Are you being present, mindful, and paying attention to your mental and physical health?
Most of my clients come to me feeling depressed, anxious, and lacking energy to the point that they are challenged both mentally and physically.
Would you be willing to listen if I told you that you might be able to control or prevent all of the above by paying attention to what you put in, on, and around you?
Our society promotes instant gratification and quick fixes but this may not be the smartest or most productive way to accomplish one’s goals. It’s like taking pills to relieve pain and discomfort which only deals with the symptoms rather than being mindful and listening to our bodies and addressing the source of the problem.
In my mid 30s I was too busy concentrating on reaching for my goals instead of paying attention to good nutrition, stress management, and proper rest. I only became proactive after I was in significant pain and almost bed ridden. I was living with a handful of issues: Aspartame poisoning from all the diet drinks that kept me moving; Fibromyalgia from the foods, chemicals, and environmental toxins in my life; Chronic Fatigue from the stress I held in my body. I was frustrated and depressed, desperately going from doctor to doctor taking whatever medication was prescribed and still not feeling well. Finally, I stopped to think about my grandmother who came to this country in her late 20s from a farm in Hungary. She birthed nine children, had a healthy life without medications or physical ailments, and passed away at the ripe age of 99. It occurred to me that her eating fresh whole foods, using products with minimal toxins, and taking that one-day of rest might have contributed to her healthy longevity. My own health only got better when I decided to take responsibility for my own wellness and pay attention to what I put in, on, and around my body.
[To read more of Carol A. Polevoi’s thought leadership click here]
“Our society promotes instant gratification and quick fixes, but this may not be the smartest or most productive way to accomplish one’s goals.”
You don’t have to get sick like I did before paying attention to your wellness. There is enough help and information available to ensure you take care of yourself in a positive and productive way. What would you do as a businessperson if your product or business were not up to par? You would, most likely, do research and take the time and effort needed to resolve the problem. Take on the challenge and make your body and mind as important as your business and discover just how much more productive and successful you can be.
Here are some guidelines to help you on your journey toward wellness.
Go back to basics and choose the following:
1. Whole foods in their natural state or organic options as much as possible; this will help you avoid toxins, chemicals, preservatives, hormones, pesticides, food colorings, and MSG
2. Fresh fruits and raw vegetables that are full of natural enzymes for easy digestion and absorption of nutrients
3. Natural sugars and sweeteners
4. Products for your hair and body with
the most purity and smallest amount of chemicals
5. BPA-free containers and cans
6. Filtered water for drinking and bathing
7. A good night’s sleep (consistently!)
[For more on Carol Polevoi’s approach to Stress Management click here]
Choose to avoid:
1. Packaged and canned foods
2. Foods genetically modified or engineered
3. High fructose corn syrup and diet sugars such as Aspartame (also known as NutraSweet and Equal). Both are known to be the most toxic sugar substitutes
4. Microwaving foods (radiating) and killing the nutrition and enzymes that are needed for digestion
5. Products for your hair, body, and skin – your largest organ – which absorbs
whatever you put on it. Pay attention to the ingredients in shampoos, deodorants, sunscreens, cosmetics, skincare, and body care products that have carcinogenic ingredients such as fragrances, aluminum, mineral oil, sulfates, parabens, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, and talc
6. Toothpaste with warning labels on it that state “call poison control if swallowed.”
7. High electromagnetic fields (EMFs) like power lines and small electronics such as computers, cell phones, electric clocks, and electric blankets
7. Upholstered furniture and bedding containing PFC’s flame retardant
8. Wood varnish containing phthalates
9. Carpets and particleboard furniture containing formaldehyde
11. Plastic wrap and plastic bottles outgas plasticizers (phthalates) that leach into the food
12. Silver dental fillings that contain mercury which leaches into the body
I have included the above as I feel it is important for you to be aware of some of the chemicals and ingredients in the products you use daily and what is in your environment that is toxic for your wellbeing. Some of the above products even have alternative uses such as extending shelf life, dissolving car grease and oil, and can be classified as pesticides and antifreeze for industrial use. Studies are showing that these ingredients may permanently damage cells, tissues and organs and body systems and therefore are creating disease.
Statistics show that we are living longer so choose to be proactive and strive to achieve a healthy mind and body. Start small and make a point of changing something every day that will lead to a healthier you. Spring into wellness by being conscious with what you put in, on and around your body.
References & Resources:
naturalcosmeticnews.com
natural-and-organic-choices.com