Monday, December 6, 2010

It's Like A Wave

How we remember to take care of ourselves, then forget for awhile, then get a wake up call, and get back to doing what we know we need to do for optimum health and happiness. Take my core stabilization exercises, for example.

My goal: to do them every day. My reality: not even close! A snow holiday and a Thanksgiving weekend and come Monday morning I notice it's been a week since I last did them! So what do I do? I may gnash my teeth, scold myself, despair at my inconsistency, or -- miracle of miracles -- just take the ten minutes and DO them. Because after a week, I'm not feeling as perky and lively as I like to feel, and that's enough to remember and to take action.

Dr. Donald Epstein (founder of Network Chiropractic) talks about learning to listen to subtler cues, from our environment and from within our bodies. When we do that, we generally can minimize unnecessary suffering! We don't need the whack of a two-by-four to get our attention! We can respond to a gentle nudge, and be grateful for the nudge.