In this bountiful harvest season, I've been hanging out on the organic gardening forums. They're really hopping, too!
Funny thing. Someone asks about a natural remedy for some problem or another. A bug, pest, or inadequate result. They're generally looking for something to spritz on or till in. Not bad ideas, it seems. But inevitably, someone more experienced chimes in with the "real dirt."
"Amend your soil at the beginning of the season," they'll say. "Work in lots of organic compost and the soil will be fertile. Fertile, healthy soil creates healthy, disease-resistant plants. You won't even need those fixes."
Sound familiar?
It should. This has been my mantra for years -- except I've been singing it over the human body.
In my world, the reason for "thinking holistic" with your health is to realize that every choice you make influences your health one way or the other. Make better choices, and your body will naturally be strong, powerful, and an inhospitable host for disease.
[Note this is a different model than using "natural cures" once something has already gone wrong. Think of the holistic approach as creating rich compost, fertile soil for the body. :-)]
How does it play out in the real world? Well, the "real dirt" gets formed in all kinds of ways, but here's the one I find trips up most people most of the time:
- Do your actions reflect your values, or are you living in conflict?
When your actions are consistent with what you believe in, life is good. When you challenge your core beliefs by making inconsistent choices, your health gradually begins to turn south. Sometimes, it's not so gradual.
So if it's really that simple, then what gets in the way? I think that's pretty simple, too.
- Lack of awareness - 1 (you aren't clear on what you believe in)
- Lack of awareness - 2 (you're running on autopilot; don't know why you do what you do)
- Stress - 1 (part of what causes you to run on autopilot is you're so overwhelmed by life that you don't take the time to work things through - as in #1 & #2 above)
- Stress - 2 (although you may know what you believe in, you're too busy to care)
But so much for what I think. How about you?
- How do you create "fertile soil" for your health?
- What gets in your way?
See the "comment" section below? Just fill in a sentence or two.
Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!
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Comments (6)
To create furtile soil in my life I consentrate on the basics: eat right, get enough rest and exercise to keep the body and mind healthy and alert. Then I focus on doing something each day that fulfills my life purpose: to love people unconditionally with words and deeds. Finally, I spend some time alone with God meditating on the goodness of God and seeking His guidance on how I fit into His plan for my life.
Posted by George Lowther | August 8, 2006 12:27 AM
Posted on August 8, 2006 00:27
What gets in the way is the numerous demands placed on me by various people in my life that value what I can do for them. I am learning to contol this factor by creating goals with measurable objectives that have specific action steps laid out on a time-line. This helps me stay focused on what's important and not get side-tracked by the little chores that seem so urgent at the time. Without a plan to work I find that others will plan my life for me. I still have a tendency to pack too much into my schedule, but I'm learning what my limits are and I'm saying no more often without feeling guilty.
Posted by George Lowther | August 8, 2006 12:39 AM
Posted on August 8, 2006 00:39
What makes my "garden grow?"
1.A postive attitude. I always have time for the things I want or need to do. the rest are not important or can be left for other times. Time is relative.
2. Rest and sleep on average 8 hours a night over a week's time.
3. Eat fresh green, yellow vegetables; fresh fruit, drink 8 glasses of water a day.
4. Associate with postive folks
5. Listen to my body. If it hurts take it easy and get some help.
6. Exercise about 30 minutes everyday. some heavy and some light exercise.
Spend time (?) being outdoors; the harmony of nature is healing and renewing for the soul.
What gets in the way? Being tired, hungry, letting things get under my skin instead of letting them go. 100 years from now it won't matter, so let it go.
Putting too much into my schedule. When I have strong emotions I forget to do what I said above. I run away and wonder why I don't feel good about myself and my life. maruta
Posted by marita | August 11, 2006 12:10 PM
Posted on August 11, 2006 12:10
I do very similar things as the folks stated above. I eat right, exercise, take my vitamins. I work with knowledgable people that can help me efficiently. So I guess you could say I have set up a network system that has proven effective for me in dealing with my arthritis condition. I also keep an open mind to allow new ideas or wisdoms to cultivate into my mind and take seed. But above all of that, if I didn't nurture my relationships, all of the above would be for not. My husband and I work at our marriage and have a very happy and fulfilling life together. We have been married 16 1/2 years and he still makes my heart flutter. I feel that this is a nurturing environment for our little "seedlings" (our two daughters)to hopefully establish themselves well. And I never underestimate the power of prayer!
Posted by Susan | August 16, 2006 11:07 PM
Posted on August 16, 2006 23:07
Received by email from Penny, who wanted to share her comments but was unable to post today:
What I do to build a healthy body:
1. Eat food in the 5 food groups daily
2. If I have a body irritant, such as poison ivy or hundreds of mosquito bites, increase my intake of Vitamin E daily and drink more water
3. Drink lots of water in the evening at home
4. Fill my time with constructive activities (no TV). Gearing up for the 2006-2007 year as Diversity Director of the Michigan State Board of AAUW (Assoc. of Am. University Women) and my two other branch offices.
5. Minimize procrastination. Something I wrote in my new planner to kick off the busy season, "If you do everything you need to do, you'll get to where you need to be quicker." (the situation was that I had put off reading the Diversity Module so that created stress when I need to know that information before recruiting my committee volunteers. I needed to have a plan prepared when telling the potential volunteers why it was a good idea to join my committee.)
Penny
Posted by Elizabeth | August 18, 2006 7:33 PM
Posted on August 18, 2006 19:33
Editor's note: Way to go, folks! Thanks for the great comments. I can relate to many of the items on both sets of lists, and I'll guess others can, too. Plus the variety of your answers has given us some new things to think about. Keep those comments coming!
Posted by Elizabeth | August 18, 2006 7:36 PM
Posted on August 18, 2006 19:36