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My health has not been great for a long time now, despite me eating relatively well and generally trying to take care of myself. I just keep getting ill and have been on antibiotics far too many times in the last six months, which I really hate. Plus I’ve been quite stressed which never helps of course.
I always feel like my body is unbalanced in some way and that maybe I am deficient in something or other, but, although I do take a few key vitamins, I don’t want to keep taking loads of different ones just in case they help. I would love to have proper nutritional testing done to find if there is anything I am particularly deficient in or even if I’m taking too much of something. If you fancy getting it done yourself then Health Labs are offering my US readers 15% off here.
So now I’m determined to do something about how I’m feeling, and I am trying out some different things to really make an effort to give my health a boost and to try and avoid illness for at least a month for once!
I have been having a few sessions of Reflexology for a few months now, and I really enjoy it. Reflexology is an alternative medicine involving the application of pressure to the feet with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques. It is based on a system of zones and reflex areas that reflect an image of the body on the feet and hands, with the premise that such work affects a physical change to the body (Source).
I haven’t particularly noticed any changes to my health yet, but I love it just for the relaxing hour it provides me with and of course a lovely foot rub! So for me, any health effects that I might see will just be a bonus. According to my reflexologist, it can help me with my migraines that I have been getting again a lot recently, as well as sinus infections and struggling to sleep, which would be wonderful.
I also find it really fascinating when she asks me if I have had a particular pain in a certain area or something, and she can tell that I have from touching my feet! I really believe in things like this to help our health, and it’s lovely and relaxing and great to just have some time out too.
My therapist has also suggested that I have some acupuncture to help with my migraines so I going to try that soon too. I have actually had it before and really wasn’t keen on the needles in my head that made me bleed, but she insists that she is likely to be much more gentle with me!
I have also had a few massages at the same place before, which I absolutely adore and really make me feel relaxed, but they also really help to relieve the tension in my neck and shoulders which I also think helps with my migraines.
I would love to be able to have all three every week, but unfortunately, funds do not allow for that! So, for now, I’m just going to alternate between them to try and improve my health.
Last year after I joined the gym I started going swimming again after not going for years and I really enjoy it, so I’d like to start going more regularly. Swimming is so good for you, and I’m always surprised at how much I ache the next day, even after not doing loads of lengths!
I love how even though it tires me out still, it doesn’t feel too strenuous as the water supports you, and I find being in the water so relaxing and refreshing. So one of the reasons I want to start swimming once a week or more is for the mental health benefits as well as the physical differences it makes to my body.
Even just doing 10-15 lengths (which is about all I can manage at the moment!) gives me a good workout, and because it doesn’t take too long I can pop to my gym after dropping my daughter at school, swim, have a shower there, and then get back home to work without losing too much time. As I will be swimming more often I would like to get a new swimming costume that is more suitable for regular swimming, like one of these from Simply Swim who have loads of really nice styles, as my current bright pink one feels slightly more suitable for the beach or pool on holiday!
I mostly eat well and don’t have too much rubbish, but I really haven’t been eating enough fruit and vegetables in particular. In summer I am usually a bit better because I eat more salad, but I normally don’t want cold salad in the colder months.
But recently I’ve been getting the snack peppers, cucumbers, and celery that they do in Lidl and I’ve really been enjoying eating them for my lunch with some other stuff, as well as snacking on them with or without humous and I’ve really been enjoying them! It also means I’m getting much closer to my five a day most days and they fill me up more than say an unhealthy bag of crisps. It also means that I’m getting a good range of different coloured foods too which is good for your health.
I’ve also been eating less sugar, although that has luckily come quite naturally as I just haven’t really fancied chocolate or anything like that recently. It’s so strange as I always had such a sweet tooth, but I much prefer savoury foods now and some sugary things are just way too sweet for me.
I’ve talked about this before, but I have really been trying to be on social media less, as well as put my phone down a little while before I go to sleep. I think we’ve been so used to just doing something constantly that we forget to just be alone with our thoughts sometimes (or I do anyway). So I may put my phone down and then pick it up again because I couldn’t possibly just do nothing for a minute or two! It’s ridiculous and it’s no good for us to be like that. So I am trying to be a bit less obsessed with my phone and allow myself to not be reading something all the time and let my mind just wander.
This is a new one for me, and one that I haven’t actually made time for yet, and to be honest it is something that I’ve always ignored as much as possible before as it just seemed too ‘woo’ for me. But actually, I am in real need of some time to myself each day where I really try to relax and switch off my hectic mind, and meditation doesn’t have to be a big deal. It can really be just practicing breathing and attempting to switch off your mind for a few minutes each day.
I have been using the Calm app recently before I go to sleep and listening to one of their sleep stories or the meditation sessions for sleep and I’ve really been enjoying them and they do seem to really help me to relax a bit more and drift off more quickly.
I really want to do some of the meditation on the app during the day as well, because my head is always so full and I get so overwhelmed with everything, so I really need to try and take some time during my day to just breathe, and it really is so good for you, helping with stress and it can even help with ageing.
Do you do any of these things or do you do anything in particular to improve your health?
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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All the things that you share are must to do improve the health, one thing also be included i.e the dental care as many of the health problems are due to the bad oral health.