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Step right up, folks! Today, we’re going to show you ways you can CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Sound like snake oil or crazy clickbait? It’s not even close. It’s simple science to help your body do what it does best: Keep you alive and kicking. We’re going to talk about reducing inflammation to optimize overall health.
So, what are we talking about?
Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury or infection - it's how the body stays alive. But when it becomes chronic, things start to get wonky. When we live in a state where the body is ALWAYS fighting SOMETHING, we start to lose the ability to fight big things.
Chronic stress and irritation leave us vulnerable to pain and gut health issues, and even serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. So, it's crucial to get to the causes of inflammation: stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, poor sleep, and environmental factors.
Stress is the curse of our times, right? There’s ALWAYS something pulling at us, taking us away from the things that make our spirits whole. Work, families, bills, housework... So many things we HAVE to do that we start to give up the things we WANT to do.
Do you really need us to tell you that’s not healthy?
I didn’t think so.
Here’s HOW that works...
Stress is felt both in the mind and in the body. Since our brains regulate and influence everything going on IN our bodies, stress doesn’t just hang out upstairs. Stress leads to inflammation... kind of like a bit of sand in your shoe. At first, it just feels uncomfortable. But when you don’t get rid of the irritation, you get a blister or an open wound. Now, you’ve got something you HAVE to fix, or the next step is even worse. I’ve never HEARD of someone losing a toe from ignoring an owie... but it COULD happen.
When stress lingers, it keeps rubbing us the wrong way. That leads to feeling physically crappy, which affects our mental health... which adds to our physical stress... See the cycle? Yeah? That’s not gonna fly... we need to STOP THE CYCLE to regain balance in mind, body, and spirit.
Deep breathing exercises, meditation, regular exercise, and effective time management can work wonders in reducing stress levels. Incorporating these techniques into your daily routine can help you significantly lower your inflammation and improve your overall health and well-being.
Releasing physical stress can be simple... getting into a habit is a process worth investing in.
Now that you’ve got that going, what next? Eating right for YOUR body.
At WildFree Health, we don’t believe one size fits all. We know that everybody, and everybody, is different. So we can help you develop healthy eating plans that work for you.
Because we live with food triggers, sensitivities, and allergies, we know all too well that food either FIGHTS inflammation or FUELS it. Including anti-inflammatory foods in your diet, such as colorful fruits, nourishing vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, can help reduce inflammation naturally and help your body feel better and be better.
What else helps? Exercise.
Exercise helps release the toxic chemicals that are associated with cellular damage. It boosts oxygen intake and the body’s ability to do more WITH that extra oxygen. Research has consistently linked exercise with improvements in focus, processing speed, working memory capacity, and the ability to switch between tasks. A healthier brain =healthier body.
To be clear, no one is suggesting you spend hours pumping iron or take up running and train for a marathon (unless that’s a thing you’re excited about! ). For many women, adding that in would absolutely ADD to the day’s stress. We don’t want that. So make an effort to move ON PURPOSE. Get up and walk around the block. Have a little dance party in the living room. Research shows that as few as 500 extra steps a day can make a difference. So get up and MOVE.
As a health coach, I know that sleep is a big deal. As a woman approaching 60, I know that sleep is a VERY BIG DEAL. After years of working crazy hours, raising boys, and helping aging parents, learning HOW to sleep took time. It took learning my limits, setting boundaries, and giving up the idea that I had to do all the things for all the people, and I had to do it TODAY! Now, I am a very good sleeper!
Which is great because sleep is basically the body’s version of rebooting. Turn it off, let all the circuits discharge, and then turn it back on. Not sleeping is like running your computer non-stop with 75 tabs open. You CAN do it, but your performance suffers. Missing out on sleep makes everything harder. Sleep deprivation even makes the inflammatory response more intense because there's not enough time for cellular recovery.
How did I go from sleeping with one eye open all the time to a regular 8-hour schedule?
Practice.
I keep the same schedule every night. Always do the same few things before sleep, telling my brain... see? bedtime! Just like I did for my boys when they were little. Probably like my mom did for me when I was little.
Other folks swear by avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed. Maybe they don't eat about an hour and a half before bed. Some need a warm bath and soft music. We can help you brainstorm ideas that work for you. You’re going to be amazed at how much better you feel when you get good sleep. And you’ll be surprised how much better you sleep when you set up good sleep habits.
These are all things you are directly in control of. But what about the things you can’t control?
Environmental factors directly affect our inflammatory response. We can’t control what’s in the air, but we can be aware of it and try to spend less time in places with low air quality. Similarly, we can buy soaps and lotions with fewer unpronounceable things and look for simple products that do the job.
Lastly, and never least important: Remember we are all connected to nature, and we need to strengthen those connections some times intentionally. So get outside and breathe in the (not-smoky) air, let your feet touch the grass or the dirt, soak up the sun and reconnect with Mother Earth. It’s a genetic booster shot.
Our very last intention is to make wellness feel more stressful or less attainable. We know some folks will take our information and run with it, while others will feel safer and more successful with a little backup help. Whichever camp you’re in, fear not: We got you!
If you’re on Team HELP! and need a little support, guidance, accountability, and cheering on, check out everything we have here at WildFree Health and the WildFree Health Community. You’ll find a wealth of information and support from a community of like-minded individuals working toward the same goal: achieving optimal health.
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