Does anything feel “Off” in your body? Concerned you have a medical condition or have been newly diagnosed with a condition? It can be frustrating and scary to venture in the world of the unknown.
A lot of times medical advice or diagnosis leads to more questions than answers. Maybe your bloodwork came back with bad results. Maybe it came back with “normal” results and it’s been months and you still don’t feel right. (Remember bloodwork doesn’t catch everything.) Get several opinions from doctors, don’t be afraid of trying different tests, and find professionals that can help you understand how to handle the conditions but also EMPOWER you to take matters into your own hands.
Remember that conditions and diseases are a Dis- Ease in the body. What went wrong or is going wrong that my body is fighting back? How did I mess up my mitochondrial functions to cause this condition? If only 5% of medical conditions are genetic, then what did I do wrong and how can I change it?
Was it food related? Am I eating things I shouldn’t or have been eating a large amount processed food and sugar? Do I have a toxicity of heavy metals or buildup of chemicals that shouldn’t be there? Do I have chronic stress and it’s impacted my sleep and functioning ability? Do I have anxiety and depression and it affects my gut microbiome and food choices? Do I have poor coping mechanisms for stress, depression, relationships? They say that poor relationships are the number one factor in someone’s health! Could that be a significant other? Bad relationship with your boss or co-worker and you dread your job? Unsupportive family at home? All of these affect your hormones and functions in the body that lead to chronic and acute conditions.
Here’s a couple steps to help navigate the struggles.
1. Take Accountability for your Nutrition. It shouldn’t just be “Take this pill twice a day.” Doctors may suggest medication, but it shouldn’t be a quick fix. Medication has more side effects than healing effects most of the time. If your condition is not a life-threatening condition and more of a lifestyle condition, this is a must. What foods can you eat to make you feel better, increase healing, etc? Your doctors will not always know these answers and are not trained in nutrition advice, so seek out the help of a nutrition coach who has experience in your condition or is aware of how to help. Most lifestyle conditions can have symptoms minimized and possibly healed with dietary interventions. This is something you DO have control over. What you eat can help facilitate healing and not exacerbate this condition.
2. Start Moving More! What Movement changes can you make to help your condition? Do you need to start exercising? Have you been lacking in the self-maintenance stage? How often do you walk, do bodyweight strength exercises or do strength training? These are MUSTS to increase quality of life now and your continued life down the road. It is NOT about vanity (how good you look.) It is self-care and humans are not meant to be sitting and inactive as much as we are. Start with 3-5 times a week of cardiovascular movement (30 minutes a day) and 2-3 days of stretching and strength training to maintain the wonderful body you’ve been given. Care enough to care.
3. Focus on Sleep! What Sleep changes do you need to make to manage how you feel? Do you need to shut off the lights, tv and phones an hour before bed? YES. Quality of sleep is a must for healing and health maintenance. It is THE time for your body to recover. If you lack sleep you raise cortisol which throws off hormones and makes you crave more sugar and carbs the next day which leads to more weight gain. Even a few nights of unrest can make health worse in more ways than one. Other things that affect sleep are eating too close to bedtime. Always give yourself two hours after a meal and when you go to bed. No late-night munching and NO alcohol. Alcohol is a huge disruption of sleep and messes up not only metabolism but will cause your body to process sugar late at night which will keep you up. Avoid alcohol as much as you can and especially around bed. If you’ve woken up between the hours of 1am-3am and possibly in a sweat, it’s your body processing sugar and that disrupts sleep as well. Anxiety can cause huge sleep issues so if you must, write down your to do list or thoughts BEFORE bed and set it aside so you aren’t waking up with your mind racing. Children should also be told to shut off tv and phones at least an hour before bed. The circadian rhythms are thrown off and this will affect growth and development poorly.
4. Stress Less, Live Better! What Stress reduction techniques can you add to your daily or weekly regimens? It is necessary to have some self-care and/or “Me” time! Ladies this a bubble bath, spa night at home, doing your hair, facial, nails, sitting in the sunshine? Men, maybe this is a time to meet up with guy friends for a walk, golf game, Top Golf, mini golf, axe throwing, pool, darts. Men do well with activities and can ease stress and let them relax. I include Spirituality in this one as well. Meditation, reflection, prayer and community are a part of this as well.
In the past years more people have spent time alone and have lost the sense of community. Find that community again through activities of fitness, sports, games, church or a women or men’s group. Humans are meant to thrive on community, and you’ll read about the longest living humans being part of community and generations living close by each other. We also thrive on helping each other. Volunteer for something. Just go out a few times a month. Plan it, put it on the calendar and don’t apologize. If you have kids, help them understand that you can’t give from an empty bucket.
Again, don’t let this new diagnosis, chronic pain, or any possible medical or physical conditions get you down. Focus on what you CAN control.
Nutrition
Movement
Sleep
Stress & Spirituality
It is not selfish to take care of you. You can’t give to anyone else if you haven’t given to yourself first. Feel like you must do it alone? Once others see you striving to become better, they will catch on and start making those changes in their own lives. If not, it will show their insecurities around those issues as well. Don’t let anyone drag you down, keep focus and keep striving. Health is a journey, not a destination.
---Riannan Osborne, Certified IIN Health Coach, Personal Trainer, Certified in Emotional Eating Psychology, ABLE Health Coach, Pompa Program Health Coach