Exercise

Ways to Practice Self-Care Daily

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Today’s society is very go, go, go, and often, we put ourselves last due to the demands of life itself. Individuals can be left feeling burnt-out, tired, drained, and overwhelmed. When we over-burden ourselves and drive ourselves to the point of exhaustion, it can be difficult to bounce back. By practicing some “self-care” every day, it can help to prevent you from reaching this breaking point.

5 Ways to Practice Self-Care

  1. Eat Well – your gut can be the gateway to overall health. By eating a well-balanced diet that is right for you, you can help your stress, mood, energy, sleep and overall health. By speaking to a naturopathic doctor or a holistic nutritionist, you can determine a plan of action on how to best eat for your health situation.
  2. Exercise – exercise can be a great outlet for stress and aid with overall health. When we look at aerobic exercise (for example, walking), we see many great benefits including reduced stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition, exercise can give you the energy you need to accomplish your to-do-list that may be adding to your stress.
  3. Ask for Help – Asking for help is not easy for a lot of people but it can make a big difference when you are feeling overwhelmed. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It provides you with the potential for more support when you need it most. Asking for help may also include going to see a health care professional, such as a Naturopathic Doctor, to help you with stress management, work-life balance, pain, mood, energy etc.
  4. Pace Yourself – Many people rush to get things done saying that there are not enough hours in the day, there is too much to do, etc. If you constantly run in 5th gear, you may find that you are worn out much quicker. Pacing yourself and accomplishing a set amount each day can provide space for you to recover. It is also important to forgive yourself for items you may not have accomplished especially if you take time for yourself. Time for yourself is necessary recuperation time and is justified. It is important to put yourself higher on your priority list.
  5. Leave Work at Work – For some individuals that run their own business or feel like they mentally carry their work home, this is much easier said than done. Try not to bring the concerns of work home with you and instead leave it at the workplace. Use the commute home to be your dividing line or find other constructive tangible ways to create a separating point between work and home. This can help decrease the burden that you carry when you get home. It helps to separate work-life from home-life. Ultimately, we need to start to establish healthy boundaries between work and home, and this conversation may even extend itself to other areas of your life where you need healthy boundaries.

If you benefitted from this blog, Dr. Elisha Cook ND will have her book published soon that has information like this AND MORE. Contact us by emailing info.pnhc@gmail.com or through the contact portion of our website. Let us know if you want to be a part of her launch team and get early access to her book!

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share this article with someone who you think might benefit from the information and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling/texting 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today!

How to Cope with Stress in a Pandemic

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With recent discussions of a “Second-Wave” for the COVID-19 Pandemic, I think it is safe to say that everyone is getting a bit fed up with all of this pandemic talk. However, we at PNHC feel it is important to help patients by giving some strategies on how to cope with the stress.

What is Stress?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Stress can be defined as, “a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.; something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety; a physical force or pressure”. I think it goes without saying that all of us have experienced stress from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The pandemic is not what anyone expected or prepared for when they determined their plans for the year 2020. We have all had to adjust quickly, and its possible, that we still have not adjusted. Without optimal coping techniques, it can be difficult for many to manage comfortably through all of the chaos that our world is currently going through. We hope that this blog would offer some different ways to cope.

Ways to Cope with Stress at Home

Unfortunately, during these uncertain times, there is a lot outside of our control. We cannot control the state of affairs at any governmental level, and we cannot control for what others do or how they act. This is where I (Dr. Elisha Cook ND) would normally say to my patients that it is important that you focus on the things you can control – your thoughts, your actions, your behaviour, your attitude, and frankly where you put your hope. In addition to focusing on these areas, I also find it useful to use tools that remind you of what you actually can control for. No one answer provides a suitable option for everyone and their coping needs. As a result, I have provided examples below of healthy ways to cope with stress:

  • Journaling – options might include focusing on gratitude, lessons that can be learned from difficult points in a day, or good and bad highlights from the day.
  • Breathing – in particular deep breathing, though this may prove to be difficult for those with respiratory diseases.
  • Exercise – exercise can act as a great way to release any excess tensions in a healthy and constructive way.
  • Talking to others – sharing your more intimate thoughts and concerns with someone is helpful with working through stress. It is important to recognize that you are not alone and you have individuals who can help whether that is loved ones or health care providers. It is okay to open up to others about how you are feeling.
  • Praying or Meditating – both of these have very similar outcomes and they help an individual to become grounded and refocus on what really matters.
  • Take time for self care – Give yourself time for you and do something that brings you joy. This might include taking a bath, getting a massage, or getting lost in a book.
  • Distraction through changing your scenary – changing the task you are doing, if applicable, can help you to redirect your focus from a problem, and might look like engaging in a favourate hobby.  
  • Pet Therapy – if you have a family pet at home, spend some time with them as this can help to reduce blood pressure and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Adopt healthy sleep routines – having a routine around bed, adopting a consistent bed time, and engagine in relaxing activities prior to bed can help you sleep better and thereby cope better with stress.

The next time you are feeling stressed, and need to find a healthier way to cope with your stress, take the time to explore these options and find what works best for you.

What NOT To-Do To Cope with Stress

As foreshadowed, there are some coping mechanisms that are less than ideal when trying to cope with stress. Below I have provided a few examples of unhealthy coping mechanisms:

  • Binge eating
  • Drinking
  • Avoidance
  • Gambling excessively
  • Smoking
  • Using elicit drugs
  • Isolating yourself from others who can help

Therapies that can help with stress

There are many different things that can be done to help someone to cope with stress. Many alternative medicine therapies can be beneficial for helping to promote the parasympathetic nervous system which is in charge of relaxing and resting. Some therapies that might be useful to help you to cope with stress depending on your specific case and needs include:

  • Acupuncture
  • Massage Therapy
  • Counselling
  • Nutraceutical Medicine
  • Botanical Medicine
  • Reflexology

Each individual is different, and so there is no one treatment that would be good for everyone. So, choose the treatment that is less intimidating and feels right for you.  

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in any of the above therapies to help you work through stress and are wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact the Plattsville Natural Health Clinic by calling 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today! 

This article was written by Dr. Elisha Cook ND

5 Ways to Increase Metabolism

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Girl - Weight LossMany individuals are looking to different weight – loss techniques to help get ready for bikini season – this includes searching for different ways to increase your metabolism. Increasing metabolism can help with more than just weight loss – it can also help if an individual ate a trigger food and is experiencing uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, gas, indigestion, or constipation. In regards to weight – loss, increasing metabolism can be useful for kick-starting your weight loss journey or for surpassing a plateau. As always, please consult with a health care professional before trying any of the below recommendations. If you are interested in losing weight please consult a health care provider such as myself to get the necessary support you need. Weight loss that is achieved too quickly can result in an individual gaining weight beyond where they initially started. If this is you, consider emailing me or calling the clinic to book your complimentary 15 min meet-and-greet session to talk about your goals.

  1. Hot water with lemon first thing in the morning – before having anything in the morning, have a hot water with lemon in it. The bitterness of this drink helps to stimulate the liver and kick start metabolism in a gentle manner, without the negative effects on blood sugar that coffee may have.
  2. Exercise in general – e.g. going for a 20 minute walk, jogging, etc. More specifically, weight or resistance training can be quite beneficial for increasing metabolism if you are exercising on a regular basis, but have plateaued with your weight. Any form of alteration to your regular routine with exercise; whether it is increasing a weight, switching to cardio from weight training, switching to weight training from cardio, etc; can result in increased metabolism.
  3. More frequent, smaller meals – having six smaller meals per day can be beneficial in increasing metabolism by keeping metabolism “active” for longer (when we eat, metabolism increases). Studies have also shown that being a “nibbler” versus “meal eating” may decrease risk of thyroid conditions, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.
  4. Green tea – green tea can be beneficial for increasing metabolism that are not solely based on its caffeine content alone. Green tea consumption can results in such effects as increased fat oxidation and thermogenesis, both resulting in increased metabolism. The unfortunate drawback to green tea is that one would need to drink 5-6 cups of it per day to attain the metabolic effects from it.
  5. Intermittent fasting – intermittent fasting is not for everyone, but it can be beneficial in giving the gut time to heal and process contents, while boosting metabolism.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!

References

https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Pg36CZA_Hv8C&oi=fnd&pg=PT1&dq=%22hot+water+and+lemon%22+AND+metabolism&ots=8_FtyFnLaL&sig=aCHECbmvxiNGzgMc87LJXWa6oZM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22hot%20water%20and%20lemon%22%20AND%20metabolism&f=false

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026049596900505

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/8/5/682.short

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2007.10719626

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/6/1040.long/-

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S225548231370451X

7 Tips to Stress-Less through the Holidays

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ornamentThe holidays can be a very happy time, but it can also be very stressful. Many times we have such high expectations for ourselves and others, and over book and stretch ourselves thin that we are left feeling not so great. It is my hope that these tips would come to mind in those stressful moments during the holidays and help you work through them.

  1. Pace Yourself

Many times we are rushing to get so many tasks done in a certain amount of time. If you are lucky, you get all of those tasks done, but find yourself feeling physically and mentally wore out. This can even lead to pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and ultimately stress. To avoid this, focus on one task at a time, take your time, and take breaks. I find it easier if I make a list of everything that has to get done (this may not work for everyone), and focus on the main things that need to get accomplished. I also consider what things I could realistically not do if it is going to compromise my own care.

  1. Focus on what you Can Control

Let’s face it, control is such a nice thing to have. When everything works out exactly how we want and everyone says exactly what we want them to, then we are calm, cool and collected. Life seldom works like this though. What I often work on with patients is the piece of control. It is a good thing that you do not have control over everything. You have enough things on your plate, you do not need to control more things. So, focus on the things you can control, and leave the rest and let it go. An example of focusing on something you can control is, if you are stressed out, do some deep breathing and focus on your breath. You can control your breath, you can control your actions, you can control your words, and you can control your thoughts. Please note that deep breathing is not for everyone and you should consult your health care provider to get instructions on how to perform it as it may aggravate certain situations.

  1. Don’t Over-commit

Part of the stress of holidays can come from promising to be at certain events and promising to make more than we can really afford time-wise. Make a plan as to where you need to go, space out travelling when possible, and opt for simpler things to bring for food. If you know you are going to have to travel multiple times in one day, opt for a food item you can purchase at the store, for example a veggie tray. Another option is to offer your time or a service if making something or bringing something is too much. It is also okay to say “No”. You are not saying “No” to the task, but you are saying “No” to wearing yourself too thin.

  1. Self – Care

Often during this season we justify that, “If I can just make it through Christmas, then I will start eating better and exercising again”. It is best to do the self – care as per usual and make sure to incorporate it as often as possible to prevent burn out or stress. Self-care also provides an opportunity to check in with yourself and make sure you are following the rest of the tips on this list.

  1. Make Realistic Expectations

This is not just for yourself, but for others as well. When we keep expectations to ourselves and expect people to hold up to that expectation, we can often set them up for failure and potentially cause an argument. With this being said, I do not mean you need to simply just tell everyone that you expect a 5 course meal that only Martha Steward would approve of. What is does mean is to be realistic and to acknowledge that we are all human and trying our best. This mind set is important when considering your own to-do list as well. You are human and trying your best. Set some more realistic expectations for yourself and check in, “Why am I stressing out? Is this a realistic expectation? Is it worth the stress?”.

  1. Budget

As soon as I mention budget, I know that some people are rolling their eyes or running for the hills. Budget does not just mean money, but also time. Again, be realistic with your time, and budget it accordingly. In addition, financial stress is one of the biggest stressors out there; so budget for the holidays, plan for it, save for it, and stick to your budget. Discuss financial decisions as a family, and do not make outrageous purchases without discussing with your spouse if that fits with both of your expectations and plans.

  1. Moderation

As always, moderation is important. Too much or too little of something may not be the best thing. Moderation can dive into the areas of meals, exercise, time, and even the amount of get-togethers. With meals in particular, make sure to portion yourself and not stray too much from your normal eating patterns. If you do, you may feel less than comfortable and this can even contribute to stress. When considering exercise, consider when we discussed self – care and making sure to incorporate that time for you. For time, again pace yourself, do not over-commit and say no when necessary.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today!