As my focus in these blogs is on health and wellness, to me, there is a definite link between our mindset and how we approach our physical health.  Is it the chicken or the egg?  Which comes first?  We don’t feel good about ourselves because of what we’re telling ourselves in our minds?  Or is it the negative view of ourselves physically ,that causes the negative mindset?  Our physical health is at the core of what we can or can’t do in the other areas of our life.

If you turn on the news, you will hear about obesity issues in children and adults, the epidemic of heroin users on all economic levels,  bullying linked to suicides etc. etc.  A day doesn't go by where someone I’m speaking with doesn't  refer to the fact they’re tired all the time, or can’t sleep, or are stressed out about something personal or at work, maybe it's struggling with hormonal issues, pain of some kind etc.   The complaints don’t appear to be age or gender specific.  It’s women in their 30’s and 40’s, men in their 70’s, young children with allergies, athletes with breathing issues and others.

Am I just more aware of these issues now than maybe 5, 10, or more years ago?  Yes, I do think that’s some of it.  But it's also because I’m expanding my understanding of what health and wellness really means. As I get older, I'm reflecting over my own health, as I want to be around a long time to watch my grandchildren grow up, graduate and get married.  I can't do that if I'm not healthy.  Sometimes it seems that we hear conflicting information so what really is the truth?  The more I'm learning, the more there appears to be a common “culprit” -  INFLAMMATION!  Research has shown that chronic inflammation is the reason for the vast majority of our ailments.  It can lead to: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and fibromyalgia, allergies, migraines, and so much more.

For me, I previously thought inflammation was a swollen ankle, the redness around a paper cut, or the redness in my daughter’s ear when she had an ear ache.  But,  yes…my rheumatoid arthritis is inflammation!  Fancy that. According to Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, “Our bodies keep a delicate balance between when our body needs the white blood cells to clear out infection and damaged tissue.  These agents are matched by equally powerful, closely related anti-inflammatory compounds, which move in once the threat is neutralized to begin the healing process. When this ebb and flow process occurs as needed, we have a well-balanced immune system.  The problem occurs when the symptoms of inflammation don’t recede and the “on” switch to our immune system is basically stuck.  It’s continuously on “high alert.”

Here’s the good news!! We are in control of so many things in our lives that will “cool” this type of inflammation!  I CAN take action!  I CAN take control of this chronic inflammation even with the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.  The first step is learning to “listen to our bodies.”  When I was 36 and originally diagnosed with the rheumatoid,  I had a dietitian tell me I needed to “listen to my body” as it was “telling me” what my body was needing  My first response was, “I don’t have a clue what you're talking about, I've never been taught how to do that”  So I began to learn to pay attention to how my body was reacting to various foods, how I felt an hour after I had eaten, what foods gave me more energy and a clearer mind, and what foods had the opposite effect.  When was I in the most pain?  Was there a particular time of day? The questions I began to learn to ask myself became more and more specific the more I began to really "listen" to what my body was telling me  Keeping a journal was very helpful as patterns started to appear.

Now I'm paying close attention to not only my mental mindset but also my health mindset.  If I’m feeling “off,” I begin to look for reasons.  Why am I not sleeping well?  Why am I feeling bloated?  Why do I feel lethargic and can’t seem to focus?  Just like our mental mindset, it’s important to discover what’s going on in our bodies.  Personally, I don’t want to take medication unless it’s essential.  I believe if our bodies are in the right environment, fed the right foods and take the right natural supplements, our body can have a greater chance of healing itself. 

How often, in our microwave society, are we looking for a quick fix?  Get rid of the pain now, get rid of my sadness now, get rid of my stress now.  There are natural “highs” and other ways to discover what is going on with our bodies.  I hope to explore these ways with you in future blogs.

My “assignment” for you this week is to take a critical look at your health:  energy level, stress level, aches and pains, wanting to lose weight or maintain your weight, or increase your fitness level?  What's your health mindset?