Shiatsu blog: How to gain your best health with these useful tools!

More so now than ever we need to do more for our health in every day life. I don’t want to go into the list of negatives as to why (I’ll do that later!) but what I want to do is make you aware about why you should look after your health. This comes from someone that has done this by degrees over the last 30 years and each year I add in more protocols as I learn them (I’ll give you a flavour of those as well!). The reason we need to do this is because as humans we have veered far off track of being healthy; led astray by media and convenience in a drastically busy lifestyle. I used to be this way but there does come a point when your body says: No more! Before reaching that point lets delve into how to gain your best health with these useful tools!

Why do we need to look after our health more now?

3 major facts now govern our entire lives which were less for our parents’ generation:

Nutrient depletion in soil is major now. Foods that used to grow in rich bacterial soil don’t now and so foods just don’t have the nutrients of 50/60 years ago and this is telling in health as anxiety brain fog and lack of energy for many. This is if you eat a whole food healthy diet if you’re still on highly processed convenience foods you’re getting next to zero nutrition that your body needs to thrive on… in fact just rely on!

Give your body the mineral building blocks to repair itself and feel the difference

Toxicity from our environment in and outdoors. It’s not just the air you breathe it’s the chemicals in every day products from makeup and skin care to cleaning products.

The stress factor! The more you stress the quicker you use up the nutrients in your body; leading to an even larger nutrient gap. Symptoms that can appear are joint pain muscle fatigue/ cramp brain fog anxiety poor gut health. Stress can also increase inflammation in your body. Stress is a major factor to combat to ensure you have health longevity.

For women in menopause or perimenopause it’s not your hormone’s fault! It’s the lack of nutrition causing your hormonal imbalance. Nutrition becomes key in this transition to reduce your symptoms. You can visit my sister website for more information and support.

These are just a few of the vital reasons to really open your eyes to your body needing help. We’ve stepped so far away from nature that only in getting back to embracing the more natural elements of living can we hope to regain real health and wellness.

The most underused medical tools…

Are at your fingertips! When I offer clients advice during shiatsu sessions the response can be: Surely, it’s not that simple? Well, yes, it is; it’s just that advertising and the pharma-backed medical profession don’t want you to think it is; they don’t make money that way. When clients let me know the supplements they’re taking there are usually some pretty fancy (and expensive ones) in their list; but what about a multi-vitamin and vitamin C? Surely it can’t be that simple? Yes, it can!

The definition of medicine:

the science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease (in technical use often taken to exclude surgery).

Where does that definition say take a chemical pill?

Medicine is diagnosis; most people can find a lot of answers on Dr Google if it’s minor. For example- muscular skeletal issues seek the advice from a practitioner who deals with this every day and has a hands-on diagnostic process. Don’t wait for 2 years for a scan; it will either tell you nothing (you hope!) or you’ll be in such a bad way then the resolution is drastic. You can still have the scan but in the meantime take action with a professional. There is a practitioner nearby for just about every bodily system waiting to help you; me included.

Medicine is treatment; this can be ANYTHING. It could be taking a day off and going on a forest walk or sitting on a beach. This is medicine at its primal meaning. Many countries  (Japan and Spain spring to mind) now prescribe getting fresh air and getting back to nature as THE FIRST option to ill health. Iceland has just been named as the best country to go to for your health due to its hot rejuvenating springs and clean air. In the Uk it’s anti-biotics. I bite my tongue every time someone I meet (not my clients) says: …and I went to the doctor again for anti-biotics. All this does in the long-term is make you worse by killing off your microbiome (your gut bacteria) which is trying to repopulate to absorb the nutrition from your food. A poor microbiome leads to ill health many times over.

Finally, and my favourite: medicine as the prevention of disease. Learn from each time an ailment or symptom occurs what can you do that is natural that helps relieve it. Antibiotics is the lazy option for people that don’t want to think about their health or be in tune with their body; it’s avoidance.

How to gain your best health with these useful tools!

And most of them are free and at your finger tips it’s just they become overlooked as we’ve been conditioned that health is difficult to achieve:

 Sleep: The ultimate recovery tool—prioritize deep, restful nights. If your sleep is broken reach out as Chinese medicine effectively helps you rebuild your sleep routine.

Nature: Reconnect to reduce stress and restore balance. Nature bathing/ digital detox.

Real Food: Fuel your body with nutrients, not chemicals. The slower the food is cooked the more nutritious it is. If you eat well and struggle with sleep or fatigue then you most likely require plant-based supplement support. I have a free guide here.

Exercise: This is movement and fresh air. It’s not about gym or 10j runs. It’s about a daily inclusion to build strength and flexibility. Resistance bands are the new weights; this is a way to jeep your bone health strong.

Heat/Cold Therapy: Challenge your body to boost circulation and recovery. Sauna and infrared therapies boost internal healing. Cold plunges (though not for me thanks!) are said to put your body under a positive stress and improve circulation mood and immunity. Listen to your body if it doesn’t feel right – Don’t do it!

Salt: Essential minerals for hydration and cellular function. Himalayan salt is packed with minerals and is the most unpolluted salt there is. You may have symptoms that have been caused by too little salt in your diet like stomach acid and cramps.

Magnesium: Support muscle function, cognitive function, nervous system,  sleep, and induces relaxation/stress relief. I could write a whole blog just on Magnesium so just to say: this is the #1 deficient mineral in all of humanity. If you breathe - take magnesium.

Earthing: Ground yourself to the Earth’s energy for calm and vitality. This can be as little as kicking off your shoes and walking around feeling the textures under your feet. You can also get a grounding mat.

Fasting: Give your body a break to heal and reset. The longer you can go with food over night the better; this is called Intermittent fasting. Eating a dinner earlier or having a smaller/lighter one allows your food to digest giving your liver time to cleanse the blood and your body to trigger healing cycles. Your body also appreciates rich nutrients in the blood overnight too (like magnesium and vitamin C).

Sunlight: Nourish your cells with vitamin D and boost your mood. Sunlight isn’t the bad guide; the toxicity we live in is. Along with sunlight is liver health when your liver works well you turn UV light into vitamin D which helps bones brain lungs; your body will revitalise at the cellular level. Sunscreen is causing more issues than its resolving.

Meditation: Train your mind to find peace amid the chaos. Recently I was told by someone they were scared to try this due to connotations attached. There’s no mystery here: try replacing with the word mind-full-ness or calming the mind. I heard recently that a Christian retreat who are anti-eastern influence have relabelled it as ‘Soaking’. Even prayer creates the right intention and mind space. It’s less about the word and more about giving your brain a break! Unplug the ear pods switch off podcasts YouTube etc and let your mind be silent whilst doing an absorbing task. We were taught to wash the dishes to only wash the dishes. This is a mind calming exercise - tuning your brain into doing only one thing at a time; it’s incredibly de-stressing. If you’re lucky enough to look out at the birds or hear them at the same time – this is restful and rejuvenating.

Laughter: A natural stress-buster that heals the soul. The health benefits of laughter are endless from relaxing your whole nervous system to boosting your immunity. Laughter tells your body it’s safe and it can switch back into healing mode. Laughter is found to help boost your cardio vascular system and improve your heart health; lowering blood pressure and destressing you. I always keep some of my favourite comedies to hand. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen it; if it makes you laugh – it’s medicine.

True wellness doesn’t have to be complicated—start with one or two options and create new habits. In time these will just become everyday wellness for you and then you’ll be open to looking for and adding in more.

Listening to what your body wants

Are majority of us have lost the art (or soul) of listening to what our body is saying and wants. This is where shiatsu helps. As my clients come regularly over the months they start to tune in and really feel differences. When you first turn up to a shiatsu with a bad shoulder or lower back you just think it’s going to get fixed. This maybe the first opportunity that you have in life to start to connect with why you’re in pain. All of our ailments can tell us what is wrong leading us to find what we need.

Working through this with an experience shiatsu practitioner is beneficial for your mind and body. Shiatsu is an incredibly relaxing treatment but it’s also one that you can learn from. If you want to increase your health then book in for shiatsu and the rest will unfold as you delve into a new form of never-ending wellbeing.

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About Andrea at Shiatsu Bodyworks Cheltenham

Andrea is a qualified zen shiatsu and Chinese medicine practitioner with over 20 years immersed in holistic therapies and the energetics of mind and body. Based in Cheltenham, UK she offers in house clinic and online shiatsu sessions to help people with midlife health issues and also offers online consultations for helping you resolve health issues and regain your vitality. She is a menopause specialist too, find out more at cotswoldmenopause.co.uk