“I know I should [stretch more, eat better, exercise regularly], but…”

I hear this often, either during a massage session or in Essentrics class. What is going on here? We humans have the ability to increase our flexibility, decrease our pain and uplevel our energy. Yet there always seems to be a “but…” when it comes to taking action and sticking with it. If you took the benefits of what we can do for ourselves in terms of diet, exercise and mobility, and put that in a supplement form, it would be in most of our cupboards.

You’re in charge
Here’s an empowering thought: you have the responsibility of your own health. Put another way, you are in charge of making or breaking your own well-being. I am not referring to diagnoses and conditions here. I am referring to the power you have to set up your own solid and sound foundation for health, regardless of what else you have going on. 

Making health simple
We pretty much understand the basics in supporting our physical/mental well-being and immune system, so it doesn’t seem that ignorance is standing in the way of us taking charge of our health.  

• Eat high-quality foods - the best fuel to run your body and brain.
• Hydrate with plenty of water - eliminate toxins, support the brain and body systems in running at full capacity.
• Sufficient and quality sleep, supporting brain and body repair and function.
• Daily movement to sweat (clean out the pipes), and increase flexibility, circulation, strength, joint range of motion.
• Quiet time, ideally in nature, for mental/emotional health, and to decrease stress.
• Social time for connection with family/friends. One of the keys for quality of life/longevity, and also excellent for our brain health.

Motivation is your WHY
When it comes to taking the actions to create the foundation for your health, motivation is the initial catalyst to get you moving in the desired direction. There are two types of motivation.

Extrinsic motivation is driven by outer rewards. You might engage in a 15-day gym challenge to earn the reward of a free t-shirt. Or you might feel motivated to take a ski conditioning class so that you can clock your fastest ski time down Heavenly Daze.  

Intrinsic motivation is an inner drive. You do the thing because of how it makes you feel, not for the promise of an external reward. You might notice that adding three days per week of running or walking gives you more energy, so you are intrinsically motivated to continue. Or, you might have a nightly routine of working the kinks out of your tight hip. This might have started because the physical therapist told you to, but it results in more restful sleep, and keeps your body moving so much better, that you are now intrinsically motivated to continue that routine.

Motivation gets us started - but doesn’t necessarily finish the job.

Discipline is your HOW
Discipline is the heavy lifter of sticking to our plan for health. Motivation is a fickle partner in our pursuits - some days it shows up, some days it doesn’t. We might be super excited to start that new exercise program that is going to change our lives and solve all of our problems. But five days in and the excitement is gone - what is going to carry us through to make that new thing stick? Dependable discipline. 

Discipline is the thing that has you scheduling the exercise time in your calendar. Setting out your workout clothes the night before. Some people don’t like rules. Ironically, it is discipline that gives you the autonomy to set your own rules and stick to them. Discipline is what sees you through the one-step-at-a-time to the long-term realization of your goal. 

A couple of years ago I was experiencing chronic hip pain, and could not do the exercises my skilled physical therapist recommended. I worked with some modified, less painful movements. Gradually I got stronger, and was then able to do the more demanding exercises. I really wanted to rehab that hip, so I put a rule in place that I’d do the exercises at least four days per week. I am now pain free in that hip. This entire process took about 18 months of consistent weekly discipline. I share this because it was the discipline that got me to the long-term goal. If motivation was the only tool at my disposal, believe me, I’d still be dealing with that pain.

So we have our self-empowerment, our basic framework for health, our WHY (motivation) and our HOW (discipline). I ask you, Boss: what is standing in the way of you and your good health?

Resources
Article from The Conversation: Lost Your Motivation to Work Out? Here's Why and How to Get Back on Track

Article from Develop Good Habits: Motivation vs. Discipline

Sam Berns’ 2013 TedX Talk, “My Philosophy for a Happy Life,” is on my mind for many reasons.

He was 17 when he spoke, and he lit up the stage with his humor, enthusiasm, descriptions of his challenges, and his approaches to those challenges. Some slices of his life he shared via pictures: he and his closest “goofball” friends, he and his supportive family, a video of him performing with his high school marching band on his specially engineered snare drum, and a snippet of the HBO documentary about him, “Life According to Sam.” 

Sam had a rare genetic disorder called progeria. 

Progeria (pro-JEER-e-uh), also known as Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, is an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly, starting in their first two years of life. Children with progeria generally appear normal at birth. (Mayo Clinic, Feb 1, 2018)

What is remarkable about Sam is not that he had this condition, but how he chose to live his life. In his TedX talk, his approach to a happy life is a description of  how to live life fully, and realistically. Fully because he whole-heartedly pursued his interests and deeply appreciated the friends and family who loved and supported him, realistically because he shared that he sometimes had bad days, and his strategy to move through those difficult times. 

What his talk elicited in me wasn’t so much count-my-blessings-that-I-do-not-have-to-cope-with- progeria-in-my-own-life, but rather the feeling of rising to a challenge. In some ways, Sam handed over the playbook of what to do when life throws this or that at you, how to keep marching towards the end zone, staying in the game because you keep playing, because you keep overcoming, because you are clear about what is meaningful in your life and you have the vision that you can do what you set out to do.

Sam Berns’ Philosophy of a Happy Life:

1. Be Ok with what you ultimately can’t do, because there is so much you CAN do.
2. Surround yourself with people you want to be around.
3. Keep moving forward.
4. Never miss a party if you can help it.

Watch the TedX Talk: Sam Berns - My Philosophy for a Happy Life

​You might notice that going for a walk outdoors when you feel tired, stressed, irritated or sluggish helps you feel better. Time in nature is not only pleasant, it is a powerful component in our well-being. It supports our connection to one another and the larger world and allows us to have greater focus (focused attention is easier in nature than in a big city).

A study at the University of Exeter showed that people who spent at least two hours per week in nature were healthier compared with those who spent less than two hours. Research demonstrates that being in nature helps to reduce fear, anger, depression, anxiety, and even pain. In one study of patients recovering from gallbladder surgery, those who could view a tree from their hospital bed experienced less pain than those who viewed only a wall.

Peter H. Kahn, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington, says that it is important to experience nature not just visually, but to engage fully. The Japanese term for soaking in all of the amazingness of nature is called “forest bathing.” That doesn’t mean you roll around in the dirt, it simply means that you immerse yourself with active awareness in the time you spend outdoors. One of the theories related to forest bathing is that breathing in the scent of the forest aerosols helps increase tumor- and infection-fighting Natural Killer cells. 

Some suggestions for applying all five senses as a way to more completely immerse:

• Listen: birdsong (a soloist bird or an entire choir?), the wind in the trees (needles or leaves?), chattering (squirrels or little kids?!) 
• Feel: the sunshine on your skin, the coolness of the shade, the breeze in your hair
• Smell: sharpness of pine in cold snow, warm musty earth on a sunny trail
• Taste: dust in the heat, ache of frigid cold, tang of rain or humidity
• See: flowers bright and vibrant, grass spring-lime or summer-emerald, pollen-gathering bees, food-gathering chipmunks 

However you choose to engage with nature, know that you are doing your mind and body good.

Sources
University of Minnesota Article: How Does Nature Impact Our Well-Being?
Yale Environment 360 Article: Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health

“I slept so well after that massage!”

Over the years, clients have told me how well they sleep that night, after receiving a massage. Here are a few reasons why that might be:

• The massage work increases relaxation, and so the body sleeps more easily that night.
• Massage and the massage office or studio provide a break from normal surroundings, allowing the mind to disengage from the daily stress.
• Chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin are released during massage, which support feelings of well-being and greater relaxation.
• Massage reduces pain, and sometimes sleep is negatively impacted by pain.
• Massage decreases stress, which then allows for more sound sleep.

In many studies, massage has been shown to increase the quality of sleep, along with decreasing pain, anxiety, and depression. This is important. According to the CDC, "Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression,” and sleep is vital in the management of those conditions. 

How awesome that something that feels so good helps us sleep better, with no over-the-counter or prescription side effects. 

American Massage Therapy Association Article: Massage Therapy Can Help Improve Sleep - Cites many studies about massage and beneficial effects on sleep and a variety of conditions.
Sleep.com Article: Why Does Massage Make You Sleepy?