Fall 2009

Health Tips: Turning Everyday Habits into Everyday Health

Marcia Degelman, Integrative Medicine Specialist,
specializing in Massage Therapy, with a focus on stress reduction.

Degelman We are creatures of habit. We can get stuck in a rut, or we can use our repetitive behaviors to do good things for our body and mind. Think about your daily rituals. What are the first things that you do when you wake up? Wash your face? Brush your teeth? Do you have to negotiate with yourself to do these things? Probably not; you just do them. You are in the habit of doing them. What if you added some stretching to that routine? You don’t have to call it yoga. How about a few minutes of mindfulness? You don’t have to call it meditation.

Re-frame the way you think about your habits and daily rituals. You can simply take a few minutes to check in on yourself and see what’s on your mind; just let it go by for a few precious moments. Bring your attention to your breath. You can always worry about stuff later.

Could these few moments improve the quality of your day? Add to your peace of mind? If you did it every day, it would simply become a habit. And you could reward yourself with something good for you, like a chair massage instead of a chocolate chip cookie. And then take yourself out for a nice walk in the park. Good habits should be rewarded.

Fall 2009

Fall 2009

Find out more in Explaining Health: What you need to know to stay healthy.