Health
"Your body can heal itself. It can do so because it has a healing system. If you are in good health, you will want to know about this system, because it is what keeps you in good health and because you can enhance that condition. If you or people you love are sick, you will want to know about this system, because it is the best hope for recovery." - Dr. Andrew Weil
Exercise: Regular Exercise not only enhances physical health by reducing the risk of chronic diseases, but also boosts mental well-being and improves overall quality of life.
Nutritional Awareness: Nearly all mental health, cognitive, behavioral, personality, habit-based, and neurodegenerative issues begin in the gut.
Stress Reduction: Stress is the body's response to demands and challenges, but not all stress is the same. Good stress (eustress) motivates and energizes, such as when starting a new job or participating in a competition. Bad stress (distress) occurs when challenges feel overwhelming, leading to anxiety and discomfort. Managing stress is vital for physical and mental well-being.
Sleep: Quality sleep rejuvenates the mind and body, fostering improved cognitive function, emotional stability, and overall health.
Mindful Eating: Mindful eating is a practice rooted in mindfulness, which promotes awareness and presence in the moment. This approach encourages individuals to engage fully with the eating experience, allowing them to make conscious choices about what, when, and how much to eat.
Hydration: Hydration is essential for physical and mental health, supporting key bodily functions and boosting clarity and stability. The vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic nervous system, regulates heart rate, digestion, and stress. Stimulating it can further enhance well-being. Explore the following biohacks for effective vagus nerve resets.
Breath Awareness: In the rhythm of the breath lies the power to transform. With every mindful inhalation, we embrace life, and with every exhalation, we release that which no longer serves us.
Yoga and Mindfulness/Mindful Movements: Mindful movement practices such as tai chi, yoga, and mindful walking blend physical activity with mindfulness, offering notable physical and mental health benefits. Slow, intentional movements paired with focused breathing and awareness help relax the body and reduce stress. These practices encourage present-moment focus, boost mood, enhance cognitive function, and foster emotional stability. Physically, they improve flexibility, balance, cardiovascular health, and pain management. Emotionally, they reduce anxiety, elevate mood, and build resilience to stress.
Biohacks - Vagus Nerve Reset: The vagus nerve is a crucial part of the parasympathetic nervous system. Playing a significant role in regulating essential bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, and stress response, resetting or stimulating the vagus nerve can enhance overall physical well-being. Follow the link: 10 effective biohacks to help reset the vagus nerve.
Self-Care and the Teach Program
The secret to better health is much more than “eat better and exercise.”
Health is about getting restorative sleep, eating well, and exercising, but it is also about having a positive attitude, healthy thoughts, and being emotionally resilient in stressful situations. It is about getting “unstuck” when the going gets rough and letting go when we overfocus on negative things. It is about having enough energy for the day, but it is also about enjoying the day through connections and relationships and living a fulfilling life of health, meaning, and purpose.
This means that any program for self-care must go beyond basic habits that are foundational for wellness and address the whole person within the context in which they live. This is the approach of the TEACH Program, which at the macro level addresses Thoughts, Emotions, Attention, Connections, and Health, and at the micro level, it addresses Tiny, Easy, Attractive, Consistent, Habits. So, this section takes a deep dive into the tiny habits of self-care with an eye on incorporating daily health habits into a total system of caring for yourself. We have organized the information according to the following topics:
Effects of Good Health
Most of us are far less healthy than we could be. According to the CDC, six out of ten people live with at least one chronic disease. Four in ten people have two or more conditions. Chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes take a heavy toll on our collective health and productivity.
In 2018, researchers from Harvard reported that people who practiced five specific lifestyle habits dramatically reduced their risks of heart disease and cancer compared with those who did none. The five healthy habits were:
Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and unsaturated fatty acids and low in red and processed meats, sugary drinks, trans fats, and sodium
Don’t smoke
Get at least three-and-a-half hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week
Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol (no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men)
Maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) from 18.5 to 24.9.
How effective were these habits?
The researchers found that practicing all five habits from age 50 onward extended life by over a decade compared to people who practiced none. Women who didn't adopt any habits lived on average to age 79, while those who did all five lived to 93. Similarly, men who did not practice these five habits lived to 75 on average, while those who did lived to nearly 88.
When it comes to self-care, habits that foster a healthy body are an excellent place to start. However, scientists have learned that the mind and body are inextricably linked over time. Thoughts and emotions influence health in many ways. For example, stressful events spike blood pressure. Depression lowers your pain tolerance, making pain feel worse. Loneliness appears to be a cause of premature death. These are just a few examples of the many connections between mental and physical health, which lead us into the world of TEACH.
