Finding The River by Sally Topham

Chapter 3

Body Basics

Before we go any further I’d like have a brief look at basic body maintenance. This may sound strange, but, after all, our bodies are like the vehicle in which we travel through life. Because our journeys often take us over difficult terrain, from a very practical point of view we need to have a means of transport which is road-worthy, to say the least!

Just as you’d put petrol in the tank of a car to keep it running, so your body needs enough sleep, healthy food and water to keep you going. Think of your vital organs as various parts of the engine. They all need to be kept in good working order to ensure you don’t grind to a halt on the motorway! On top of that, all the other parts of you need to be functioning properly as well to keep you on the road. We need to be aware of any part of us which doesn’t feel right and be prepared to get it checked out.

After all, if something goes wrong with your car, you take it to the garage, don’t you? We need to take care of our bodies just as well as we take care of our cars.

Just think for a moment about what an amazing piece of machinery you are! The body is constantly renewing itself. You get a new stomach lining every five days. Millions of blood cells are always dying and being replaced by new ones. Your fat cells fill and empty themselves repeatedly with the result that they’re changed every three weeks. Likewise, your skin keeps flaking off imperceptibly and renewing itself about every three weeks as well. And in addition, every year 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced!

But even though the body is capable of renewing itself, constant care and attention is always needed because it can still go wrong or get ill. We’re all prone to the possibility of suffering damage physically, emotionally and mentally. Some of us are blessed with good health, some get ill under pressure, some people are just tougher and fitter generally, and some are less able to cope when the going gets tough. The ancient Chinese and Indian cultures had medical systems which taught that healthy people who looked after their bodies developed more inner resources and open-mindedness, were more consciously connected to Nature, and were generally better able to look after themselves and cope with the ups and downs of life. Their medicine was focussed much more on prevention than on treatment and repair. The Chinese systems of Tai Chi and Qi Gong as well as the Indian yoga postures and breathing exercises all grew out of these beliefs. Taking care of the body was a natural part of their everyday living and spiritual practise.

I’m therefore going spend a bit of time in this chapter running through some “Body Basics”. These fall into three sections: diet, exercise, and sleep. I’m not going into these subjects in any great detail because each section merits a book in its own right, and there’s plenty of information available written by people much better qualified than me in each of these areas (see the References and Suggested Reading section at the back of this book). However, I think it’s really important to mention these things at an early stage so you can appreciate—if you don’t already—how mindful we need to be about caring for our bodies.

Diet

Now, I’m not a nutritionist so I’m in no position to tell you how or what to eat. However, one thing I do know is that we definitely need to eat as healthily as possible, because if we don’t, we’re going to end up with energy problems and may find we have to deal with a whole pile of physical things going wrong as well.

When I say “eat healthily”, I’m talking standard information which we’ve all heard about in the media, such as eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, steering away from cakes, pastries, sweets and biscuits, avoiding large amounts of convenience foods, and drinking around two litres of water each day. Many people already follow these guidelines, but if you aren’t one of them, it makes sense to think about trying to improve your diet.

Why? Quite simply, eating the wrong foods can cause us a lot of problems from obesity to diabetes and from digestive disorders to heart disease. Also, research has shown that our emotional state and our moods are closely linked to the food we eat. So think about it. Do we really need to run the risk of giving ourselves any of these problems along with all the other challenges we encounter along the way?

Changing to a healthier diet doesn’t mean you have to impose uncomfortable restrictions on yourself. You can start changing habits gently. Introducing just ONE new and healthier eating idea will give you a gradual appreciation of feeling better, which in itself can be a spur to doing more. You don’t have to look anxiously and resentfully into the future and tell yourself you can never have another chocolate for the rest of your life! You could try making changes “just for today”. For example: just for today, I won’t have any chocolate/biscuits/alcohol, etc. Give yourself some appreciation and acknowledgement for achieving this when you’ve done it. Feel smug! Go on—it’s OK! And then tomorrow, do the same thing all over again. That way you’ll gradually build up momentum and start to see the beneficial changes you can bring about in yourself.

Diet and Eating Tips

Here are a few pointers to helping you on your way:

• Try keeping a diary of everything you eat for a week. Then do an honest assessment of your eating habits and make a note of things you might benefit from changing.

• If you know or suspect you may have an allergy to certain foods, try leaving them out of your diet for about three weeks and see if there’s any improvement.

• Treat yourself to a health magazine and start reading up about developing a healthier diet and learning how to do it.

• If you’re aware that you’re drinking too much alcohol, smoking too many cigarettes, or comfort eating, try cutting down and see how you feel. If you find this doesn’t work, then be prepared to seek help and advice from your GP, a nutritionist or a qualified practitioner in the appropriate field. (Always aim to choose one who has been recommended by someone you know, if possible.)

• You might like to consider going on a detox diet to cleanse your system. You’ll also find this will help you to lose a bit of unwanted weight (see the Further Information and Suggested Reading at the back of the book if you want to go on this route).

• Drink more water! It helps us to digest our food and certainly helps with the elimination of it. It’ll also help with cracked lips, dry skin, and stiff joints and is a good anti-ageing device!

• Read up about the benefits of doing a liver and gall bladder flush to improve physical and emotional health and well-being. It will get rid of gall stones, which clog up our systems, and help you to eliminate them painlessly in the comfort of your own home (see the Further Information and Suggested Reading section for more information on this).

• Switch to organic foods if you can afford it because, on average, they contain fewer pesticide residues and more vitamin C and other essential minerals. Non-organic meat contains a lot of steroids, hormones and antibiotics which have been fed to the animal to get it ready for market. Our bodies are better off without them.

• Don’t wolf down your food. It’s very stressful to your digestive system. Give yourself time to eat. Try adding an extra five minutes onto the time it usually takes you to eat a meal.

• Try not to eat on the hoof. In other words, don’t eat your lunchtime sarnie while you’re walking down the road!

Exercise

Another thing—if you’re not already doing it—is to make sure you are getting enough exercise. Again this is something that can be introduced gradually. In fact going hell-for-leather into any aerobic regime when you’re out of condition could set you up for further problems—so gently does it! If you’re planning to start an exercise programme after a long period of inactivity, it’s always best to check with your medical practitioner about whether it’s suitable for you, especially if you suffer from any chronic condition or disability.

Getting more exercise needn’t involve the expense of joining a gym. If you can afford it and it appeals to you, then by all means go that route. However, if it’s going to be too much of a strain on your bank account, then you could investigate public sports and leisure centres in your area.

You don’t even have to lash out and join any organisation if you prefer not to. Jogging, cycling and rebounding on a mini-trampoline are all activities you can do on your own. Some people may have preferences for particular forms of exercise like swimming, playing tennis or football. Or you may prefer work-outs that encourage you to flex and stretch your body, like yoga or Pilates. Use the internet to get information on where you might find some of these activities in your locality.

However, exercise doesn’t necessarily involve engaging in sports or going to classes. You could just do a lot more walking whenever you can. Being more active needn’t be a struggle or a bore. Try going for regular walks with a friend so you can talk while you walk! If you like dogs and don’t have your own, you could offer to take a neighbour’s dog for a walk on a regular basis. Be creative and find ways of making exercise as much fun as possible. That way you’re more likely to stick to doing it.

Exercise Tips

Here are some more ideas to help you get started:

• Choose an exercise which you like! Otherwise you’ll be rebelling against the whole idea from the word go!

• Walking is a very good weight-bearing activity to do because it helps your bones to stay healthy. You can pace yourself so you walk only as far as you can manage to begin with, and then try to extend this a little bit farther each day. Aim to spend about 30 minutes a day doing some brisk walking.

• If you take a bus to work, try walking to the next bus stop to catch your bus instead of getting on at the nearest place.

• Get together with some friends and start playing five-a-side football in the park on Sunday mornings

• Swimming is always very helpful—if you enjoy it—and can be fun, as well as a good way of losing a few pounds if done on a regular basis. If you have any heart problems it’s the best form of exercise because it doesn’t put any strain on your heart.

• If you have a physical problem or disability which makes ordinary exercise difficult or impossible, contact your GP’s surgery for lists of places that provide for specialist needs and go along to some classes. Or try searching the internet for local classes in your area where you can move your body whilst sitting or lying down.

• Gardening is another activity which gives you plenty of exercise and fresh air. It gets you out into natural surroundings as well, which makes a nice combination for those to whom it has some appeal.

• If you enjoy dancing—then dance! There’s no better exercise. It’s free form and fun and releases lots of endorphins!

Sleep

We also need to be mindful of whether we’re getting enough sleep, which is a big factor in dealing with stress. Sleep is a very important time for healing and rejuvenation. Research has shown that sleep deprivation can cause ill health and make us prone to heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, stroke and depression.

Who wants those?

Sleeping Tips

Here are some tips to help with sleeping better:

• Try not to eat a heavy meal late in the evening. You’ll be making your digestive system start working just when it thinks it’s time to have a rest!

• Avoid stimulants like drinking tea, coffee and alcohol late at night.

• Try a winding down process to get you into relaxation/sleeping mode. A warm candlelit bath with nice soothing music in the background before going to bed is a great way of doing this. You could add a few drops of lavender oil to the bathwater which would help you to relax.

• It’s best not to watch television in bed as it can be too stimulating for the mind before sleeping. Do that in another room and keep your bed just for sleeping and making love.

• If you spend a lot of time on the computer, make a point of finishing whatever you’re doing and turning it off at least an hour before going to bed. Otherwise you’ll find that it can have the effect of keeping your mind too active just when it needs to calm down and get ready for sleep.

• If you don’t have regular hours for going to sleep and waking, try to introduce a routine where you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day.

• Use Exercise 2: Creating a Safe Place Within Yourself where you go to a safe place in your mind. This will fill you with endorphins and send you into a good healthy slumber.

• Having a more active lifestyle or taking regular exercise is an excellent way of ensuring a good night’s sleep. So is getting plenty of fresh air on a regular basis.

• Try drinking a cup of chamomile tea before going to bed. It’s excellent for inducing sleep.

And finally, I just want to talk about something that will really make your engine purr!! Enjoyment and pleasure!

Yes, doing enjoyable, pleasurable things is really good for us (because it releases a lot of endorphins) and is an essential part of body maintenance! We need to do as much of it as we can because it’s a very nurturing and healing thing to do and a really good way of combating stress.

You now know that when the body–mind goes into stress it’s causing a chemical reaction which isn’t good for your health. Therefore, we need to find whatever antidotes we can to counteract this damage.

We’ve seen how we can change our moods from negative to positive and experience a sense of well-being by using simple visualisation techniques. So, wouldn’t it be nice if we could start looking at how to do this more frequently by using other methods? That way we could learn to help ourselves reach a better state of balance on a mental, emotional and physical level of our being on a day-to-day basis.

It’s not so difficult. Exercise 6 will give you something else to try:

Exercise 6: Working with the Best Things in Your Life

Take a moment right now to write down all the things in life which give you pleasure. Make a list of all the wonderful things in your life, all the things which give you tremendous enjoyment and which you absolutely adore.

But, please don’t include anything which requires you taking some substance to feel that enjoyment, like alcohol, nicotine or drugs. Just choose things you can naturally enjoy without any outside inducement.

Divide this list up under the following headings:

• People and animals

• Places

• Activities

• Smells, colours and textures

• Spiritual symbols or idols (Jesus, Buddha, Star of David etc.,—but don’t worry if you don’t have anything in this section)

Now put an check mark beside all those things which are easily accessible and readily there for you in everyday life (for example, anything that doesn’t require travelling or going to lengthy arrangements to experience).

Make yourself a promise that you will engage with or in at least one of those checked things at least once a week, and more frequently, if possible.

Exercise 6 is an endorphin exercise by William Bloom.

Before we finish this chapter, make yourself another promise: that you will, at all times, be aware during your daily activities of anything you encounter—which may or may not be on the above lists—which gives you pleasure or enjoyment. Then, when you notice yourself enjoying whatever it is, you will consciously focus on it and allow yourself to really feel how much you enjoy it! Notice the changes in your posture and breathing, the relaxation of the muscles in your face and your body, the way your spirits lift.

Just absorb all those nice feelings as though you were a piece of blotting paper and imagine you’re soaking them up!

Enjoy!