Baby steps to health

Just trying to deal with the pain and fatigue of chronic illnesses, such as Lyme, CFS, FM, and RA, can easily keep you sidelined. It becomes your new normal and you almost forget what life was like without it. I’ve personally been struggling with Fibro for a little over 10 years now. I’ve come a long way but still haven’t reached my full potential. The best advice I can offer to those just beginning their journey is take baby steps. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.

Actually even those in average health might need a refresher course in these small but very important steps to health. It’s easy to forget the basics and learn bad habits. Even I need to be reminded again to stay true to this simple foundation.

JUST BREATHE: Coping with pain keeps our nervous system very busy and over time even taxes our autonomic system which normally controls stuff we don’t even have to think about. That includes breathing.

Pay attention to your breathing patterns. I realized early on that my breaths were short and shallow. Even worse I found myself chest breathing instead of using my diaphragm. If your breath raises your chest cavity instead of your stomach you are breathing the wrong way.

A few times a day practice deep diaphragm breathing - in through the nose and out through the lips. Be sure to tighten and pull in the stomach muscles as much as you can when breathing out to thoroughly empty your lungs of waste air. Breathe slow and steady for at least 5 breaths. Not only will this strengthen your diaphragm but it is a good stress reliever as well.

The quality of the air is important also. Pollutants can be 2-5 times higher inside than out. I know a good quality air filter can cost hundreds of dollars but is worth it. At the very least use HEPA filters in your forced hair heating or cooling systems as well as your vacuums. Also use humidifiers if your air is dry. Just make sure to keep them clean so mold doesn’t build up.

DRINK WATER: The average person needs to drink eight cups (8 ounces) of water a day. That is about half a gallon.things like juice, tea, and coffee don’t count. In fact if you consume a lot of caffeine you should drink extra water. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it makes you release more water (pee more). I know this seems like a lot of water but this is very important. Unfortunately, I still struggle to remember to drink cause honestly I just don’t feel thirsty a lot. But I’ve learned a few tips along the way.

I learned to use urination as a reminder to drink water. If you are not drinking a lot you probably won’t be peeing a lot. But if you drink every time you pee then naturally you will start peeing more. It kind of builds upon itself.

If you fill a half gallon pitcher with water every morning you will be able to gauge if you drank enough by the end of the day. Hopefully you won’t have to down half of it at once when bed time comes but it’s a great way to keep track.

Tap water provided by cities and other municipalities are usually filled with dangerous chemicals like chlorine and fluoride. Don’t believe the propaganda that these are safe. They are particularly harmful for those with compromised health. Even well water can be polluted with chemical run off especially in agricultural areas. I strongly suggest you get a water filter. At the very least you can use one of those inexpensive filters like Brita.

I’m not particularly fond of plain water myself and I know this can be a deterrent. You can buy pitchers with strainers to naturally flavor your water with cucumbers, mint, or fruit. I’ve found that sparkling mineral water with a fresh squeezed lime or lemon is a great occasional alternative and very healthy. Whatever you have to do to get your quota just do it.

CHEW THOROUGHLY: I’ve always tended to rush through my meals, but it is important for your health to slow down. There is a reason we have saliva. It is a vital part of our digestion. Saliva helps break down complex carbohydrates. Chewing not only smashes our food to make it easier for our system digest and extract nutrients, it also increases saliva and mixes it thoroughly.

We shouldn’t swallow until our food has the consistency of a thick smoothie. Chew from 5 to 30 times depending on the food. Obviously meat needs more chomping but even creamed soup and smoothies should be sloshed around in your mouth a few times.

Chewing our food completely also helps us to savor every bite and feel fuller sooner. We tend to eat more when we rush through our meals cause our brain doesn’t have time to send the message ENOUGH ALREADY. So slow down, chew completely, and thoroughly enjoy your meals.

MOVE IT: I purposely did not use the word exercise here because I know how hard it can be just to get out of your seat when you are dealing with the pain and fatigue of chronic illness. Even taking a shower or getting dressed can be a chore. But movement is a must if you want to work your way towards health.

I would set an alarm to go off every hour just as a reminder. Just standing up and doing a few stretches is a good start. Going to the bathroom, getting a drink of water, stepping outside for some fresh air are all ways to start. If things are so bad that you can’t even manage some of these then rotate your ankles, wrists, and neck while sitting. Do arm circles or reach for the ceiling or bang your knees together or whatever you can manage but JUST MOVE.

Movement is important for a lot of reasons like preventing blood clots. But it is absolutely necessary for your Lymph system. Your blood circulates throughout your whole body by the automatic power of your heart. But your lymph system, which parallels yours circulatory system and aids your immune functions does not have a pump. It depends on your muscles contracting and relaxing to get to wherever it needs to be.

Without movement your lymph system just can’t do its job. This makes you even more vulnerable to toxins, pathogens, allergens, fungal infections, and parasites. It’s hard enough to just deal with our chronic illness and its symptoms. We can’t afford to add anything to the mix. So do your best to move as much as you can throughout your day.

STOP SLOUCHING: Posture affects your health. Good posture requires a strong core which houses almost all of our organs. Your intestines especially need to be packed in by taut stomach muscles for a healthy digestive system. Your spinal cord needs to be aligned for optimal function. Your stomach, chest, back, neck, and shoulder muscles need to be strong and balanced. Practice good posture while sitting, standing, or walking. Pull in your gut, arch your back, lift your chin, and pull your shoulders back. A good posture also improves mood and presents a confident attitude to others.

GO OUTSIDE: Fresh air, sunshine and even grounding (touching the earth) all bring enormous health benefits. Even in places where air quality is low it’s usually worse inside.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone that our bodies produce from the sun. Obviously too much sun can be dangerous but all we need is about 15 minutes a day during peak hours. Vitamin D deficiency is rising and is a major factor in fatigue even for healthy individuals. It also supports bone health and immune functions. The sun is the best source of this nutrient but going outside is not always possible due to bad weather. Most Doctor’s recommend supplementing with D3.

Grounding involves touching the earth with your bare skin, or something especially made for this. A walk through the yard in bare feet is sufficient. Just standing or sitting is fine if your bare feet come in contact with the earth. This can be done while you are getting sun. Our nervous systems including our heart use electrical signals. Grounding helps reduce the clutter so to speak and calms our nerves. There is evidence to support a reduction in inflammation, pain, and even anxiety. You may be skeptical but don’t knock it before you try it. I believe this is one of the reasons I feel so much better in the spring and early summer when I am working in the garden.

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Even though these seem like easy and basic steps I understand how all of these together can feel overwhelming when you can barely get out of bed. Please don’t rush. Concentrate on only one at a time for as long as you need. When you feel like it has become more of a habit then a chore move on to something else. Just keep going, one step at a time.