“The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others.” -Chuang Tzu
“Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners” -William Shakespeare
“Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” -Deborah Day
We live in a society that is go, go and more go. As much go as you can manage, until you burn out. This has driven expressions such as “shop till you drop”, and yes, I have used it myself. But what is the cost to our health mentally, emotionally and physically? As much as our bodies are amazing and can perform great feats, we are not robots and to behave as if we are is risky business.
We need to take time out to rejuvenate, relax and rest. I like to think of these as the three Rs to optimal health. Our bodies need time to recover from all of the exciting and wonderful things we put it through on a daily basis.
We also need to provide our bodies with good nutrition, get out in nature, and nurture our souls. These I refer to as the three N’s to optimal health.
We have to take personal responsibility for ensuring that we are practicing the combined three “RN”s. To be truthful, I much prefer to be my own RN than having to go to a hospital in search for the other type of RNs. Let’s save the time and energy of those RN’s for those who were unable to prevent and truly need their care.
We are knee deep in the middle of cold and flu season, and much to my dismay a great many people seem to be sick. And what is really disturbing is that even though their bodies are telling them—by getting sick in the first place—that it is time to get some much needed RN, they keep going and expose others to getting sick in the process.
I was travelling for six hours by train recently and was surrounded by extreme coughing, that sounded like it should only be heard coming from a bed and not an enclosed train car filled with healthy people wishing to stay that way. While yes, I understand that at times we just don’t have any choice but we do have choice to wear a mask. I can only hope at this point that by practicing some RN of my own that my immune system is strong enough to ward off any invaders that I could not avoid.
Enough with the rant and back to self care. You can see it is especially important this time of year to take care of ourselves and do the things that will keep our bodies immune systems strong. While we cannot always avoid being exposed, we can avoid becoming a sitting duck with no escape from the moving train.
Here are some of the obvious but often ignored things you can do to keep your immune system strong;
- Get enough good quality sleep.
- Take vitamin D3 daily.
- Stay away from refined sugars and processed foods.
- Exercise regularly.
- Get enough good quality vitamin C.
- Eat plenty of vegetables.
- Meditate (in whatever form works for you.)
- Take a good quality whole food supplement.
- Take an Omega 3 supplement daily.
- Laugh, laugh and laugh some more…it truly is one of the best medicine’s for prevention.
And last but not least listen to your body. If you are feeling exhausted practice extreme self care and get the rest your body is asking for, don’t wait for it to start screaming with a severe cold or flu. The truth is that if you don’t listen the first time to the message it will get louder and you will be forced into listening to it.
Lots of love,
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