enjoyable and having some quiet time to yourself.  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to pay attention if you believe you are experiencing ongoing stress. No matter what else you are doing to improve your health and well-being if you are living with daily stress your health is at risk. Please take every step you can to try to reduce this stress because it is of utmost importance. If you care about exercise and you care about eating clean none of this is helpful if you are living with stress. Make this a priority please.

 Stress will impact everything else. If you can't get past the stress, it will affect your sleep and it will have a domino effect on everything else. 

 Meaningful social interactions.  Having positive connections with other people, a sense of community and belonging, is important for health and well-being. This seems to have become increasingly evident in recent years, particularly in light of the segregation and isolation that many people experienced during the pandemic. In fact, even the studies of the blue zones illustrate that a sense of family or community, and belonging, is a key element of longevity and a happy life. In this regard, I think it's important for us to assess our interactions and our relationships and think about whether we are fulfilled in this way. Is there room for improvement? Do you have positive and meaningful relationships? I like to spend time with positive people and people with whom I have a meaningful connection. There may be people with whom we socialize and with whom we have some laughs and good times but there is not a deep connection, and that can be good for us as well. But I think it's also important experience meaningful connections with people. If you are living in a place where you don't have a lot of connection or you are far from home and family, perhaps you can find other ways to try to create opportunities to find connection. It may involve volunteering, or joining groups where you may have a similar interest. Think about ways that you can incorporate more human connectivity and interaction in your life. And part of this process may also mean thinking about whether you have negative relationships in your life. Being around negativity, people who aren't kind, are not positive, or people who make you feel bad about yourself or who speak ill of others may not serve you well. Think about those connections and consider whether it's appropriate to maintain them or to back away a little bit from them.

 Time Outdoors.  Getting outside on a regular basis, being in the sunshine and getting some of that vitamin D, spending time in nature if you have an opportunity to be close to it to listen to the birds, the waves, or walk through the woods or go on a hike. Fresh air and sunshine offer so much for our well-being and our soul and we often disregard it or don't make an effort to make time for it. It may even just be playing a game of catch in an open park, or walking the dog. But try to incorporate being outside in nature, in sunshine,  the fresh air.  It can serve as a form of natural meditation, as well as giving you a boost of energy.

 Breathing.  Over the past number of years, I have been learning just how important proper breathing is to our health.  We do it automatically and we can take it for granted.  But it can be beneficial to pay attention to our breathing, and to take time to engage in active breathing, deep abdominal breathing.  Many of us spend much of our lives sitting throughout the day, whether driving, sitting at a desk, or just sitting down and looking at a screen.  While working at a computer, we can often hold tension in our neck and shoulders. Daily movement and exercise is important, but our breathing also impacts how we hold stress in our body. 

 I read a couple of books on breathing, that have been helpful in understanding just how important it is, and that includes exercises or a program to help improve our breathing. I will link those in the show notes.  

 Recently, after working through some neck issues that I've had, I was told during one of my treatment sessions that my breathing was shallow – meaning that my breathing is coming from my chest, not my abdomen.  Proper breathing involves engaging the diaphragm and I was told to practice deep belly breathing so my chest does not move; instead, the movement should come from my belly.   I was told that I need to move the stress out of my neck and shoulders so that it dissipates throughout my body more, and that one method that would help do that is changing my breathing and moving it deeper into my abdomen. I was told that focusing on breathing on a regular basis and making a practice of deep abdominal breathing rather than breathing shallow from my chest, would help alleviate the tension around my shoulders and neck.  

 Breathing deeply also helps open up your lungs. I suggest you pay attention to your breath and when you are stressed, frustrated, or feeling anxious or any other negative feeling, stop and try to take a few long, deep breaths. You may need to keep reminding yourself to do it. As you practice breathing properly, you will start to think about it more regularly and eventually you will find that you are breathing properly more often than not. This is something you can practice no matter where you are.  And if you get caught up during the busy times of day, at a minimum try it in the morning before you get out of bed and try it in the evening when you go to bed. Sometimes when I can't sleep, I practice a few sessions of this slow deep breath where I fill my diaphragm, hold it for a count of four and then release all of the air slowly for a longer count. Sometimes I end up falling asleep without even realizing it. It's a great tool to help with relaxation.

 Stretching. I have a cat and every morning, and in fact every single time he gets up from a long nap, he does a downward dog pose and stretches his body. It's the cutest thing but every time I see him do this it reminds me that he seems to have this innate sense of stretching. And he does it with such pleasure. Every time I look at him I think, “why don't I do that everyday?” 

 Stretching is something that we may not think about very often other than pre or post-workout, unless your workout is Yoga, which of course is fantastic and involves poses that by nature incorporate a lot of stretching. 

 Regularly stretching your body and being aware of all the movements and how your body feels as you do it, can help us undo the tightness that has developed in our muscles and joints, as a result of our sedentary lives. Most people don't stretch enough. So, try to remember to incorporate stretching. If you are at a desk all day, or on a long drive, you find yourself sitting a long time - maybe watching television or even after you wake in the morning - take time to stretch. If you sit at a desk for a long time, plan regular stretching breaks. There are apps on your phone that can remind you to stretch and give you desk stretches that help you throughout your workday.  Self-massage can also help release tension in the fascia, if you are experiencing any tightness, try a little self-massage – this is something you can do anytime and almost anywhere.  I have foot issues and I frequently find massaging my foot and calves really helps.

 In my experience, when we are feeling good we forget to do the things that keep us feeling good. So being proactive is sometimes more challenging than being reactive after you have a problem or experience pain. But part of loving your body and knowing that you need to take care of your body involves being proactive about these things – putting the time into taking care of yourself before you experience injury or pain that later requires it.  If you create a habit, and you do it regularly, it will become second nature. 

 And finally, last on the list but certainly not the least important, is Loving yourself. We all need to love ourselves a little more – this includes speaking positively to yourself, feeling good about who you are, being kind to yourself. Your body is the vessel that carries you through your life so treat it well. But also just be aware of your body, love it for what it does for you and think about it that way. Perhaps write down a couple of positive affirmations to remind yourself that you deserve to receive love from yourself. When you begin to practice self-love, and you stop thinking negatively about yourself, it can do wonders for your life. 

So here is my message to you:

Today, right now, in this moment, take a deep breath…., and take another……you’ve come a long way.  You are here, and you are the product of many experiences, and feelings – some positive and some perhaps not so positive. But all of this has shaped you; and going forward, new experiences and feelings will continue to shape you.  Each decision you choose to make will lead you to your next experience. 

  In many cases you may not know where that will lead, but you also have within you the sense of knowing that there are some decisions, some choices you will make that are good for you.  Choices that your inner wisdom tells you are the right choices to make.  Be confident in that inner wisdom, be confident that when you are alive to the present moment, and when, as you sit here aware of your physical body, and you are present with your thoughts, you are capable of assessing exactly how you feel right now in this moment. And you are capable of knowing what you want for your life.  The more you allow this time to reflect the more you can consciously begin to make active choices that will be good for you. 

 The first step is to take care of your body and your mind, which is your essence.  Give thanks for all that your body and mind can do for you, and in return, provide it with nourishment, hydration, movement.  Breathe deeply. When you do this, you can feel the movement of your breath run through your body to calm it, or maybe to energize it.  Enjoy all the gifts that nature can provide to us – the fresh air, the sunshine, the pleasure of hearing sounds of nature.  Seek and maintain positive connections and avoid negative ones. Stretch your body, to remind yourself it is here for you. And Love Yourself. Love your entire being, the good and the parts you may have never really appreciated.  Be kind to yourself.  Begin this process now and make it a practice.  Each day is a new day of opportunity, and you can be open to the possibilities that may be presented to you. Try and try again.  Your life, your health and your well-being are important, so put energy and love into it.

Thank you,

 My wish for you is to leave in positivity, health, and harmony.