In our hectic daily lives, it can be all to easy to forget to take care of ourselves. Here are some easy – and some not so easy – practice suggestions and/or New Year Intentions for 2024!
1. Get enough sleep.
Many of us are sleep deprived which affects mood, memory, attention, healing, and more. 8 hours is recommended. Have the same sleep schedule – preferably typical nighttime hours – if possible. The mind and body like routine.
2. Hydrate.
It is said that 75% of us are chronically dehydrated. This affects our brains, mood, blood pressure, and metabolism, just to name a few. A good practice is to drink half of your weight in ounces daily. Try starting your day with 32oz of warm lemon water. You’d be surprised how good you’ll feel!
Pelvic Health Tip – Women experiencing leaking issues (incontinence) often avoid water thinking it will help stop leaking. Instead, this leads to urine becoming concentrated and overly acidic which irritates the bladder, adding symptoms to the list.
3. Exercise.
Moving our bodies is crucial to feeling better. It increases energy, boosts mood, helps us sleep better and reduces anxiety, just to name a few benefits. Try adding a daily walk or a gentle yoga practice… workouts don’t have to be long and brutal to have benefits. Then add on as your fitness increases.
Pelvic Health Tip – Sedentary lifestyle leads to weak and/or imbalanced muscles throughout the body, including the core and pelvic floor (same thing). Having a regular fitness program can improve or correct many pelvic floor concerns. *
4. Eat Healthy.
When we eat better, we feel better. Eating high levels of unhealthy processed foods affects our blood sugar and causes inflammation in the body which results in feeling lousy both mind and body. Try adding in fresh fruits and veggies, lean proteins and healthy starches like beans, brown rice and whole wheat products (if gluten isn’t an issue.) As you get in the habit of eating better and feeling better, it will be easier to say no to fast and convenient processed foods. TIP: something that works for me is always having something with me, like a banana, a baggie of raw almonds or a protein bar. When I get hungry – and I get hungry! – If I eat my snack, it almost always saves me from running through a drive thru.
Pelvic Health Tip – Constipation is a common symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction and can even be the onset event that begins the pelvic floor dysfunction cycle. Eating clean, fibrous foods and drinking plenty of water (see #2 – should be #1, haha) helps us process and digest our food so that we can poop easily without straining.
5. Talk Nice to Yourself.
We believe what our mind tells us. So, if we have a habit of speaking (or thinking) poorly toward ourselves, “Boy, Alicia! Could you have been more stupid?!?!” or worse, it has a negative impact on our wellbeing. When you catch yourself saying something unkind to you, interrupt yourself and change it to something nice.
Pelvic Health Tip – Those of us that suffer pelvic floor symptoms can begin to feel like our body is a traitor. Negative thoughts and self-talk often follow. Our body is always trying to protect us, the nervous system on guard all the time. This can lead to clenching muscles and bracing against pain, etc. But it is not a traitor. It is our friend that is a little off track. Using an affirmation to remind yourself that your body is trying to protect you can be extremely helpful in times of self-doubt. Try something like, “My body is my friend. I help it heal and support me.” Or search for an affirmation that resonates with you. When you catch yourself saying negative things, stop and repeat your affirmation.
6. Take Time for YOU.
To read a book, make a craft (see below), take a bath, meditate, practice yoga, visit friends, take a hike… the possibilities go on and on.
Pelvic Health Tip – As women we seem to always be doing for others, often at our own expense. Take time to do things for you. You deserve it.
7. Create Something.
If you are feeling stuck, bored, or just blah about life, having a creative outlet can help. It doesn’t have to be fancy or even come out great. It’s the doing, the creating, that feeds our souls. Color, cook, garden, go to the craft store and pick up a kit. Lots of possibilities.
8. Watch What You Ingest.
Yes, I know we already covered food. What I’m talking about here is all the OTHER things we take in: social media, news, the books we read, the movies we watch, the people we spend time with. If any or all of the aforementioned things are negative, depressing violent or energy sucking in any way, they will affect us negatively. Try cutting out anything or anyone that brings you down, causes you to not to sleep well, etc. and replace with something that builds you up.
Pelvic Health Tip – When we experience pelvic floor problems, it is easy to go down the rabbit hole of googling symptoms/diagnoses and/or getting caught up in social media groups that aren’t really helpful and tend to keep us focused on the negative. Try to find positive ways to support your journey: do your practices, acknowledge yourself for the steps you are taking, use affirmations, practice gratitude (see #10), etc.
9. Create a Routine.
And stick to it. Routine is calming to the nervous system. Doing the same things such as our bedtime routine every night at the same time, is good for us. Keeping that routine within our natural clock is even better.
Pelvic Health Tip – Make your exercises or practices part of your daily routine.
10. Practice Gratitude.
It’s easy to focus on negative things or get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget to be thankful. At the end of each day, before you go to sleep, think of something your feel grateful for. Better yet, write it down. Handwritten, not typing or texting into your phone, creates neural pathways in your brain, helping gratefulness to become ingrained in your brain. Being grateful and content leads to happiness.
Pelvic Health Tip – Try writing down each night not only what you are grateful for, but the positive things you did for yourself that day. Even if it is only drinking enough water. I do this and call my journal “Self-care & Gratitude.” A positive way to bolster yourself at day’s end.
* If you are already experiencing pelvic floor concerns and aren’t sure what you need to take steps toward healing, I offer free consultations via phone or zoom. Let’s chat 🙂
