What’s in your Health Toolkit?
Health & Wellness
I really like to be independent and to foster my own health and wellness. I’ve done a lot of research and experimenting over the years to arrive at a set of self-care practices that work for me. Today I’m going to write about how I take care of my ‘top three’ body systems.
First, the lymphatic system. This is the sister to the immune system and is so important to moving debris out of our bodies. If stuff gets stuck in my body, I am going to be “sick”. The lymphatic system is the system that does all the detoxing so necessary to maintaining health. Here’s how I take care of my lymphatic system:
- I drink a lot of water each day. Proper hydration is so critical to helping the lymphatic system move the debris out. I know there is a ton of information out there around how much water is needed. Personally, I use the measure of half of my body weight in ounces. For example, a 200-pound person should drink 100 ounces a day.
- Our largest organ is our skin. It houses the superficial lymphatic system. To stimulate this aspect of the lymphatic system, I do a body scrub every day. One favorite scrub is one part of sea salt to one part of baking soda. Another is one cup of sugar to one-half cup of olive oil. Use these scrubs after you are done showering and still wet. Scrub and then rinse off well.
Next, the nervous system. This system runs the show. It’s the electrical box of the body. I need to make sure I am not overloading my circuits by plugging too much into one outlet. This would short-circuit my Joy! Here’s how I take care of my nervous system:
- I meditate every day. I practice several different meditation styles because I need a variety of ways to release tension and downshift my mind. Here are three:
- Chanting – Deva Premal’s Mantras for Precarious Times is great!
- Meditation ‘apps’ – Insight Timer is the one I use but there are many out there
- Dr Joe Dispenza – my favorite here is the ‘Blessing of the Energy Centers’ meditation
- I have a gratitude practice. Every day I find one thing to be grateful for. When I spend the 5 minutes thinking about the “thing” for that day, I can feel the tension lifting from my body. I have included a picture of my setup including the wise owl that supervises this practice.
Now, lets look at the digestive system. Taking care of your digestive system is like taking care of your car. If you do not take care of your car, you’re not going to get to the places you want to go.
- I do a ‘Maya Abdominal Massage’ every night before I go to sleep. This helps shift me into chillax and relaxing mode. Sign up for the next Maya Abdominal Massage Workshop here.
- I also help my digestion by practicing intermittent fasting. This is about taking your meals (and snacks!) during the same specific time window each day – and not outside that window. Currently, I do 18/6 fasting… 18 hours of zero calorie intake followed by a 6-hour window of eating. No calorie counting required within the window. The window that works best for me starts with lunch at 11 am and ends with dinner before 5 pm. This is much easier than it sounds, and you’ll feel great.
What’s in your Health Toolkit?
Big Hugs and Much Love,
Cindy
