If we think about all the things the body needs, whether us, our family – or even our pets – we all share common needs. When this was first introduced to me by a wise physician, it was life-changing. I could do something about my health that did not involve more pills and more tests! I could make a difference in me.
The spokes are what we eat and drink, and how we breathe, move, and sleep. We can’t live without them, and often don’t even think about them. With focus, we can go from surviving to thriving.
You can do it! Pick the easiest one for you.
I’ll share my example. The spoke I chose to focus on was sleep. Without good sleep, I did not feel like preparing dinner, or exercising, and I think I was a bit grouchy to be around so my relationships likely suffered. I haunched over the keyboard with short, shallow stressful breaths. Not optimized. Once my sleep improved, the new energy trickled over into healthier meals and daily walks with my husband. With that one focus, my eating, breathing, movement and relationships improved.
Pick the easiest one for you to focus on – any improvement in one will translate to improvement in all.
Breathing
Everyone breathes.
We take it for granted.
We have questions:
How do I take a deep breath and why?
How can I improve my sleep apnea?
What can meditation do for me?
Am I exposed to toxins in the air?
Drinking
What are the fluids and beverages that dehydrate me more?
How do I improve hydration – I don’t even like water…
Use hydration to move better, have more energy, and help your body get nutrients to the tissues.
Figure out if you are dehydrated, and how to determine the best quality water.
Demystify alkaline water, mineral waters, and your tap water reports.
sleeping
Did you know after 5 days with no sleep, we may even require hospitalization?
Our brain heals when we sleep, ordering all the sense and nonsense of the day.
What are sleep cycles? How do brain waves contribute to sleep? How does blue light affect sleep? Red light?
moving
We learned how important movement is when the astronauts had the first trip to the moon. With no gravity, their bones began to lose calcium (osteoporosis). Several body systems struggled.
Any movement is better than no movement.
For some, slow and steady wins the race.
For others, strength or weight-bearing exercise may be a better choice.
Our genetics can even provide hints for us!
Incorporate the best movement for you.
eating
What is food versus “food”?
They both fill an empty stomach yet “foods” provide little to help our body.
New cells can only generate from what we eat.
Our food determines the strength of our body systems including the immune system.
Junk in = junk out.
Change the inputs to change the outputs.
It all works together. Join us! What does your wheel look like?
Future Posts
The next posts will examine each of the spokes of the wheel in greater detail to give you a good foundation to work from. After that, special topics will be provided around aspects of truing up your wheel.