Health is a Daily Practice

So many of my clients never truly think that their health improves or degenerates slowly over time. Instead they see change as something that happens suddenly with no discernible reason, unless of course you get hit by a truck. What is essential to understand is the idea of training, seasoning, health through daily practice. Instead we are encouraged to think we can drive ourselves daily past any complaining our body may do and when its symptoms finally stop us in our tracks, we can get a prescription and our journey will be back on the rails at full speed.

There are many disciplines such as martial arts, meditation, spirituality, woodworking, competitive sports, even games, that require regular practice, daily devotion of time and energy in order to achieve the changes that the discipline can evoke. It prepares us for greater challenges and more difficult tasks. It is the blueprint of health.

Let me give you an image here. Imagine that you are riding across a very vast plain, such as the Great Northern Plains in the US or the Chaco-Pampa in South America. This trek can take days, even weeks. Many of us will be anxious to complete the journey as quickly as possible, so we will race across the plain, often riding day and night, sleeping little, eating while riding, just trying to get through each day and reach our destination. Others of us will instead work our way across the plain gradually, reserving our resources, replenishing our supplies, sleeping well, protecting our body, even taking the time to allow the landscapes that we pass to stir our emotions and thoughts.

After a lengthy time traveling the plain we come to a soaring mountain range that we must cross. This is going to require immense strength and stamina, but have we exhausted our resources by galloping across the plain or are we ready to face the challenge because we have replenished ourselves daily? Our bodies' health is just such a journey. To be healthy we must choose to spend our days making sure that we are supporting our health, getting enough sleep, eating well and conditioning ourselves for the inevitable challenges that will come our way. So many people tell me how everything was fine until it wasn't. These are the people that have galloped across the plain without considering the needs of their body. They never thought very much about what the maintenance of their health looked like, nor did they give much time or resources to that idea. Until the symptoms began...

Now they don't understand why they have symptoms, why their body has lost energy, vitality, balance to the point that now they can't think of anything except their body. This is what happens when they reach the mountain range and attempt to climb it, whether that challenge is losing a job, losing a home, losing a loved one or facing a serious illness. They have exhausted all their resources racing across the plain. They ignored the symptoms that started miles back, signals that their body was not able to keep up the pace.

Symptoms are always important to stop and take notice of, especially if they are unusual or severe. Symptoms have meaning and they are the Yield signs before you reach the STOP sign. They are the reminders that you need to slow down, pay attention to your body's limits and abilities, take time daily to build strength and resilience. Just because we can race across the plain doesn't mean we should. If we do, will we have the strength, resources and resilience to face a mountain range of unexpected losses? We have to assume the mountains will come and will come suddenly into view without warning. We have to be ready because the demand on us will be significant. There is not a single one of us that will avoid the mountain range.

The idea of daily practice, slow and steady progress is the best way to ensure a truly healthy life. It is what will prepare you to not only climb but survive and thrive on the other side of the mountain range. The interesting thing is that when you have prepared, when you are caring for your health as a daily practice, your symptoms shift and become a sign of improving health. This is because the body is designed to be quite self-supporting in many ways, once you have trained it well and provided it with daily resources. It will cleanse when needed, create new cells, restore essential enzymes and hormones and signal the need for rest. It is like having an automatic braking system in your car. Your body guards your reserves, protects your health and so symptoms become positive signs. This comes from the daily practice of trusting that the effort you have put into your self-care has created a truly health body.

Ever notice how traditional people that crossed the plains throughout history did so on a donkey? They knew that donkeys are known to have significantly more endurance than a horse, despite their slow pace. They also can outclimb just about any other pack animal, the perfect companion to support that journey over the mountains. So bring some donkey energy into your life.

Karen Clickner, C.C.H., is the owner of Conscious Body Natural Medicine, Inc., in Westborough, MA. For more information visit www.consciousbodynatmed.com