29/03/2020 17:31
HOW TO KEEP HEALTHY DURING THE COVID CRISIS?
Number one! – Social Distance and stay in side….
Number Two! – Stress and Sleep.
Control the controllable
PHYSICAL HEALTH: DIET EXERCISE BODY COMPOSITION
There is no particular diet, other than avoiding highly processed foods loaded with sugar and chemicals.
Nutrients from a range of healthy foods are needed in the biochemical pathways that are triggered as your body fights an infection.
Eat a range of foods that contain vitamins A, B, C, D and E and the minerals iron, zinc and selenium.
Eat in alignment with nature, eat natural whole food, fish meat nuts fresh fruit and vegetables nuts and seeds. Avoid inflammation, sugar wheat diary processed foods… Everything in moderation
Eating poorly effects pain signals. Eating rubbish food with turn up the pain signals. You really are what you eat. Choose wisely particularly if you are in pain. It will amplify pain signals.
Hydrate! Think dried fruit vs fresh fruit. Would you like your muscles to be like juicy juicy fresh mango or shrivelled up dried mango… The only difference is water… Drink up and hydrate those muscles
EXERCISE: MOVE OFTEN
Working from home? Sitting for hours? Try and move or get up every 45 minutes.
Try and organise your work from home day so that you get some structured exercise in.
At a bear minimum go for a work and get some sunshine… Vitamin D is an essential boost to the immune system at the moment.
If you follow along on the Auckland Health and Performance facebook and Instagram pages. I post regular simple workouts that don’t need alot of equipment or space.
MENTAL HEALTH
Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil a number of key functions and activities, including:
the ability to learn
the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions
the ability to form and maintain good relationships with others
the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
The way people view spiritual health can be very different. Spiritual health is the capacity for faith or religious beliefs or having a belief in a higher power. For others, spiritual health is an internal connection to the universe or the sacred.
There is no right or wrong way to think of or experience spirituality, but it is an important part of your mental wellbeing.
Spiritual wellbeing can be expressed through beliefs, values, traditions and practices that support self-awareness and identity.
It is an important part of our sense of meaning and purpose as well as experiencing a sense of connectedness to self, family, community and our natural environment
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Emotional health is an important part of overall health. People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. They are able to cope with life’s challenges. They can keep problems in perspective and bounce back from setbacks. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships.
Attitude is really everything, building resilience in mind and body is really important in crises like COVID 19.
Speaking personally. It takes reminding myself daily what I am grateful for, repeating my internal affirmations and patting my dog a lot.
• Be aware of your emotions and reactions. Notice what in your life makes you sad, frustrated, or angry. Try to address or change those things.
• Express your feelings in appropriate ways. Let people close to you know when something is bothering you. Keeping feelings of sadness or anger inside adds to stress. It can cause problems in your relationships and at work or school.
• Think before you act. Emotions can be powerful. Give yourself time to think, and be calm before you say or do something you might regret.
• Manage stress. Try to change situations causing you stress. Learn relaxation methods to cope with stress. These could include deep breathing, meditation, and exercise.
• Strive for balance. Find a healthy balance between work and play and between activity and rest. Make time for things you enjoy. Focus on positive things in your life.
• Take care of your physical health. Your physical health can affect your emotional health. Exercise regularly, eat healthy meals, and get enough sleep. Don’t abuse drugs or alcohol.
• Connect with others. We are social creatures. We need positive connections with other people. Make a lunch date, join a group, and say hi to strangers.
• Find purpose and meaning. Figure out what it is important to you in life, and focus on that. This could be your work, your family, volunteering, caregiving, or something else. Spend your time doing what feels meaningful to you.
• Stay positive. Focus on the good things in your life. Forgive yourself for making mistakes, and forgive others. Spend time with healthy, positive people.
SOCIAL HEALTH
Social health is commonly defined as your ability to form meaningful relationships with other people and interact in healthy, positive ways. The way you connect to the people around you, adapt to different social situations, and experience a sense of belonging all contribute to your social health.
Having meaningful relationships with other people can reduce stress and provide a sense of security that promotes good emotional health. #bekind
Career Health
Using the strategy of the whare tapu wha – lean on other pillars of health until this one builds. Control the controllable. Focus on physical health, spiritual and emotional health, improve your organisation, tying up loose ends in business, diversifying income, multiple streams of income, what different ways can you help your community? Maybe focus on continued learning/continuing professional development during this time. Stay focused, keep your body and mind in a rhythm
HOW DO I BOOST MY IMMUNE SYSTEM?
Anything that makes your heart healthy, your lungs healthy, kidneys healthy and your gut healthy, will make your immune system healthy.
My answer to this is exercise, move! It keeps your heart and lungs pumping, your spine and muscles healthy and releases all the feel-good chemicals in your brain, because you have done something good for your body #serotonin
What alternative health, eastern medicine and indigenous cultural beliefs have in common is the notion of movement and balance. Anything that remains still or not moving for a period builds up toxicity in the body. And that all areas of health are connected mind body and soul.
Chinese Medicine – movement of energy. The vital energy should circulate freely throughout the body, but if there is a failure then it can lead to disease.
Ayurvedic (Indian) Medicine – Ayurveda emphasizes the unshakable connections between the body, mind, and spirit.
Chiropractic – moving flowing nervous system and the brain – body connection is stressed by thoughts/trauma/toxins…
Traumas, such as those caused by a car accident, sports injuries, repetitive motion or physical stress, and sometimes the trauma of childbirth.
Toxins from food allergies or sensitivities, exposure to smoke, prescriptions and other pharmaceuticals, or household chemicals.
Thoughts caused by emotional stress, arguments, a long work day, gruelling work hours, or anxiety over events.
Osteopathy – movement of blood and lymph
Maori – Whare tapa wha, describes the interconnectness of all things, by nurturing and strengthening all 5 dimensions, you support your health and wellbeing, as well as the health and wellbeing of your whanau. If something in your life is challenging the wellbeing of one wall or dimension, you can draw on the foundation and other walls until you can strengthen that wall again.
In this difficult time. Breathe. Stay Kind. Be grateful. Smile.
Reach out with a phone call or email if you need to talk
Dr Kylie