Health & Fitness

Powerful Ways to Take Care of Your Body: Our bodies are not invincible, and we can only push them so far before they start to break down. I ought to know. It's been about three years since my body got sick, for whatever reason. I've only just started to listen, even though I'm very tired and have constant joint and muscle pains, like you get when you have the flu. I guess it's taken me so long to do this because I'm still hanging on to the life I had before my normal activities put me in bed for days at a time. (When I finished my degree at university, I took another part-time course for two years while working two part-time jobs and running a student newspaper.) After a year, I decided I wanted to be a teacher instead of a writer, so I got my teaching certificate. During all of this, I moved onto a broken-down boat, didn't have a bedroom for about four months, lost someone close to me, and fought to keep from having a mental breakdown as my depression hit its peak. My mental health has always been up for debate, but in all the years I've been happy-crazy, my physical health has never been as bad as it is now. I've spent almost a year changing my mood, being more mindful, and practicing kindness and happiness to improve my mental health. These things are still going on, but I haven't given my body much time in the process. We take time to breathe and think happy thoughts when we're worried, but what do we do for our bodies? Maybe we forget about that sometimes. I know I do. So, when things are hard, what can we do for our bodies alone? Here are defining Simple Yet Powerful Ways to Take Care of Your Body. Simple Yet Powerful Ways to Take Care of Your Body 1. Take time for exercise. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of this one, because physical exercise makes the problems with my body even worse. But sometimes, when my joints aren't killing me, I go for a slow walk to keep my muscles and joints flexible. I'm also taking my time to get to the point where I can do some basic yoga, but it's a slow process. This is why you should work out your body: if you're having trouble, don't do more than your body can handle. There's no point in making things harder. Even small things can make a big difference. 2. Make sleep a priority. Give yourself permission to sleep if you're tired, even if you feel like you should be doing more. When I first started feeling sick, I ignored this easy idea for almost a year. Now that I accept it, my body is grateful. (Here are 9 tips to help you sleep better). Rest and sleep don't help me as much as they might for other people because of my situation, but it still makes a difference. It keeps me from hurting more people. 3. Eat well and savor it. We’re encouraged to be increasingly mindful of what we eat nowadays, and for good reason considering the state of the food we consume. I’d like to encourage you, however, to turn your attention inward for a moment and think about eating as more than a bland necessity or ethical conundrum. Food is fuel, and we need it to function optimally Eating well means feeding your body what it needs, in the most natural way you can manage and afford. Changing how you eat doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing thing. Maybe you could add just an extra bit of fruit a day or swap a cup of coffee for a glass of water instead. Relish the food you eat too, and take your time. Paying attention to flavors, textures, and smells, even the mechanical act of eating can soothe our bodies and reawaken us to the sensations of being alive. How long has it been since you’ve recognized your body like this? 4. Listen to pain. When something hurts, something somewhere has gone wrong, and your body is trying to tell you that. We often pay no attention to pain unless it becomes unbearable: that tooth ache isn’t so bad, it can wait for a while; the sharp tugging in my shoulder is a result of repetitive strain but it usually goes by the time I’m home, so no need to worry. These things, no matter how small, shouldn’t be brushed aside because they represent damage to our bodies. Ignore them and they could come back to haunt you later. Also read: Top Benefits of Homemade Food 5. Slow down. I tend to think I can't be hurt because I'm still holding on to the person I was before I felt so bad. I usually take on way too much and then run around like a crazy person. I can probably do this for about two days before I get too tired and have to go to bed. If you're likely to do what I do, I won't be surprised if you laugh at the idea that you should slow down. We all have a lot to do and not much time, and you want me to slow down? Who could do that? Rephrase: who doesn't have time for that? Our bodies are the way. If we try to get every second out of our day as quickly as possible, our skin, bones, muscles, lungs, and everything else will suffer in the long run. Since I've come to terms with my physical situation, I've become an advocate for living slowly. For the sake of my body, I have to live slowly, and you know what? I quite like it! I like that I only sit down to write for a maximum of two or three hours a day. I like that I get whole days off to let my body heal. Our bodies are valuable, so why do we often ignore them in such simple ways? A calm mind isn't worth much if you don't have a strong body to carry it. So set aside an hour—yes, an hour!—a few times a week to take care of it. Sleep, eat, rest, get a massage. Slow everything down. Look around. Try to treat your body with the same kindness you try to show everyone else. It just as much needs it.