1. Meditate
One of our favorite at-home tricks for decreasing stress is meditation. This doesn't have to be a 45 minute "Ohm" session. There are several different ways to incorporate shorter (even 5 minutes or less!) meditations into your daily routine!
• Apps!
o There are a bunch of great phone apps that offer varying lengths of meditations to follow. Some of our favorites are Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer. A great free option is Healthy Minds Program.
• Youtube!
o There are many FREE meditation videos on Youtube that range from 2 minutes to an hour! If you need a brain break.. those videos can be a great opportunity to step away from your desk (or kitchen/laundry/chores, etc) and reset your focus. If you have trouble falling asleep, that can be a great time to turn on a quick 5-minute meditation to calm your mind and body.
2. Exercise
You don't have to spend hours in the gym to get great benefits for your physical health! Here are a few tricks to sneak some gentle movement into your day:
• Take a Walk
o If you have a dog, this one is easy! Instead of waking up and jumping on your phone to check emails, take a 10 minute walk with your pup! If you don't have a dog... instead of waking up and jumping on your phone to check emails, take a 10 minute walk around the block.. bonus.. you won't have to pick up dog poo!
o If you're not a morning person, take a 10 minute walk when you get home from work to clear your head before dinner!
• Set a timer
o Set a few timers throughout your day to remind yourself to get up from your desk and move. Walk the long way around the office to go to the bathroom or grab a glass of water.
• YOGA!
o If you can sign up for a local yoga class, that is wonderful! If not, there are some great introductory yoga classes online that you can do at home. There are some free ones on Youtube, or many video streaming programs like Netflix and Amazon often have some great videos to follow!
3. Food Therapy
When we talk about "Food Therapy" from a Chinese Medicine perspective.. we don't mean "Eat chicken and salad to lose weight". We mean eat foods that make your body feel good!
• If you have digestive issues like pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation.. Keep a food journal. Take note of which specific foods you're eating in the 12 hours before you're seeing these symptoms.
• Eat Seasonally! Our bodies change with the seasons so eating foods that are "in season" can be a great way to provide optimal nutrients to support our body through seasonal changes.
• Most importantly! Think of your digestion as a camp fire! If you're trying to stay warm, are you going to throw cold, wet leaves on the fire? Many people actually have a very hard time digesting salad and cold, raw foods. If you find that you feel bloated, fatigued, or "off" after eating those kinds of foods... swap them out for cooked options like stir fry, steamed vegetables, etc. Drinking a cup of hot water with lemon while eating cold foods can also help your digestion!
4. Acupressure Points
We will often give you some suggestions for acupressure points, stretches, or exercises that you can do at home to reduce pain, support digestion, and reduce stress between treatments! If this is something you would like more of, let your practitioner know!
5. Ask for help!
There are SO many resources in our community for supporting health and wellness. It can be really hard to change unhealthy habits. Don't be afraid to ask for help from that one friend who is always active and eats 100% organic all the time, or to ask your friends and family to hang out with the kids for an hour so you can get a workout in! Asking for help doesn't make you a bad [Parent, Sibling, Family Member, Friend, Employee, Etc.]. It is also important to take care of YOU!
Give us a call or book online today to incorporate Chinese Medicine into your health and wellness routine to see how AMAZING you can feel!
612-965-5227