Proaction or Reaction?
Camping in the Pacific Northwest, especially in Spring, means you expect rain. In addition to preparing for rain, spending an extended period of time outdoors highlights the importance of proaction.
The cumulative benefit of being mindful of small tasks and taking action before you need to cannot be overstated. Things like washing your dishes after dinner so you have clean plates for breakfast, putting the fly on your tent before it starts to rain, bringing dry wood and keeping it dry, and storing food safely to prevent or deter wildlife from noshing your lunch are examples of being proactive. Sometimes you can get away with neglecting these tasks, but how much more stress and effort are experienced when you have to react to predictable events that could put a damper on your trip?
I think, in fact I know, that the same rules apply to self-care.
Doesn’t it make more sense to consistently promote health, to position yourself to be as adaptive as possible to current stressors, and to employ measures now that prepare you for strains that will challenge you in the future?
In my line of work I often encounter folks who are reacting to signs and symptoms, which accompany an interruption in their ability to perform the tasks they need to or want to do. This is the functional definition of pain. I understand this and it is usually the entry point for people to seek help from a healthcare provider. There is nothing wrong or bad about this approach. If, however, you value being able to live a full and healthy life, reaction as a strategy is simply not as effective as proaction - action that initiates positive change.
My work focuses on helping people reorganize the neural patterns that govern whether they react or respond to stress, and how efficiently they can do so. This approach to health and wellbeing is incredibly effective to help people reacting to pain, but it is even more powerful as a proactive tool to add more life to your years.
In closing, be proactive, get outside, and take care of yourself...now.
Ease and Dis-ease
Our experience of life and the world around us is mediated by our senses. Our senses feed this experience to the brain along the channels of the nervous system. The brain then takes that information, processes it, and sends signals back into the body directing the tissues, organs, and organ systems how to respond. When this occurs with coordination and balance, a healthy nervous system adapts to the stresses presented to it. When there is interference with this loop, with the communication between the brain and the body, the ability to coordinate and efficiently respond to stress is reduced. More energy is required to perform the same vital functions. Less energy is available to go above and beyond vital tasks (see: Autonomic NS) and there is a shift from responding to stress to reacting to stress.
Another way to describe this lower energy state is dis-ease. Dis-ease is the precursor - the intermediate step - between health and ill health. It is a state in which there may or may not be pain or symptoms associated with a condition or diagnosis, but the body is exerting excess effort to maintain balance. From a clinical perspective, dis-ease is observable and can be measured by assessing where and how these areas of imbalance are affecting normal, healthy function in the body.
For me, chiropractic offers the invaluable service of supporting people by promoting communication within their bodies. Supporting the health of the nervous system has a positive impact on how folks relate to themselves, their environment, and the stresses of both. As with all relationships, when there is ease, balance, and clarity with communication, life is better.
Moving Mindfully
Chiropractic recognizes that life is the expression of intelligence through matter. One of the ways we see and experience this is through movement. A major sign of how healthy we are is how well we move.
Movement requires mobility, strength, and endurance. Mobility is the coordinated ability to move through the body’s natural ranges of motion. Mobility is not flexibility. Flexibility shows that joints have some elasticity, but often without the added stability of coordinated and strong movement patterns, which characterize mobility.
Your body responds to what you ask it to do consistently.
Mobility and strength will only happen if you ask your body for them by having a movement practice. Pilates, yoga, walking, swimming, and climbing are great examples of full body movement practices. There are plenty of others.
A movement practice is essential to the health of the body. Chiropractic is essential to the health of the movement practice.
The way that I practice chiropractic is by looking at how well the central communication network of the body (the nervous system) is working. This system underlies and coordinates all function in the body, including movement. Movement is both a sign of and a way to improve overall body health/challenge.
Endurance. Movement happens in time. Over time, both during activity/exercise and sustained periods of suboptimal posture (think: sitting in a chair), muscles fatigue. When it comes to movement, it will always be better to do less repetitions properly than more repetitions with poor form. Reinforcing good form and mechanics will lead to more strength, more endurance, and decreased risk for injury.
Questions to ask about your movement practice:
Do I have the necessary range of motion for this activity/task/exercise/asana?
Do I have the necessary strength to perform this activity/task/exercise/asana correctly?
Am I taking cues from my body about fatigue and how it affects questions 1 and 2?
Answering “no” does not mean you cannot or should not move. It does mean you need to modify what you are asking your body to do in a way that honors your current capabilities. Consistent and intelligent effort will yield results. Listen to your body - move, have fun, be mindful.