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Listening to Your Body:
Your Trusted Guide to Mind-Body Wellness
(Quality Life Forum Self-Care Series)
Health Coaching Session
​July, 2020

Your mind determines what you want and your body tells what you need. Therefore, keep the communication channel open between mind and body is essential for your wellness.

Your body is programmed for survival. Heeding early warnings for your health. Familiarize yourself with how your body communicate with you. It wants you to be well and reacts protectively. Increasing body awareness helps you sense the nuances of its messages. Listening to your body is a powerful step towards self-care that benefits mind-body wellness.

​Get to know yourself more honestly

Find out few basic facts:
  • When and how long you sleep?
  • When and how often you eat?
  • Ask your body for what it feels like doing and the best time of doing it (i.e., sleep, meals, fitness, mental activities)
  • Keep a food journal for a week and see your body’s response when eating or not eating
  • Check your energy level before, during, and after physical activities
  • Sense your emotions and state of mind daily

From here, find out what works for you and establish your routines. Establish the sleeping and feeding schedule that works for your productivity and overall well-being. Try out the exercises and evaluate results; don’t follow other people’s habit for personal standard, unless you tested it. Knowing what motivate you and what not.

How to listen intuitively for your body

Your body technically has functional intelligence of its own. Listen to it - appreciate what it’s doing for you and learn how to take better care of it. The art of listening entails sensing smaller symptoms before they become full blown. Mindfulness is key. Denial is the antithesis of intuition. You must do what you can to get past it.

Your bodies are smart to react, as you act in such way naturally. They do this in the form of illness, fatigue, stress and more. All of these things are like red flags signal you to pay attention to what's going on internally. If you’re willing to listen, your body will tell you everything you need to know. And nothing is more important to your health than giving your body what it needs. 

Here is how to communicate and receive feedback from your body, in 5 simple steps:
  1. Do this the first thing in the morning when you wake up naturally and fully relaxed.
  2. Check comfort level from head to toe and confirm you are feeling well and let go of your ego.
  3. Ask the question (s) for your body.
  4. Wait for the first honest thoughts comes up, not to rush, or over thinking.
  5. Trust your gut feelings and respect your body’s feedback.

How to keep mind-body communication flow

Communication is not giving orders or directions or criticisms. Communication is like a conversation, where "listening" is just as important as "speaking." Your body communicates with you by sensations, emotions, memories (even of words) and habits. Sometimes it also uses intuition and dreams. You can consciously communicate with it by thoughts, words, imagery and conscious actions. 

Your body's physiological signals (e.g., headache, rapid heartbeat, hot flush, agitation, stomach upset), or more serious conditions (e.g., pain, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure) are sending you meaningful messages. Whatever the signal, the message is alarming. Your body is talking to you. Learn to recognize your body’s warnings. Don’t override your body's signals with your ego. You may have unconsciously turned off the communication between your mind and body and not aware that is happened. 

To tune in to your body -
  • slow down
  • move your body,
  • notice physical sensations
  • feel your feelings,
  • develop your intuition

​Consider these three questions: 
  1. In what circumstance do you experience the most difficulty communicating?
  2. What physical signals from your body tell you that it's challenging?
  3. What do you do with that information?

Now practice your critical listening skills - listening to evaluate the content of the message. As a critical listener you are listening, analyzing, and evaluating  the full message received from your body. When engaging in critical listening, you are also critically thinking.

Mind-Body Wellness

The point of all this is to let your body guide you to your best potential in mind-body wellness. The older you are, the better your relationship with your body, and the more empowered and confident you should feel in control.
By keep communications flow, you will get results. For example: Your mind is exhausted and your body is agitated. Solution: Take an exercise break to shake up that body. Outcome: Get an energized body with a refreshed mind.

Your mindset determines thoughts and behavior. For example, the weight you are putting on or not putting on shows your lifestyle choices. Follow your body’s guidance, practice reading the messages from body and connect with your mind. It is essential to eat healthy for cognitive function, body energy and muscle strength. If you were successful in getting results in weight reduction, you have experienced mindset and behavioral transformation and your body have felt the difference.
​
Realize that functional limitations may develop with aging, maintain self-efficacy and functional performance is essential. This is a challenge for the aging population. Functional limitations reflect perceptions regarding restrictions in one’s ability to effectively carry out discrete physical actions and activities such as ambulating, climbing stairs, and lifting. However, the functional limitations is not solely based on age. There is a consistency of findings across studies and a range of outcome measures related to functional independence; regular aerobic activity and short-term exercise programs confer a reduced risk of functional limitations and disability in older age. 

In addition to cardio exercise, strength training is vital for maintain muscle mass. You naturally lose muscle over time, unless you lift weights. Many older adults feels unease with strength training. Follow your body’s guidance, don’t push too far. Moderation is the key, even light weight lifting with higher repetitions will work. Allow your body to rest for a day or two between strength training workouts. In recovery days, try stretching, yoga, Tai Chi, walking, or other physical activities to stay active.

In comparison with the control, the combination of cardio and strength shows significant improvement in increase in aerobic fitness,   increases in upper and lower body strength, and in a composite score of cardiovascular risk, which summed the contributions of blood pressure, cholesterol, lower body strength, aerobic fitness, and body fat percentage in older adults. 

Take Actions
​
  1. To be able to really listen, you have to get rid of your own ego. Practice mind-body communication in an objective and open manner.
  2. Feed your body with healthy input – establish or re-set a healthy eating schedule (intermittent fasting) and making healthy food choices. To learn more, go to - the key role of protein, healthy fat, energy source carbohydrate, and nourish your body for healthy living.
  3. Start of maintain a fitness routine including a combination of cardio exercises, strength training for all muscle groups, core work, stretching, and balance. Listen to your body to determine level of intensity. To learn more, go to - exercise is medicine, keep life in motion, tough fight for belly fat.
  4. Objective and subjective evaluations  – improvements measured (i.e., body weight, blood pressure) and felt (i.e., energy level, happiness)
  5. Get feedback – re-check how is your body feels? What did you learn from your body?

If you are serious about mind-body wellness transformation, reach out to qualitylifeforum@outlook.com  today for a personalized health coaching, which will help you to identify where and why you are struggling, figure out what works for your body, discover your true potential and foster action through motivation for achieving  your wellness goals. 

Summary

Your mind determines what you want and your body tells what you need. Therefore, keep the communication channel open between mind and body is essential for your wellness. Communication is not giving orders or directions or criticisms. Communication is like a conversation, where "listening" is just as important as "speaking." Listen to your body is a practical wisdom.

Your body is programmed for survival. Heeding early warnings for your health. Familiarize yourself with how your body communicate with you. It wants you to be well and reacts protectively. Increasing body awareness helps you sense the nuances of its messages. Listening to your body is a powerful step towards self-care that benefits mind-body wellness. Learn how to tune in to your body, receive feedback, and practice it.


© All rights reserved
​
References:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/better-life_b_893593
https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/08/01/how-to-listen-to-your-body-and-actually-get-answers
https://www.huna.org/html/bodytalk.html
https://www.pushingbeauty.com/articles/how-your-body-communicates
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emotional-wellness_b_3992379
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882898/
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/there-s-new-data-on-the-cardio-vs-weights-debate?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Disclaimer: This information is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional for personal conditions.

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  • Home
  • Forum
    • Mind and Body
    • Feeling well
    • Feeling ill
  • Coaching
    • Coaching Programs >
      • Loneliness Breakthrough
      • Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes
      • Time-Restricted Feeding for Healthy Aging
      • Patient-centered Health Navigation Program
      • Customized program
    • 2022 health coaching monthly >
      • Health: the Cornerstone for Quality of Life
      • Aging Eye Facts
      • Age-Related Hearing Loss
      • Aging and Oral Health
      • Aging Skin and Sun Safety
    • 2021 Health Coaching Monthly >
      • Hew Year Brings New Hope
      • Pandemic Winter Blues
      • Make a Self-Care Plan for Your Golden Years
      • Are You Fully Vaccinated?
      • Less is More
      • Managing Chronic Insomnia
      • Range of Motion Recovery from Frozen Shoulder
      • The Milestone of Age 65
      • Aging Brain
      • Muscle Memory and Cognition
      • Navigation for Healthcare Needs
      • Gratitude Power for Wellbeing
    • 2020 health coaching Monthly >
      • The Key Role of Protein in Healthy Aging
      • Healthy Fat for Healthy Aging
      • Healthy Aging Energy Source Carbohydrate
      • Transform Pandemic Fear to Self-Care
      • Hope endures
      • Breathing and Blessing
      • Listening to your body
      • Keep Fit for Your Age
      • Time-Restricted Feeding Is A Healthy Lifestyle Choice
      • Process and Results
      • Moderation
      • Invest In yourself
    • 2019 Health Coaching Monthly >
      • Empty Nest
      • Food Safety and H. pylori Infection
      • Body Image and Self-Care After Midlife
      • Exercise is Medicine
      • Cognitive Health
      • Dietary Supplements Are Not Drugs
      • GERD
      • Downsizing in the Golden Years
      • Time for change
      • Action is what counts
      • Osteoporosis in Women
      • Dealing with Difficult Emotions in Holiday Season
    • 2018 Health Coaching monthly >
      • The Golden Keys for the Golden Years
      • loneliness Breakthrough
      • Regulate Blood Pressure
      • Lowering Cholesterol
      • Blood Sugar Self-Management
      • TLC Transformation
      • Golden Mindset
      • Nourish Your Body for Healthy Living
      • Keep Life in Motion
      • Tough Fight for the Belly Fat
      • Dealing with chronic stress
      • The Most Valuable Gift
    • 2017 Health Coaching monthly >
      • Willness Attitude and Winterizing Fitness
      • Live with Thyroid Nodules
      • Exercise for Blood Sugar Regulation
      • Longevity and Quality of Life
      • How to Reduce Aging Eye Fatigue
      • Sleep Well
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • Facing a life-threatening illness
      • Music Learning for older adults
      • Better to Eat Meat or Plant Food
      • Immunity and Aging
      • A Special Holiday Gift
    • 2016 Health Coaching Monthly >
      • Wellness Mindset
      • Get Active
      • Balance Training
      • Emotional Healing
      • Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Weight Management
      • Health Literacy
      • Prevention
      • Significant Health Indicators
      • Gratitude for life
      • Home Coming for Holidays
  • Health Product Guide
    • Choices for Healthy Living
    • Vitamins and minerals
    • Digestive Health
    • Heart Health
    • Eye Health
    • Joint Health
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blogs
    • Blog How much water to drink in a day?
    • Blog What’s Good to Eat?
    • Blog Are You Motivated for a Healthy Life Style?
    • Blog A Green Tea Invitation
    • Blog The Value of Vitamin and Dietary Supplements
    • Blog Holiday Edition 2015
    • Blog Travel album of Switzerland
    • Blog A Mourning Dove Story