So often I have seen men and women, particularly those climbing the career ladder, slowly start to let work take precedence over their health.  I’ll be honest here, I was one of those women who fell into this trap previously.  It starts out innocently as a workout missed here and there.  Then you find yourself eating fast-food or packaged food because you are short on time or tired from a long work day.  Weight gain creeps in.  You start losing valuable hours of sleep because you are working on a project or presentation for work. Little by little, you find yourself relying more on caffeine or energy drinks to give you that boost.  Sugar and sweets often becomes another source for that “pick me up” effect.  Over time, it takes more and more caffeine and/or sugar to have the same effect that it did early on.

Before long, random aches and pains will often start to set in, typically in the neck, shoulders and back.  Headaches could also begin to increase.  It becomes a steady cycle of dis-ease winding a spiral of symptoms throughout our bodies.  To counteract these symptoms, we may choose medications instead of looking at the big picture so to speak.  I’ve seen patients taking everything from over-the-counter medications all the way to narcotics, legal and illegal, to combat the pain and dis-ease they feel.  The once vital person is now someone with a fraction of the energy and level of health remaining.

So what are some basic things to do to steer clear of this trap that many of us fall into?

1. Drink more water. May sound strange, but drinking at least 50% of your weight in ounces of water per day will help flush many of the built up toxins out of the body.  This helps restore energy and decrease pain.
2. Avoid packaged/processed foods. Its tough when you are on a busy schedule, but it is very doable with a bit of advanced planning.  Keep fruit, nuts and veggies at the office or in your car to munch on.  This will keep your blood sugar more stable and prevent the cycle of relying on candy or drive-thru meals from becoming a habit.  Once you get home, you won’t be as famished or inclined to eat a heavy meal at home or in a restaurant. Each time you eat food closest to it’s natural source–the way it appears on earth, the more wholesome nutrients and good energy you are feeding your body.
3. Get some type of exercise.  Take the stairs, park far away and walk, walk on your lunch break, go to the gym, take a yoga, dance or fitness class.  Whatever it is, just do it.  Not only will it be beneficial for your body physically, it will also be good for you mentally.  Exercise is how we strengthen ourselves to be able to handle those long challenging days mentally and physically.  Don’t use the excuse that “I don’t have time.”  Continuously missing  as little as 30 minutes of exercise each day, may cost you years off your life span in the end.  Make the time. You are worth it. Your family and the world need your energy  as well.  Don’t short-change us.
4. Sleep more.  So often, we have trouble unwinding at night and watch TV.  This simulates the brain to stay awake versus unwinding it to sleep.  Have you ever noticed yourself thinking about the news and its negativity and drama, instead of peaceful thoughts as you prepare your body for rest? By turning off the TV, you could add another 30-60 minutes of sleep, if not more, to your night.  Our bodies restore, rejuvenate and regain energy when we sleep.

These tips are all things you have probably heard before, but from what I see in the clinic and in the world, we all need to be reminded again and again.  Here in the United States particularly, we are conditioned by advertisers to eat fast, live fast, communicate fast, etc. Our bodies cannot sustain that lifestyle without first having a solid foundation of wellness from within.

Remember, be well, do well, live well.

Traci Vincent