Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Wellness Wheel

The Wellness Wheel
By Dr. Sherri Edelman

As we continue to move through the seasons once again from Spring to Summer, take a moment to reflect on the hopes and dreams you had in the beginning of the new year. Regardless of where you are in relationship to the achievement of those goals, or the actions that you have taken (or not) toward them...take a moment to reflect on the fullness of your life right now! There is always something to practice gratitude for, and when we do that, we come into the present moment, where all is in alignment toward our highest good -- even when we are in a state of confusion!

Visualize your life as a "Wellness Wheel"-there are seven spokes on your "wheel", and each spoke represents a different area of your life: relationships, physical, spiritual, work/purpose, family, financial, and mental/creative. Try this activity to discover whether you are in "harmony" holistically in your life, moving fluently and effortlessly in forward motion with synergy and flow.

Draw a wheel with 7 spokes and a small circle in the middle and label each spoke with the 7 areas above. Rate each area by putting a dot on that spoke: dots toward the edge of the wheel would represent dissatisfaction with how you perceive your life is going in that particular area; a dot closer to the center of the wheel means things are working great. Next, connect the dots and ask yourself the following question: "What would my ride be like on this wheel the way it is now?" If you're experiencing a bumpy ride, develop a plan of action you can take to make your ride (life) smoother, seeking out guidance and getting the support you need to be fully alive!

Spring Cleaning Your Body

Spring Cleaning Your Body
By Dr. Andrew Piazza

Springtime is here at last, and that means everyone is emerging from their hibernation and starting to move again. Most of us have a tendency to stagnate a bit physically during the winter months, from a combination of the cold weather and short hours of sunlight. And, similarly, most of us have a habit of rushing headfirst into spring after being cooped up in the house for too long.
That rushing back into physical activity often leads to a host of new aches and pains... and even more old aches and pains that resurface when we start moving and exercising a little too much and a little too fast. Who could blame us? Springtime is full of this rush to renew life and energy, and so it is not surprising that we get a little overly enthusiastic in our exercise.

All the same, it's a good idea to ease back into physical activity at least as much as your particular strain of Cabin Fever will allow. Tendons and ligaments that haven't been stressed in a while tend to weaken and get stiff, so sudden and vigorous exertion will tend to put you down for the count with a nasty sprain. Muscles that haven't had to support your spine and the rest of your skeletal structure during physical exercise will weaken and stiffen as well.

Since those muscles and tendons and ligaments all protect your joints, overwhelming those defenses by overdosing it in the gym or on the track could also lead to a nasty acute injury to the delicate joint of the spine. As anyone who's been bedridden with severe back or neck pain knows, this is an experience you don't want to have.

So spend a week in the "Spring Cleaning" of your body. Move, but don't move too much. Start walking before you start running. Lift weights before you start lifting heavy ones. Put an eye to your diet and clear out the heavy winter food in favor of more fresh fruits and vegetables. If you haven't been in to Triune in a while, check in with us and get your spine checked and cleared. Small, sub-acute (injuries not yet bad enough to trip off pain sensors) problems in the spine can interfere with your coordination and set you up for one of those weekend warrior type injuries.
In other words, clear out the cobwebs. Just don't do it so fast that you tear the house down!