#4Mind4Body Mental Health Month Challenge
Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable. So much of what we do physically impacts us mentally –it’s important to pay attention to both your physical health and your mental health, which can help you achieve overall wellness and set you on a path to recovery.
This May is Mental Health Month; Proximal50 Life Center is raising awareness about the connection between physical health and mental health, through the theme Fitness #4Mind4Body. The campaign is meant to educate and inform individuals about how eating healthy foods, gut health, managing stress, exercising, and getting enough sleep can go a long way in making you healthy all around.
A healthy lifestyle can help to prevent the onset or worsening of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, as well as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic health problems. It can also play a big role in helping people recover from these conditions.
Getting the appropriate amount of exercise can help control weight, improve mental health, and help you live longer and healthier. Recent research is also connecting your nutrition and gut health with your mental health. Sleep also plays a critical role in all aspects of our life and overall health. Getting a good night’s sleep is important to having enough physical and mental energy to take on daily responsibilities. And we all know that stress can have a huge impact on all aspects of our health, so it’s important to take time to focus on stress-reducing activities like meditation or yoga.
Proximal50 Life Center wants everyone to know that mental illnesses are real, and recovery is always the goal. Living a healthy lifestyle may not be easy, but by looking at your overall health every day – both physically and mentally – you can go a long way in ensuring that you focus on your Fitness #4Mind4Body. For more information, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may.
Call 751-2974 or click here to schedule your free consult and learn how the team of health professionals of Proximal50 can help you.
Why 80% of Resolutions Fail & 4 Ways to be in the 20%
WHY 80% OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FAIL
At the close of a year, it is natural to be drawn to the fresh-start feeling that a new year can bring. Making a resolution (or three) for the new year ahead can feel motivating, refreshing, and bring hope for a better year ahead. We all know some of the most popular resolutions: losing weight, getting “fit,” or embarking on some sort of health improvement journey. Come the beginning of January, resolution-ers are enthusiastic to change. They join a gym, buy class passes, pay top dollar for meal plans and/or supplements. But by the second week of February, 80% of those resolutions that started with such bright hope are completely null and void. Why is that?
For any New Year’s resolution to be successful – health related or otherwise – it takes changing behavior and habits, built up over a lifetime (teaching an old dog new tricks). We set all these resolutions but we fail to address our ability to sustain motivation and how we’re going to handle the stress and discomfort that often accompanies change.
Changing habits and behaviors will not magically happen from January 1st when the clock strikes midnight. It takes time and practice to set new behavior patterns in order to sustain them long-term. Before you hit the gym every day in January, never to set foot in it again in February… or spend hundreds of dollars for packaged shakes and bars that will be on BisManOnline by March, follow these simple tips:
1) Set realistic goals. Keeping your goals within reach is important to staying motivated.
2) Set up your support system. No one likes to “go it alone” and we can all benefit from a little accountability.
3) Try substitution instead of elimination. This simple change of mindset can quickly improve your attitude towards your goals.
4) Celebrate success. Tangible rewards are motivating and it’s important to celebrate along the way.
Ready to make 2018 the year you will reach your resolutions? Stop Resolving. Start DOING. Purchase the 2018 Kick-off Coaching Special, which includes:
- 1 (60-75 minute) Vision Session, where we will map out your action plan for 2018
- 3 (45 minute) Follow-Up Sessions (must be used within 6 weeks of initial session), where you’ll find the motivation and support to keep you on track towards your personal health and wellness goals.
Price: $175
3 Signs You Are Using the Band-Aid Approach to Pain Relief
Pain is not normal. Some muscle tension/tightness and soreness can be expected but if you are dealing with pain that does not go away or seems to come back regularly, chances are you are using a band-aid approach to your pain relief. Here are three signs you are merely applying a band-aid to your pain:
- There’s no end in sight. While things like massage & dry needling can help alleviate pain – and are all things we do too- if your pain doesn’t go away or returns than you need to dig deeper (pun totally intended!).
- You have no idea what’s really causing the pain. Sure you know what aggravates your pain – running, standing too long, lifting something heavy, moving this way or that way. But do you know WHY it’s happening? Chances are, you are treating the symptoms of the pain, not the cause of the pain – there’s a huge difference!
- You don’t know what to do about it or how to control it. So maybe it’s something you’ve been dealing with for quite awhile, you’ve seen your doctor, you’ve tried other treatments – maybe even surgery – but you still haven’t learned anything about your pain, why it’s happening and what you can do to control it.
Proximal50’s team of Physical Therapists are passionate about treating the cause of your pain and not simply covering your pain with a band-aid treatment. We breakdown how your body moves to ensure that once the pain is gone… it stays away. As much as we love seeing our patients, our priority is educating you on why something hurts and what to do about it so YOU can be in control of your health & wellness.
Start advocating for yourself and seek the care that will address the cause of your pain, not just the symptoms!
Tana Trotter, PT, DPT
Proximal50 Life Center
To schedule a physical therapy consultation at Proximal50, call 751-2974.
Cooking Oils – what you need to know now!
Cooking oils are a great way to get healthy fats – essential to overall health – into your diet. Think of fat as our reserve, our long-term source of energy. It also helps us digest fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. It keeps our brains, cells, hormones, tissue, hair, skin and nails healthy.
An oil’s smoke point is the temperature at which it will start to smoke and break down. If cooking oil starts to smoke, it should be discarded. It’s likely lost some of its nutritional value, and it could impart a bitter, unpleasant taste to your food.
Oils should be stored in a cool, dry place and to minimize the degrading effects of heat and light, oils should be removed from cold storage just long enough for use.
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