Slow Down for Good Health
By Donna Stark
Have you ever heard the old saying, “Sometimes you gotta go slow in order to go fast”? It’s a saying that can be used in many different scenarios, but I have heard it mostly in conversations about racing. For example, if a race car driver wants to speed up on the track, they must first slow down before the curve, or if a runner wants to shave some precious seconds off their time, they start off slow and then build momentum. The same can be said for life. If you want to keep up, sometimes you need to first slow down.
Slowing Down for Optimal Health
If you want to give it all you’ve got, then you need your rest. If you’re planning on burning the candle at both ends, you’re going to have to pace yourself. And if you are driving that race car? Well everyone knows that you don’t get your best mileage with the gas pedal pressed all the way to the floor.
Living in that constant state of being "too busy" can be dangerous to our health and sanity. We tend to push many of our healthy habits to the wayside and end up with the following bad habits because we are too busy to take care of our basic needs:
- Eating poorly
- Exercising less
- Losing touch with loved ones
- Becoming less involved with the community
- Getting sick more often
- Experiencing exhaustion and heightened levels of stress
Rest for the Busy
Sure, staying busy can be good for you too. In fact, it’s a whole lot better than the opposite, but the key point here is that there needs to be some balance. You can’t keep up with it all for very long before one component of your life takes a hit. Here are some simple ways to slow your day down without losing the motivation to get everything done.
- Set aside specific family time
- Take time to cook healthy meals and schedule family dinners
- Avoid the temptation to look at your phone while waiting in lines or at red lights
- Meet that friend for lunch
- Nap, and don’t feel guilty for doing so
- Go to bed earlier
Balancing Your Life
It’s all about balance, always has been actually, so take a step back and look things over. Sit quietly for a few minutes and try to come up with some ways that you can stop to smell the roses while remaining true to who you are and what you want to accomplish. Perhaps instead of burning the candle at both ends, you can pick just one, and take the time to appreciate its glow.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Eagan, Minn.