An increasing number of people that come to see me are not in immediate acute pain but are actively trying to avoid future injury or disease by having preventative treatment and gaining advice.

The useful analogy of health is a four-legged table each representing factors that influence your health or disease: diet, toxins, lifestyle and emotions.

Diet

Most people know (and ignore!) the foods they should be limiting, but here is a reminder of foods I ask patients to avoid as much as possible: sugar, alcohol, saturated fats, trans fats and anything processed.

So, what should you eat? Anything your great-grandmother would recognise as food! Also drink lots of water to flush inflammation out of the body. Your responsibility is to provide your body with the nutrients it needs and not keep throwing fuel on the fire to keep an injury or dysfunction going. So next time you eat, ask yourself – does this food nurture or harm my body?

Toxins

Additives in ‘food’, pesticides, environmental toxins and parabens / other chemicals in our personal care products may cause issues with our health. As a general rule try and buy organic if you can and avoid the toxins you know about.

Lifestyle

There is a wealth of information out there about work / life balance, the importance of daily exercise and movement, the effects of sitting too much, sleep hygiene etc.

The advice here is easy to do… and easy not to do!

Go for a walk or move at least 30 min a day. Sit as little as possible; getting up frequently if you absolutely have to sit for long hours. Set a timer to remind you to move.

Relax while you eat, find a friend to join you for lunch and chat over dinner.

Switch off screens at least an hour before bed.

Emotions

Emotional distress lowers your pain threshold. Mindfulness has become a buzzword for good reason and the Headspace app is a useful introduction to it. However I find that just paying attention to my posture connects me to my body and the here and now and it doesn’t require any extra time in the day.

When you are stressed you tend to hold your breath, tightening up the solar plexus. A simple breathing exercise, the long slow deep breath, can help:

         seconds ​                                        

Repeat for up to 3 minutes. You can do this at any time you find yourself getting stressed to calm down the mind.

Getting help from a good counsellor or CBT therapist to change your faulty belief systems can be invaluable too.

If you would like someone to review these factors and advise you on the changes you need to make, book in for a Health Coaching Session and I will educate and empower you so you can feel free to thrive!

Elrina

Special Offer:

£20 off regular price of £75 for readers.