Improve Your Health and Wellness One Step at a Time
While most people like the idea of embarking on a health and fitness regimen, many still shy away, thinking that the process will be too overwhelming or that they’ll have to make too many changes at one time. However, effectively ingraining new habits requires a step-by-step approach to implementation. It’s also important that you’re in a motivated state of mind and are ready to take the first step. It can also help to have a support system in place, like access to a trainer or yoga classes. Connecting and engaging in this way can help you stay on track.
If you’re ready to make a change for the better, My Bella Health offers the following guidance to help you start your journey.
Improve Your Diet
There’s no need to try and implement a 360-degree transformation in your lifestyle overnight. If you have a goal of eating healthier, make the first step by ridding your home of unhealthy processed foods and replacing them with wholesome, nutritious items that your family will enjoy. Think green leafy vegetables, fruits, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains. Once you start incorporating these into your diet and your everyday meal planning, you’ll be ready for the next step.
Get Physical
After you’ve got your healthy eating well ingrained, add a commitment to changing up your physical activity as your next healthy habit. Get a physical exam first if you’ve been inactive for a while. According to the American Heart Association, start slow (if you need to) with aerobic exercise, like a bike ride around the neighborhood, dancing in your kitchen, or even using surfaces in your home for strength training. Do standing push-ups against the wall or use your kitchen counter for tricep dips. You can then increase the intensity, level, and time of your physical activity as you begin to feel stronger and more capable.
Remember: Exercise doesn’t have to be a pricey endeavor. According to MedlinePlus, there are numerous activities that will get you moving and cost little to nothing. And while you do need some athletic apparel, you don’t have to buy $100 leggings. Spend a little extra on a supportive bra and athletic shoes, but know you can skimp on items like, leggings, wicking tees and socks.
Mind Your Mind
Stress and anxiety are prevalent in our society today, and learning how to be calm, centered, and focused is another step on your healthy living journey. Carve out a place for personal time, including meditation or other mindful practices. You might also enjoy yoga, Pilates, or tai chi as a gentle way to get your body moving. Remember that personal self-care is a gift you give yourself, and it will help eliminate the distractions that often occupy our minds when we don’t take time to sit back in quiet reflection. You can even make mental wellness part of a cool-down after more vigorous forms of exercise. Simply sit or lay in a quiet, comfortable position, and take deep measured breaths as you relax your muscles.
Drink and Sleep
Don’t underestimate the value of proper hydration and a good night’s rest. Most people don’t drink nearly enough water, and when you lead a busy life, it’s easy to skimp on restful and rejuvenating sleep. However, adequate water intake makes all of your internal systems function better, and your body repairs itself when you sleep. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages, especially close to bedtime, and get into a habit of going to sleep and waking at the same time every day.
A white noise machine or blackout curtains can help if ambient noise or light prevents you from your zzzs. If allergies are an issue, keep this in mind during the more difficult months, and have your mattress cleaned to remove any harmful allergens that could be hindering sleep. Simply search for professional furniture cleaning near me to find local experts with high ratings.
Beautify Your Surroundings
Believe it or not, your environment and surroundings can have a major impact on how you feel mentally and emotionally. A dirty home that’s cluttered or disorganized can make you feel the same way on the inside. Take some time for a deep clean and maximize the natural light in your home, using tricks like placing mirrors on walls opposite windows to increase the light in any living space. Add live plants to your décor, and if there are comfort items that make you feel pampered, like colorful pillows and throws, introduce those into your environment, as well.
Get Health Coverage
Part of staying healthy is feeling like you can go to the doctor when you need to without breaking the bank, and that requires having health insurance. If you don’t already have health insurance through your employer, ask them if they would consider offering health coverage as a benefit. At the very least, they may be able to offer you a stipend to help you cover the cost of your monthly premium. If you’re a freelancer, you have a few options for health insurance. You can enroll in a COBRA plan through your previous job (if possible), enroll in a plan through the ACA, get on your spouse’s plan or a parent’s plan (if you’re 26 or younger), join the Freelancers Union, or apply for Medicaid (if you’re low income). Regardless of how you get health coverage, it’s an essential part of maintaining your health and wellness. Regular preventive care can keep you healthy and on track for years to come.
Healthy habits can become long-term, lifelong practices when they’re introduced gradually, rather than all at one time. Once you get started on your path to wellness, you’re likely to pick up speed as you start to look, feel, and think better.
Brice Blatz, M.D., Regenerative and Sports Medicine Specialist
Dr. Box introduces Brice Blatz, M.D., Regenerative Medicine and Sports Medicine specialist working at RestorePDX. Bella Box, D.C. recently underwent PRP and stem cell therapy to her left knee. Dr. Blatz performed the procedure.
Dr. Box and Dr. Blatz discuss how they diagnosed the problem and what decisions they made about how to best treat Dr. Box’s knee issue with Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Box meets with Dr. Blatz 12 days post knee procedure to see how she is doing and make sure everything is going well.
Dr. Box asks Dr. Blatz what motivated him to go into medicine.
Dr. Box asks Dr. Blatz what is his favorite part of Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Box asks Dr. Blatz to talk about how the Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cells work together with Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Blatz discusses the benefits of a patient using their own tissue for Regenerative Medical procedures.
Dr. Blatz discusses some of the other therapies he uses to enhance his treatments, including shock therapy.
Dr. Blatz discusses how he likes to incorporate treatment from many holistic practitioners to get the best patient outcomes.
Dr. Blatz discusses the unloader brace he has selected for Dr. Box to facilitate the healing of the knee post procedure.
Dr. Blatz discusses how he determined the best approach for Dr. Box’s knee problem using Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Blatz discusses how he approaches the subject of people who doubt the effectiveness of Regenerative Medicine
Fresh Free Yoga Class Video Series
Dr. Bella Box highly recommends taking yoga classes, taught by renowned yoga teacher Sarahjoy Marsh and others at the DAYA Foundation.
One Yoga Class that Dr. Box Especially Enjoyed
Dr. Box: Today’s class (Nov 24) was again a beautiful melding of breath work, meditation and physical challenges (Asanas). At the completion of class I felt tranquil and empowered. I can highly endorse this daily on-line class. Sarahjoy Marsh, the founder of DAYA, teaches Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Tracey Lease teaches on Wednesday and Peggy Profant teaches on Friday. I invite you to join me and other yogis near and far for a transformative experience. Here’s an added delight: Nakula and Bindi, her ragdoll kittens, are regular visitors to our class.
Check out the Fall 2021 Immersion series of videos here:
5 Easy Ways Seniors Can Improve Their Sleep Quality Without Breaking the Bank
People of all age groups suffer from sleep issues, but the unfortunate fact for seniors is that the aging process can exacerbate these issues. If you are having trouble falling or staying asleep, or you are waking up feeling tired and restless, there is hope. Here are some easy, inexpensive things you can do right now to improve your sleep quality.
Sleep as Comfortably as Possible
It’s harder to sleep when you’re too hot, too cold, or wrapped up in bedding or sleepwear that isn’t comfortable. Redoing your bedding and your sleepwear collection doesn’t have to break the bank. And installing a ceiling fan, portable air conditioning unit, or heater isn’t that bad either. It’s worth it if it helps you get a good night’s sleep. This can all be done relatively quickly and inexpensively if you check for coupons and promo codes for major retailers.
Start a Fitness Routine
“But I’m trying to sleep,” you may say. While you may want to take it easy in the hours before you hit the hay, getting outside and getting some exercise (even mild exercise like walking) can drastically improve your sleep quality. Even walking indoors at the mall or a museum works if the weather isn’t accommodating. Studies have shown that moderate exercise makes it easier to fall asleep and improves the rejuvenative effects of sleep in general. Don’t overdo it — too much exercise can negatively affect sleep. But 30 to 45 minutes per day of walking should do the trick for seniors — and it’s totally free!
Another idea is to learn T’ai Chi Chih, a mindful moving meditation, which can help with insomnia, reduce stress, and improve your overall health. Accredited instructor Dr. Bella Box can get you started!
Eat Poultry and Take a Multivitamin With Sleep-Inducing Ingredients
While the commonly held thought that turkey and chicken makes you immediately fall asleep on Thanksgiving is largely a myth (it’s mostly just the quantity of food consumed), there is science to back up the idea that foods high in tryptophan like poultry (as well as cheeses and nuts) can aid in better sleep. As the American Sleep Association notes, “tryptophan is an amino acid that you can only get from what you eat/drink. It helps your body make serotonin (a relaxing mood hormone) which then helps your body make melatonin (a hormone that controls sleep cycles).”
There are several vitamins and minerals that can help you sleep better, including iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins E and B. To make sure you’re getting enough of these ingredients in your diet, you’re best off taking a multivitamin. Many multivitamins are reasonably priced, and they can also improve your immune system and bone health.
Skip the Midday Nap
It makes logical sense that napping throughout the day might make it harder to fall asleep (and stay that way) at night. There is some scientific data to back this up. Studies have shown that instances of fragmented nighttime sleep have been associated with daytime nap frequency — especially in older adults.
Make Your Bedroom a Sleep-Only Zone
What’s in your bedroom? What do you do in your bedroom? Start working on making the answers to those questions “my bed” and “sleep.” Sleep research is increasingly finding that the more we do in our bedrooms that isn’t sleep is negatively affecting us. We know that looking at a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer before we fall asleep is bad for business.
If you have problems sleeping, you should extend this to mean you should eliminate all non-sleep distractions from the bedroom. Create a more positive space by organizing and decluttering. Take out the TV. Don’t do any work there. Once you train your brain to think that the bedroom is for sleeping and sleeping only, it’ll be easier to make it so.
Getting enough quality sleep can have a cascading positive physical and mental effect, especially for seniors. Extreme sleep problems should be addressed by your doctor, but there are things you can do — right now — to start yourself down the pathway to better sleep. The good news is that most of them are easy and inexpensive (often free!).
How Taking Care of Your Home is Like Taking Care of Yourself
Bella’s Pet Partners Therapy Team
Bella’s Healing Experience with Neurofeedback
Bella demonstrates how she is using Neurofeedback to improve pain, memory, anxiety and depression. She also shows some other issues that Neurofeedback is good for treating.
The Six Healing Sounds
True Taoists often spent time in the forests or on mountaintops in deep and solitary meditation. Living this natural life in the wilderness, these wise men were, of course, exposed to hardships and disease. According to legend, they evolved a method of repeating sounds, synchronized with a motion resembling the Six Healing Sounds movement of T’ai Chi Chih to ward off illness or cure any indisposition. Each sound referred to a particular inner organ and the idea was to concentrate on the appropriate organ while making each movement and slowly uttering the correct sound in a long drawn-out whisper. These six sounds with the organs they serve are:
- HO (ho) Heart
- HU (who) Spleen
- SZU (tsue) Liver
- HSU (shuh) Lungs
- HSI (she) 3 Heaters: below the navel, in the abdomen, between the eyes)
- CHUI (chwee) Kidneys
The idea is to balance the organs. In order to do this the entire six healing sounds movement must be completed in its entirety. Simply uttering an individual sound with its corresponding motion will create an imbalance.
Videos — T’ai Chi Chih Moving Meditation
I invite you to learn T’ai Chi Chih, a mindfulness moving meditation. A notable feature of this yin form of T’ai Chi is that it is easy to learn.
T’ai Chi Chih is a series of 19 movements and 1 pose that together make up a meditative form of movement. Practitioners experience physical, personal, and spiritual health benefits. At the completion of the ten-week class, students will be able to do the 19 graceful movements and one pose.