Are You Driftwood, or an Anchor? Article of the week June 4 to 8, 2018
This past weekend I spent some time at my wife's family cottage in Grand Bend. As you'll see in the video streaming on our office televisions, the beach was littered with vast amounts of driftwood. Jen and I had some great walks along the shore of Lake Huron and the masses of dried up wood that had washed ashore made me think about a great health metaphor.
We all go through seasons in our lives where we are more on track with our life and health goals than others. I find a season that people tend to get on track with their health goals is New Year's when people use the blank slate of a new year to set new goals and make new commitments. For some, the health commitments that they make at the start of a new year don't last long before they start to drift back in the direction of their old bad habits.
The direction that driftwood travels is influenced by the water's current and the wind, and where it ultimately ends up and washes ashore is determined by forces that are acting upon it. In the same way, where you end up with your health can be influenced by people around you, and life's circumstances. If you are surrounded by people who are sedentary, who are negative, who don't get adjusted regularly and who make poor dietary choices, it is easy to be influenced by these relationships, and as a result, your health can drift.
The season of summer itself can act against your best health intentions. Summertime usually involves more company, travel, and occasions to celebrate and get off track. I've noticed that of all the times of year that I adjust people, summer is the time that people are most likely to miss adjustments and lose momentum in their spinal correction.
Being conscious that summertime can be a season of drifting should help you make some intentional plans of what you can do to stay on track with your health this summer. Here are some suggestions of things you can do to help you prevent drift with your health and stay anchored over the summer months:
- If you drink, limit the amount of alcohol you are going to drink (ie 1-2 drinks per week)
- If you have travel plans, tell the girls at the front desk now so they can help you set make-up appointments around your travel
- Find an accountability partner (friend of family member) that will commit to helping you stay active – commit to walking 45 minutes to an hour 4-5 days per week
- Limit your eating of dessert after supper to 1-2 days per week instead of every day
- Make plans to get outside a little bit every day to increase your vitamin D production
- Make plans to eat 5-6 servings of fruit and vegetables every day
- Find time every day to turn off technology (phones, computers, tablets and tv) - tv news and social media are full of negative messages that can leave you feeling hopeless and depressed
- Take time to journal and write down things you are grateful for
- Be conscious of what time you're going to bed and how many hours of sleep you're getting – strive for a minimum of 7 hours per night
- Set a consistent time to do your denneroll and other spinal correction exercises every day
You don't have to use all of my suggestions - you can be creative and make some of your own habits to prevent drift this summer. These suggestions will help you feel better, have more energy and make the most of the summer holidays.
Dr. Tim
Grace Chiropractic – 1-3230 Monarch Drive – 705-323-9100 – http://gracechiropractic.ca
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