What’s Your Wellness Plan?
By Cindy Holt, RN, LMT

Everyone needs a plan. We have a plan to work, a plan to save, a plan to vacation, and even an emergency exit plan, to name a few. But, do you have a plan for your health? Simply visiting your doctor once a year may not be enough. Few doctors take the time to know their patients anymore, and you the patient must be the gatekeeper of records, history, and be responsible for monitoring how you feel on many levels.

I’m talking about your plan to stay healthy in mind, body, and spirit. I find most people’s health plan is an insurance plan and hope. But is that health care or sick care? Here’s what I think a good health plan should entail.

Good food. Eat healthy, balanced meals 90% of the time, leaving 10% for fun times. Make vegetables the basis of your diet, eating most of them raw. A few vegetables are better for you cooked, like tomatoes, but fresh tomatoes from your garden are really good too. Meat, as long as its fresh and hormone and pesticide free is OK, in moderation. We really don’t need that much meat. Fish and chicken are better than red meat. Beef should be from grass fed cattle. Grain is not a normal food for cows. Some whole grains are good for us, but in limited quantities. Avoid white flour and white sugar like the plague. I like organic food when I can get it fresh and local, but I’m not passionate about it. Unfortunately, much of what is labeled organic is not.
Exercise regularly. Do what you like to do, but get your heart pumping for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week. If you are trying to lose weight, you must work up a sweat to get your metabolism elevated. Flexibility exercise is also important- stretching, yoga, or Pilate's are all good ways to achieve better balance and strength overall.
Take vitamins. You can’t get all you need from your food anymore. Take a good NATURALLY-SOURCED supplement protocol, and expect to have to take more than one product. One a day types are simply too compactly processed to release their contents before they get too far down the gastrointestinal tract to be absorbed. Ask your doctor about being tested for vitamin D3 deficiency. Most people are quite deficient, and this deficiency has been linked to cancer, osteoporosis, and several other serious conditions. Take D3 daily; about 1000-5000 IU is being recommended for most people. You can take too much, so read all the labels on your vitamin packages to see how much you are actually taking.
Attend to your spirituality. If you don’t like religion, find some way to relate to your higher self. Gratitude is a great place to start.
Attend to your body and emotional connections. Massage is a great way to learn more about where you hold your tension, and what emotions you store there. Tension creates pain in joints, muscles, and the fascia. Tension can lead to arthritis locally, and a host of other stress related diseases in the entire body. Learn to experience emotion honestly, so you don’t have to store it for later.
Pay attention to your thoughts. If they run on the negative side, be aware we tend to attract that which we focus upon. Don’t focus on lack, but instead focus on the gratitude for what you do have.