Easy Ways to Keep Your Balance Mentally, Physically
By Sandy Schroeder
In a fast moving culture, keeping pace demands that we keep our balance mentally and physically.
Each day at work our mental connections speed ahead. Then, as we head home we tap our physical strength as we round up meals, deal with our families and sometimes finish off the laundry.
Yes, most of us are pretty busy. But if we do it right, it all works. Deepak Chopra, gives us a few tips on how to keep it all balanced.
Make movement a daily focus – If you sit a lot, move a lot, too. Break up sitting with short spurts of movement. Do mat exercises, stretching, or short walks outside. Whatever it takes, make movement a priority. With your doctor’s approval, choose the best ways to be active. Use home tasks to to keep moving as you garden, clean, and power through shopping and laundry. Take a count of your TV/leisure computer time, and then cut it in half, substituting treadmill, yoga mats, or exercise balls, strategically stationed to remind you to use them.
Set aside time to relax, think and regroup – That could be an early morning meditation or short walk. In the evening it could be an hour before bedtime to read, think and relax. During the day it could be a run after work, or a walk with the dog. Whatever fits, use the time to let your mind and your spirit roam.
Fashion a fresh, fun diet – Choose foods that you love from fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, lean meats and low fat dairy. Go for sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent flavors to help your energy and metabolism thrive. Go easy on sugar and fats, and discover the fun of other flavors and textures in mustard, pepper, mushrooms, ginger, radishes, tea and lettuces. Cut back on canned, microwaved, highly processed or frozen foods. As you enjoy shopping at a farmers market, and finding new recipes with sites like Epicurious.com, share your efforts with friends and family in sit-down dinners, parties, and weekend get-togethers.
Sleep well and laugh a lot – Try using a regular bedtime, with no electronics in the bedroom, including televisions. Use good "equipment" like a firm mattress and lots of pillows. Omit caffeine from early afternoon onward, and avoid alcohol, smoking, and stressful topics right before bedtime. At the same time, find a way to laugh at life every day. Funny books, movies and friends can help us smile more and stress less.
Keeping your balance might become pretty automatic with the right blend of activities, foods, sleep and laughter. See what works best for you.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.