Times since the Covid hit, have been strongly marked by special attentiveness to one's immunity, mental and physical health, taking care of oneself in order to be able to take better care of the collective, support each other in worldwide crises and return, despite the distance introduced, to a sense of community. I constantly want to support you in preventive health care, based on the latest medicine, and today I also reveal to you some ways to prosper in body and mind.
According to recent studies, both physical and mental health depend enormously on the health of the gastrointestinal microbiome, or our bacteria. What influences their proper functioning? Physical activity! Moderate exercise has been proven to have a beneficial effect on the restoration of individual "good" strains of bacteria in the gut. At the same time, psycho-emotional stress has been recognized as a factor impairing us in the so called good bacteria. Thus, stress management is crucial not only to simply feel calm, but also so that the right bacteria can multiply favorably.
If you're looking for a way to approach stress management, start meditating and make time for mindfulness for yourself every day, but motivation can sometimes fail slightly, so I recommend this free course taught by my favorite mindfulness teachers Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Take the 40-day challenge and let me know how you're doing.
Weight training has been widely described in the literature as beneficial for both the hormonal system and mitochondria, our energy centers. However, not everyone enjoys going to the gym. Many of my patients have a passion for yoga, so how about combining the two? Yoga with weights combines the mindfulness aspect of yoga with the addition of resistance training in practice. It's a brilliant solution for people who want to enjoy yoga and take care of their musculoskeletal system. Check this out!
Our minds are currently struggling with overstimulation, and this is nothing new for anyone. The body is constantly bombarded with toxins and stress, which leads to limited abilities to focus and proper nervous system function. For better focus, I recommend Brain.fm, which has created scientifically-backed music for the brain to enhance its performance.
If you want to boost your mental performance, enhance your immunity, and have anti-cancer properties, mushrooms are some of the best foods you can introduce into your diet. The most potent medicinal mushrooms include reishi, Lion's mane, chaga, cordyceps, and turkey tail. You can add them in powdered form to your coffee or smoothie. Depending on the type you choose, they can help regulate blood sugar levels, increase oxygen flow to cells or promote better sleep. I'm dropping a link to an amazing movie about these incredible gifts of nature, for those who haven't seen it yet.
You can't talk about a balanced body without efficient sleep. The most significant regenerative processes take place during sleep, the brain is cleansed, and information is stored for memory. Remember to sleep in a dark room, avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bedtime, finish physical exercise at least 5 hours before bedtime, reduce exposure to blue light from screens in the evening, and refrain from alcohol consumption - opposite actions will disrupt sleep quality and all physiological processes that are meant to occur during it.
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Karo