We only have one body. So, let’s look after it!

When we’re hungry, we eat. If we’re thirsty, we drink. When we’re tired, we sleep. We do these things instinctively without giving them too much thought. Why? Because we know that’s what our body needs.

However, when we’re in pain, we tend to go straight for the pain killers, or we push the pain to the back of our minds and try to struggle on. Perhaps we feel too busy to deal with the cause of the pain or maybe we just accept that it’s part of getting older or leading a physical lifestyle.

Isn’t it strange that when it comes to pain, we can so easily neglect what our body is REALLY trying to tell us? It just doesn’t make sense!

  • Accidental injury
  • Age
  • Unrelenting stress
  • Pain
  • Lack of sleep
  • Poor diet
  • Eating disorders
  • Smoking
  • Perpetual inactivity
  • Alcohol

These are only a few things that can dramatically affect the organs, muscles and tissues that are working so hard to keep us healthy and moving freely.

“Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one.”

Astrid Alauda

I’d like you to stop and think for a moment. Are YOU taking YOUR body for granted? If the answer is yes, don’t worry. So many of us do this until something goes wrong!

Our bodies are constantly going through an incredible process called homeostasis, a finely tuned balancing act that responds to whatever we subject it to. A commonly known response is the production of insulin to process the food we’ve just eaten. It signals the liver and muscles to absorb sugar molecules from the blood. However, there’s a hiccup every now and then, and our bodies give an unexpected or undesirable response. If the insulin feedback system is disrupted, we may suffer from diabetes until the equilibrium is restored and blood glucose levels are controlled.

In a nutshell, we only have one incredible body, and without it, we’re going nowhere!

If you lack a good self-care routine, the everyday pressures of life can easily tip the balance and manifest as overwhelm, chronic stress, anxiety and even depression. We all want to enjoy the things we work so hard to achieve, like the nice house, car, energetic children, and family and friends around us. It’s such a shame if we can’t enjoy these properly.

Bearing this in mind, it’s time to start listening to our bodies, understand what they’re trying to tell us and respond proactively. Let’s stop pushing it to breaking point. Instead, start looking after it better today. It’s time for action.

It’s good to talk

Sometimes it’s unresolved emotions or situations which burden us, manifesting as discomfort and pain. To get to the root cause of these problems, it may help to talk to someone you trust or contact a counsellor or talking therapist, even if it’s only for a couple of sessions to help you get started.

Let’s assume the problem is dealing with anger-induced stress in a controlled manner. Some solutions could be to talk to someone as we’ve just discussed, write your feelings down in a journal, sing or shout (in an appropriate environment), hit a punch bag if you have one to hand (I have one for my clients to use in the micro gym!), relax, meditate or exercise to release those feel-good chemicals, endorphins. The trick is to find a solution that works for YOU without upsetting or hurting anyone else in the process.

“Your body is your home. Treat it with love and respect.”

Jasmin Terrany