The Top 5 Actionable Steps you can Take NOW to Improve Your Health

As Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) providers in Golden, CO, we see remarkable healing changes happen on a daily basis.  We are privileged to see people move from fight-or-flight physiology to one of peace, healing, and enhanced wellbeing.  Research shows that not only does one’s level of wellness increase through NSA care (as witnessed with quantifiable changes and research) but as one heals, individuals make higher-level decisions regarding their health and wellbeing.  The old theory was that in order to heal, we just had to make changes to our health routine.  Researchers questioned this because when people are not functioning well and/or living out of stress physiology, it is difficult for the brain to engage in healthy choices and decision making. Now we know through the University of Southern California (USC) Neurobiology Department, that when you heal, the brain has enhanced frontal cortex decision making capacity.  This means people who have experienced a deeper level of healing make better decisions for their health and wellbeing.  My words of encouragement: keep on the path of healing through NSA to upgrade your decision-making process and wellbeing.  

The next step: with awareness and enhanced decision-making capabilities, implement these TOP 5 actionable tools to support your health.  By supplementing your health routine with these lifestyle strategies, you should notice significant changes in your healing capacity, energy, and vitality.  And, they really aren’t that hard.  Just like everything when it comes to health: consistency, frequency, and time make all the difference.

1. Drink more water.  As you have most likely heard, about 60% of the human body is made of water.  AND, most clients I start working with are dehydrated.  Water affects your muscles, the discs between each spinal bone, the function of your brain, the effectiveness and efficiency of your digestive system and SO MUCH MORE.  The minimum amount of water that you should be consuming on a daily basis is at least ½ your body weight in ounces per day.  Again, this is the MINIMUM.  I would like you drinking more than this.  Gradually increase your water consumption on a daily basis to meet this requirement of optimal health.  Pro-tip: add electrolytes to an additional glass of water daily to increase your hydration status.    
2. Manage your stress level.  NSA decreases stress physiology through specific, gentle adjustments.  You can optimize this healing effect by creating a lifestyle that manages stress as it emerges throughout your everyday experiences.  Ideas: take a walk after lunch and/or dinner, take a breathing break mid-afternoon, start your day with meditation and/or journaling, take an Epsom salt bath before bed, sleep with a grounding mat, add to a gratitude journal before bed.  There are so many things that you can do to be proactive about stress and how it affects your body.
3. Decrease or eliminate your sugar consumption.  More and more research is emerging regarding how processed sugar decreases the capacity and function of the brain, digestive system, and immune system.  It is a major player in both anxiety and depression.  Excess sugar consumption is related to the development of some of the major conditions Americans are facing: Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune conditions, and gut dysbiosis (overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut leading to IBS, constipation, and diarrhea).  It takes about 3 days of avoiding excess carbohydrates and sugar to decrease cravings—and from there on out, it gets easier!  You can do it!
4. Move your body.  What is the number one factor in the aging process that determines how successfully your body/mind will age?  Muscle mass.  Maintaining and working to build muscle mass as we age is key for giving us strength, stability, and balance, but also due to the biochemical processes that muscle and its physiological makeup manage and communicate with the rest of the body.  Purposeful muscle building should be a part of your health routine 2-3 times per week.  It is OK to start slow, but work towards increasing the amount of weight you are lifting so muscle can build.  And other than that, find movement you enjoy!  Hiking, biking, walking, swimming, dancing… what do you love that involves movement?  That is a daily priority!
5. Lastly, change how you think.  I have noticed after 20 years of working with patients that one of the most common things to get in the way of someone’s healing is what they think is possible.  When I ask a client “how are you?” and they respond with, “same-old,” I know that his or her sense of what is possible for their health potential is limited.  This thought processes limits and stalls progress.  Instead, use mindfulness techniques to form affirmations regarding how you want to feel.  Here are some examples:

“I am healing on a daily basis.  I am creating habits that support my healing journey.”  

“My wellness potential is ever-expanding… I am healing step by step in the right direction.”  

Research performed by USC truly shows that the level of wellness that someone can achieve with NSA care is limitless.  Imagine if you support your healing process with these awesome health strategies.  You will be taking a new or enhanced level of responsibility for your health and wellness that can lead to ever-enhanced wellness.  Go for it and remember, we are here to support you on your journey.  

Create Health by Choice, Not by Chance.