The Best Things You Can Do for Your Health Are Free

All my life I’ve heard people complaining about two things: not feeling well and not having any money to do anything about it. I have seen the lives of way too many people I care about unfold in seemingly endless patterns of illness and disease. And changing this story has been my most lasting and certainly most beneficial familial rebellion. My journey has led me to discover some very simple ways to live a healthier life, and, you guys! not only are many of the most important facets of a healthy life inexpensive—they’re free! And I’m going to share them with you.

 

Create time and space just for you, every day. This is the simplest and most essential thing we can do to achieve and maintain some semblance of tranquility in our lives. It’s easy to fool ourselves into believing we don’t have enough time to even accomplish all of the tasks on our lists, let alone find extra time.

But that’s just it. We’re fooling ourselves.

If we can’t carve out fifteen minutes (at the very least!) to allow ourselves to just be, then there’s no way we can expect to be well. And there’s no way we’re helping anyone else by operating from the scattered and unaware state of being that results from this mode of operating. And I have been amazed to find that the more I commit to taking time for myself, the more time unfolds abundantly in ways I could not have fathomed when I was caught up in a pattern of perpetual motion.

As the Zen proverb goes: Meditate for thirty minutes every day. Unless you don’t have time. Then, meditate for one hour.

Breathe. I mean really breathe. The most common complaints I hear from clients and other people in my life are of anxiety, stress, and tight or sore shoulders and neck. Guess what the easiest remedy for all of these symptoms is? Yes, breathing! So often we only inhale our breath as far as our chests, which is basically leaving three quarters of our body starved for oxygen, sending us into a primal state of panic, or fight-or-flight. Anxiety? Absolutely! Not to mention the tension created and stored in the head, neck, chest, and shoulders when all that air gets trapped. And the amount of relief we can experience by simply drawing the breath all the way into the abdomen, and exhaling with intention all the way down through the feet is astounding. Yes, it really can be that easy.

Eat with mindfulness. It’s amazing how much we can help our bodies digest nutrients from our food by simply slowing down and appreciating. And the positive effects on the mind and spirit are countless.

Drink water. You are water. Your body depends on a mostly liquid internal environment for proper functioning. Every time you breathe, speak and blink you expel water. Replenish! Your body will thank you. (It is best to drink water separately from eating meals, as cold liquids put out the digestive fire).  

Go outside. Get your hands, feet, face, everything! into the earth and the air. If there’s anything that works for me in resetting my energy absolutely every time, it’s getting outside, especially barefoot, even if I only go as far as the tree lawn.

I’ll tell you how I know these things work: because I practice them and they have changed my life. And for those of you who want some cold hard science to prove it, I promise it’s out there, even if it’s not in here. Enjoy the journey. Here’s to your health!

Stacey Pickering

I am a Reiki, Reflexology, & Polarity Therapy Practitioner, as well as a Detox/Lifestyle Coach & Personal Nutritional Chef. I also love to dance, sing, read, write & rollerskate!

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Volume 1, Issue 2, Posted 9:20 PM, 05.10.2016