the Basics of Physical Health pt 1
K.I.S.S. - keeping it simple silly
Hi all, this email was originally intended for the upgraded subscribers, however, I wanted to thank everyone for being here no matter what subscription you chose, as well as give an inside look as to what this space will be offering those who decide to upgrade. Not only is it a long-form writing space, but a place where I will be sharing Breathwork sessions, Yoga Nidra recordings, and live chats and events.
Today everyone will have access to this specific email, the live reading of the newsletter (if you prefer), and the BODY SCAN AWARENESS recording. I hope you like it and if you love it, I am always happy when people share that love.
-Mia
Pro-tip — if you download the Substack App, you can listen to everything on your phone
WHAT YOU WILL FIND BELOW:
1 PROPRIOCEPTION and INTEROCEPTION
2 BODY SCAN RECORDING
3 BUILD YOUR TEAM
4 PHYSICAL MOVEMENT and MOTIVATION
5 WHAT’S COMING NEXT
1. PROPRIOCEPTION AND INTEROCEPTION
I believe health is about subtraction rather than looking to try every single thing ever made and marketed to us in order to feel better in our bodies.
I believe in the acronym KISS – Keep It Simple Silly.
I believe we are already living in a body that innately knows what to do and what it needs to feel good. However, we tend to be so tuned out from ourselves and tuned into everything else around us that we lose the ability to hear what our internal body is telling us until we find ourselves in dis-ease or with disease.
My first goal with this space is to share what I believe are the basics of wellness from the lens of a teetotaling, silver-haired broad who is not afraid to make unpopular choices if she feels it is best for her and who also happens to be registered nurse with years of medical training and experience. I don't think choosing a lifestyle that allows us to feel good in our bodies, no matter the stresses that come our way is too much to ask for or desire. This doesn't mean it's perfect, admirable, or needs to be expensive. This means getting quiet, sitting with ourselves, and learning to tune into what our body is telling us it needs. It means embodying a less is more mentality. It's switching our thinking from needing every "trendy" thing to fill us up, which may make us feel whole for 30 seconds or even 30 minutes, but rather understanding and appreciating the beauty and power of simplicity.
"Proprioception — the sense that lets us perceive the location, movement, and action of parts of the body.” - ScienceDirect
Whether wearing my nurse hat or my coaching hat, I recognize people who are seemingly disconnected from their bodies more often than not. I first recognized this concept back when I was a yoga instructor. When I would give a direction of movement, I would watch as some students could move fluidly with their eyes closed while others could not sense what was happening to their limbs if those said limbs were not in their line of sight. If you are someone with sharp proprioception (and we all have it, otherwise, we couldn’t walk) you may have no idea what I am talking about. Just think of the people in your life who are known to have “two left feet” or are always bumping into things, the close talkers, or someone who is just not aware of their body in space. This is poor proprioception.
“Interoception — the ability to perceive the internal state of our bodies” - Association for Psychological Science.
Can we close our eyes and tune in to how our bodies feel?
Can we feel the sensations of the air touching our skin?
Can we feel the warmth or coolness that may be surrounding us?
Can we feel our heartbeat?
Can we get quiet and find some softness in our bones?
Can we feel the space in between the two hemispheres of the brain?
Can we even allow ourselves this time to recognize these feelings of sensations?
Yes, I believe we can, and we must. In order to recognize what makes us feel good, we have to be able to tune in to how we are feeling overall.
2 BODY SCAN
When we do the body scan in the Yoga Nidra practice, we are essentially practicing Interoception.
*BODY SCAN FOR SELF-AWARENESS*
I wanted to offer a recording of just a body scan so we can really focus on this interoception piece.
Questions to ask post body scan:
What are the conversations you are having about your body?
How are you checking in with yourself?
How do you talk to your body? How do you listen?
3. BUILD YOUR TEAM
In a recent IG post, I mentioned how I fired not one but two of my primary Medical Doctors this year: my PCP (primary care physician) and my OBGYN. My PCP was young, incredibly personable, and kind. However, mistakes were made every single time I met with her, and after getting terrible advice around the topic of HRT (hormone replacement therapy), I finally cut ties. The thing is, I was aware I could fire that MD because I knew better than what this MD was offering. Many people don’t trust themselves more than they trust their MDs, and I would like to encourage others to change this way of thinking.
I fired the second MD after a clinic visit ended with him getting irrationally upset and raising his voice after I commented that I would like to have more than a 5minute conversation before I make any decisions.
Side note: you are allowed to get all the information you require, ask as many questions as necessary, and then take as much time as you need before making decisions about your health.
Now, I would love to share that I wrote each of these MD’s a letter to inform them of my decision to find healthcare elsewhere, along with a list of my reasons. However, I did not. I simply moved on without guilt. The new Women’s Health MD I chose is excellent. She listens and respects my input and works with me and my health. She is the type of person I want everyone to have on their team.
TO DO:
Make a list of your team members with all of their info.
Fire anyone who is not willing to work with you or has shown little interest in your needs.
Then get to work finding someone who will work with you.
Ask your friends, co-workers, or even a beloved existing team member. Who do they see?
People LOVE to share their favorite team members, so ask!
Who is on your team?
PCP
OBGYN or any specialist for reproductive health
Specialist of any type (dermatologist, reproductive endocrinologist, cardiologist, etc.)
Body care – Massage therapist, Acupuncturist, Chiropractor, Colon hydro-therapist, Herbalist, etc.
Think in body parts - teeth, eyes, feet, etc.
Therapists, mental health (we will touch more on this in the mental health section)
I also want you to include your beauty team members. Hair, nails, skin. Anyone who is on your team and helps you to feel your best in any way.
Now make the appointments you may have been delaying!
I make my yearly appointments around Valentine's day and again around my birthday in August. Six months apart. Setting this time frame allows me to be consistent each year.
Yearly physical with lab work.
With every appointment, write down the topics you want to cover and any questions you may have. Please do not feel bad for writing them down, do not think you are bothering your MD. MDs are usually rushing and will probably be rushing you, so having a list is vital. Please go into the MD visits with the confidence that requires them to address all your needs/wants/questions.
* Remember, your MDs have been hired by you. They work for you.
-At-home lab testing is very trendy right now, and it is also very expensive. Of course, there is a place for this type of testing. However, in most cases, if you have health insurance, you can call your PCP and ask for the testing that you want. More than likely, your PCP will place the order for you.
OBGYN yearly check-up
Have you talked with your doctor about hormone health? No matter your age, hormones can be the cause of many, many issues we may be dealing with. Same with thyroid health and lab testing.
*Stayed tuned; We will be going deep, deep into hormone health.
Mammogram
Schedule if you are of age or have a history or family history. Your PCP should be able to guide you on this.
Eye exam
You may need an ophthalmologist (medical doctor) and/or an optometrist (OD Doctor of Optometry). An optometrist is the one who typically does the routine yearly check-ups. They are the ones running the Lens Crafter type places. An ophthalmologist tends to need a referral from a PCP (depending on insurance).
Dentist
Twice a year, unless otherwise noted. And FLOSS your teeth!
I feel going through this together may be a great workshop to do live at the end of the year! What do you think??
Having a solid team around us is so essential to taking care of our physical health. Create your team now. Stay on top of your yearly check-ups. Be the driver of your health care. It starts with you.
4 PHYSICAL MOVEMENT and MOTIVATION
Taking care of your physical body is not a punishment. It is a privilege. One that many people take for granted until something happens, such as dis-ease, disease, an impairment rendering us unable to move something or at all, or maybe one morning you wake up tired, achy, moody, and feeling like crap and you just don’t want to live like this anymore.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
You know you need to move your body, period. We know this.
If you are lucky enough to have the privilege of being able-bodied because not everybody is, then moving your body becomes a choice. And only you can make that choice.
Start with what feels good to you. What is calling to you? Is it walking around your local park, tennis, HIIT, CrossFit, or barre class? Do you want to do it alone, with friends, or in a room full of people you don’t know but find camaraderie in a kick-ass sweat session?
I am a big fan of at-home workouts. The idea of driving around Los Angeles to get to a class (on time without traffic) or to a packed gym only to wait for machines to be available, is not how I want to spend my time. I like to wake up, not worry about what I am wearing or what I look like, and get straight into my workout. Because no matter how good sweating makes me feel, there are a million other things I would rather be doing with my time. I don’t like wasting time ever.
Thankfully, online classes exploded in lockdown. Here are some that I have personally tried and loved. All of them have free trials.
Peloton App – even if you do not have a bike or tread, you can still take classes.
*If you are in the market for a bike or tread, this code will give you $100 off accessories. CODE: Y4XJG4
Youtube is also a wonderful source for free workouts. Do a little search on what type of workout you would like and explore all of the options.
MOTIVATION
It is inevitable that every time I post a story about my workout that day, someone will reach out and tell me their excuse of why they can't do it. I get it. I understand. I know what it is like to be tired, stressed, have a million things to do, people to take care of, and the list goes on and on. I also know what it feels like to not take care of myself. My moodiness leaks out with my quick-tempered snappiness. I react instead of respond. I am off my game at work as well as being off as a wife, daughter, and friend. The tension and resistance in my body increase, my energy becomes very heavy, I feel off in my own skin, my clothes don't feel good, and I just don't feel good.
So I finally had to figure out how to get out of my own way. Self-sabotage is something I know very well. But I have learned that if I give myself just one hour a day to do focused movement, everything else will work out, even if it doesn't. It's not easy, but I figure I could complain about having to do it all day long and never accomplish anything else that day, or I can just do the damn work. That difficult choice of having to fit a workout in is actually making everything else easy.
So when I have ladies slip into my DM's or email me to let me know how little time they have to give to themselves, I simply explain that if they have time to scroll on the socials and the time to contact me to list all their excuses, THEY HAVE TIME TO GIVE TO THEMSELVES. All said with love, of course.
“Mood Follows Action” - Rich Roll
No matter how motivated, inspired, or empowered we are, nothing will trump discipline. If we wait to feel these feelings - motivated, inspired, or empowered, what happens when we just can’t connect with them? Nothing happens. We don’t do anything. We end up sitting and waiting to be “motivated”.
My husband is a great example of discipline. He works out 6 days a week, every week since I have known him (20+years). He does not wait to feel inspired to work out. He works out to feel inspired.
Honestly, I can still get caught in this headspace of waiting if I don’t have a plan. So now I schedule my movement. I am a perfectionist and can “research” my way into analysis paralysis, so I hired a trainer to do the mental gymnastics for me. She creates my workouts, decides what days I do which workouts, and then holds me accountable to do it all. Now, not everyone can do this. I understand. However, this could be done with a friend or group of friends if you can get creative together and then hold each other accountable (for free:)).
When I started writing this email, I thought I would be able to get it all in one. I quickly realized how wrong I was. So this too will be broken up into parts.
NEXT UP:
PHYSICAL HEALTH part 2 & 3
Sleep
Water
Nourishment, supplements, and herbs
I appreciate all of you who have signed up for the free and upgraded versions of this newsletter/event space. And if you are loving this space, I invite you to tell a friend or share on your socials… but only after you get your movement in :)
Sending you all my love, XXX Mia
So much great information and I loved the Yoga Nidra. Thank you.