Knowing your self from the inside is self-care.  Can you think of three self-care practices that you do regularly? Looking at your list are they extrinsic, meaning does it require someone or something else (ie massage, pedicure, glass of wine)? What would it be like to take your self-care practices to the next level by learning intrinsic self-care?  Personally, before I can integrate a new practice I need to know where I am starting from, what my current behaviors and triggers are and why do I want to evolve them. For the holidays, acknowledging my comfort eating style was a good start.

I tend to be introverted and shy away from holiday gatherings.  When party tasks are delegated I am the one that signs up for cutlery.  This is my way of staying accountable and actually attending, as I know that the hostess and persons who brings a big bowl soup would be terribly annoyed with me if I did not show up with spoons.

Getting ready for a holiday affair, my old self would drink a few glasses of wine (liquid courage), then grab the Cutlery and head for the car.  I would take a deep breath and tell myself, everything will be okay. You only have to stay an hour. My senses would be overstimulated with holiday lights, sounds and smells.  My digestive system greeted by soda pop, Chex mix, and holiday themes of cheese, gluten and white sugar.

In large groups, I tend to accommodate.  Why? I want to socially fit in with the tribe.  To be accepted and liked. I would eat food I didn’t want to eat because I wanted to fit in, knowing that I would be rewarded with a distended belly in the morning.  I would smile and listen to conversations that really weren’t that interesting. I would experience a sleepless night due to the digestive mix and worry that I said the wrong thing. Late at night my inner voice spoke to me in a loud critical voice, rewinding the night’s events.

Know Your Comfort Eating Style

Ali Shapiro, MSOD, CHHS, holistic nutritionist and health coach and founder of True with Food explains binge eating through the lens of three comfort eating styles: the Accommodator, the Competitor and the Avoider.  I like the way she breaks the styles down because I easily identify with all three of them.

Everyone has experienced all three eating styles at one time or another.  Like the three doshas, we identify with the one style or dosha that is the most dominant.  For the Ayurveda perspective, I turn to Brodie Welch, health coach and self-care strategist. She describes the Accommodator as Kapha, the Competitor as Pitta and the Avoider as Vatta.

Kapha:  The Accommodator:  Do you eat to please others and/or keep the peace?  If yes, you are an Accommoder. Scenario:  You are at a family gathering.  Aunt Clara proudly displays the holiday table and feast she has been preparing for days for you and others.  When you take a small portion of each dish you are greeted with: “You eat like a bird. What is the matter with you?  Eat more I prepared this for you!”  What do you say to yourself and then Aunt Clara?

Pitta: The Competitor:  Are you a competitive eater?  Do your eating patterns fluctuate between strict and binging? If yes, you are a Competitor.  Scenario: At the work party you are feeling super fit and toned in your new slinky little black dress.  The strict diet and workouts have paid off! You are enjoying holiday toasts when suddenly, the topics turn political.  You feel yourself becoming angry as you do not agree on the political nature or tone. Listening to the supportive cheers you feel more and more disenchanted with the evening.  You walk to the wine table to refill your wine glass and are greeted by mouth-watering cheeses, salty crackers and delectable chocolates. Does the voice it your head say, awe screw it and you start binge eating?

Vatta:  The Avoider:  Do you eat absentmindedly on the run?  Are you hungry after you eat because you did not chew, smell or taste the textures of your food? If yes, you are an avoider.  Scenario: You made it to the party and you suddenly realize how tired you are.  You find yourself in the kitchen next to the holiday Chex mix. As you unconsciously put you hand in the bowl and begin eating, you review your day and check off the boxes, suddenly realizing that you have not eaten all day.  You look down at the bowl and the Chex mix is all gone. What is the voice in your head saying after you ate all the Chex mix?

Developing a Relationship with the Voice in Your Head

Working with the voice in my head, my inner critic, is a daily practice.  I have learned strategies and some of the best are from Acharya Shunya. She is a master and spiritual teacher of Vedic Yoga and Ayurveda.  From Vedic Philosophy there are 4 guidelines when speaking to yourself or others.

1. Do no harm (nonviolent communication)
2. Speak your truth
3. Speak in a pleasant tone
4. Rein in your ego.  Is what you are about to say contributing to the conversation?

Using the 4 guidelines of Vedic communication as a base, you can decrease the anxiety and tension which can arise during conversation while speaking your truth in a kind and caring way. We can all begin with acknowledgment.  Hosting a party and food preparation takes time. Many men and women work full time, juggle household duties and have responsibilities caring for children or aging parents. They may also have financial or medical struggles we don’t know about.

Kapha:  What do you say to yourself and then Aunt Clara?  Take a breath and get centered. Begin with acknowledging her for her efforts and complimenting her on the savory food.  You can tell her that you are taking smaller portions because you know that each dish was prepared with love. You want to take the time to enjoy the smell, texture, and taste which will fill you up faster.

Pitta: Does the voice in your head say, “Awe screw it” and you start binge eating? When alcohol is flowing people tend to become ungrounded.  Everyone has their own opinion which is based on their perspective to life.  What would it be like to be curious and ask questions with no judgement?

Vata:  What is the voice in your head saying after you ate all the Chex mix?  What would it be like to say in a  gentle, kind voice, “Opps! Hummm, I can’t undo that and I am still hungry.  I think I will sit down, slow down, and breathe. I will nourish my body with some warm vegetable soup.”

Holiday Action Plan: I want you to have a healthy and nourishing holiday season.  Now that your clear on the three styles of eating, grab a piece of paper and brainstorm on how you will change your patterns. Tell me below in the comments.   

References:
http://brodiewelch.com/how-we-eat-is-how-we-live-unapologetic-feminist-self-care/
https://alishapiro.com/about-ali-shapiro/
https://yogahealer.com/?s=acharya+shunya
https://www.acharyashunya.com/

*Special thank you to Elise, Kari and Alec for your encouragement on writing this blog.

They all looked very relaxed and cheery. Even in those old sepia pictures, I could see that their eyes were clear and glowing. Although most of them were probably octogenarian, they all exuded vitality which is not commonly seen at that age.

I was entranced, quite curious, and admittedly – I thought they were all a bit crazy! Who in the world would wittingly subject themselves to the freezing water, however good it might have been!

I knew I would not be silly like that any time soon, for sure

The very idea of feeling cold is very off-putting to most of us. The thought of standing naked in the frigid weather, surrounded by solid snow, and then of plunging into the freezing cold pool is enough to make the hairs raise up your back.

But they were doing it. Daily. Happily. Me? I was sure that I’d have an instant heart attack if I even tried one second in a cold plunge or a shower.

Wind the clock a few decades later, and here I am, taking cold showers daily!

And here’s why.

Benefits of Cold Water Showers/Plunges

I began finding out more about the effects of cold plunges many years later when I was learning Naturopathy.

Traditionally, cold showers or cold plunges are done after the body’s core temperature has been raised first – either by steam baths, sauna, hot baths or strenuous physical activity, such as an intense running session which draws up sweat.

Research shows that being cold, and especially getting immersed into a cold water, has a highly beneficial impact on our body.

Cold showers/baths benefits:

• Improve the Immune System
• Stimulate Production of Brown Fat
• Support Weight Loss
• Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
• Prevent Aging
• Improve the Circulatory System
• Reduce inflammation
• Provide Pain Relief
• Improve m\Mood and Fight Depression
• Help with Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Let me break it down in a bit more detail for you.

Cold water bathing stimulates our immune system, causing a form of evolutionary stress which makes it work harder and more efficiently to protect us not only from the effects of cooling in cold weather but also from infection by bacteria and viruses like flu, passed on by other people. The immune system becomes more robust, effective and much quicker to respond to such attacks, and more effective overall when dealing with any other illnesses.

It affects the production of brown fat. We have three kinds of body fat – the white fat, beige fat, and brown fat. The two main fat types that interest us here are the white and the brown fat. (See image comparison here.)

The white fat is associated with obesity and a number of chronic conditions –  type 2 diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, cancer, infertility, and so forth. It is notoriously difficult to lose, particularly when we lack the brown fat in the body.

The white fat cell is quite big, and it comprises of a nucleus (its genetic material), one predominant solid oily mass and very few mitochondria.**

The brown fat cell is usually smaller than the white and contains a large number of mitochondrial cells in addition to a nucleus, and a number of small oily droplets. The brown fat helps our body to break down the white fat, due to the presence of a large number of mitochondria in it. Effectively we are replacing the white fat with a thin layer of protective brown fat which uses the stores of white fat for its production and metabolic processes.

So if you are trying to lose weight, you will help your body utilise unwanted white fat for energy through exercise by including the cold bathing into your routine.

The brown fat can even reverse type 2 diabetes, through its utilisation of body’s triglycerides and sugars stored in white fat cells.

The brown fat produces a number of natural antioxidants, thus preventing ageing and other degenerative processes.

Cold showers or plunges improve our circulatory system too. This is particularly useful for those people who are constantly suffering from feeling cold, having cold extremities, and those who are not exercising regularly. This improvement also helps decrease any inflammatory process and reduces the pain in the body.

Cold showers are very stimulating, and they are beneficial for those with depression due to the endorphins released during cold water showers naturally improving their mood. They are even helpful to those diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome as they regulate hormones leading to more energy, lessening of pain, and increased mobility.

That is some list there! The practice of cold bathing has a huge positive effect on our system.

So where do you start?

The best place to start is to begin courting and contemplating the idea of the cold shower first. Try to imagine what it would feel like.

To me, it is an exhilarating experience! It feels fresh and invigorating as the cold water hits the skin. It starts to produce a shiver all over my body. Then it draws the warmth from deep in the body to the surface and makes me feel really warm. It clears the mind completely, makes me feel focused and relaxed. I feel the increased elasticity in all my muscles and tissues as the blood circulates freely. I feel no pain associated with the current injury to the tendon in my wrist, and there is no swelling. My eyesight improves, and the light and colours appear more vibrant. My hearing is acute.

Does it sound good to you? Could you imagine what it would feel like on your skin if you had one? Try thinking of it when you are in your bath/shower perhaps… try to entice your body to move into it… and remember – when you come out of your hot shower, it always feels cold, even if it’s warm in the house….After a cold shower, you come out feeling nice and warm! Ideal for the winter months, great for summer months too when you wish to manage the heat better. Gently build up your own excitement and expectation.

When you’ve been courting this idea for a while, one day after your hot shower, or a hot bath even (I like my hot baths), switch on that cold shower and just go for it – perhaps only for a second or two, and then see what happens!

And then do it again, the next day, and the next, increasing the length that you stay immersed each day.

I really love the cold showers now. My first one was accompanied by a piercing shriek and lasted about ¾ of a second at most. But now I can not imagine having a day without it.

Once I forgot to do a cold shower after my bath, I was too busy planning the day ahead and not fully present, and it was halfway through toweling my body that I realised it, so I jumped back in and had my cold shower – to me it’s like a desert after a fine meal, just so yummy! My mind became focused too.

A few tips for cold showers/plunges:

• Don’t shower your head – you can shower the face, but don’t immerse your whole head.
• Don’t shower at all if you feel that you’ve ‘picked up’ a virus, or getting a cold sore, and your body is trying to ‘shake it off’. I found that on one day where I felt I was ‘coming down’ with a virus, I felt the urge to avoid the cold shower, so I didn’t plunge in, and the next day I resumed with my practice as I felt back to my full health, no virus lurking inside me.
• Avoid cold showers during your menstrual period and pregnancy – you can do a lukewarm shower instead
• Do it on empty stomach, before your breakfast is the best time
  

And what about Vata types, surely they get aggravated?

Vata is responsible for all movement in the body: the flow or breath, the expression of speech, the circulation of the blood, the elimination of waste, and the regulation of the immune and nervous system. It moves the diaphragm, muscles, and limbs, and also stimulates the intellect.

When Vata is out of balance, you can feel more anxious, flighty, or forgetful than usual, you may lose weight, experience pains or spasms, numbness, dry skin, dehydration, excessive bloating, erratic digestion or insomnia.

The cold showers will not further imbalance your Vata, they will ground it instead. Their stimulating effect is not stimulating in the same way as the stimulating foods are. It is balancing, it restores the natural function and balance in our system, and it will help you anchor your Vata, and harness it for a calm mind and inspirational creativity, comfortable movement, deepened breath, a consistent appetite, normal bowel function, positive enthusiasm, healthy desire, and good energy all round.

For Vata types, I would recommend that you have a hot bath instead of a shower before your cold shower, and to increase the duration of immersion very slowly over a time.

Give it a try!

Enjoy the process of discovery of beneficial changes in your own being. Let me know what you find out.

**Mitochondria are essential for the maintenance of normal physiological function of our cells, and mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as lack of mitochondria,  is implicated as one of the reasons for pathological changes, e.g. contributing to the development of disease states in the human body.

Ever wondered why there is an upsurge in complicated diseases? Auto-immune problems, hormone imbalances and many other complications are on the rise despite recent medical advancements. There can be many reasons to diseases and disorders, but there is one clear and present danger. Plastic!

The Dangers of Plastic

Decades of using plastics have affected our health in a myriad of ways. According to a study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives, newborn infants have hundreds of chemicals in their blood. The contaminants include the plastic additive bisphenol A or BPA, which is known to mimic the hormone estrogen and cause developmental problems and precancerous growth in animals. Most plastic products release harmful chemicals that interfere with your hormones.

Why is plastic so dangerous?

Plastic is a man-made long chain polymer manufactured from petrochemicals or petrochemical by-products. The chemicals in plastics are known endocrine disruptors. They change hormone functions resulting in serious problems like infertility, obesity, and cancer.  

We use many different types of plastics.

Based on the resins used for their manufacture, plastics are typically divided into seven types.  

1.  PETE or PET – Polyethylene Terephthalate – Used for milk, water and soft drink bottles, food wrapping and packing, and kitchen storage containers.
2.  HDPE – High Density Polyethylene – Food and drink containers, detergent, shampoo, cleaners and bleach bottles, poly bags and garbage bags.
3.  PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride – Plumbing, flooring, electrical fittings and cables, interior décor, furniture, clothing, shoes and slipper soles, kitchen utensils and dinnerware, construction material, kids toys and games and many more.
4.  LDPE – Low Density Polyethylene – Mostly used in packaging of prepared food like frozen food, cheese, meats, bread etc.
5.  PP – Polypropylene – Packed foods, microwavable trays, upholstery and furnishing in the  home, office as well as your car.
6.  PS – Polystyrene – Insulation material used in building construction as well as fast food packaging, disposable cups, plates and cutlery, egg trays etc.
7.  Others – All others which are not included in the above list. Like polycarbonate which is widely used in bottling, food packing, home furnishing, construction material, automobiles, computer hardware, electronics, consumer goods, aircraft and many other industries.

How Plastic Destroys Your Body

The toxic chemicals used in the manufacture of plastic cause major diseases and dysfunction. The toxins stay in the body as the liver does not know how to break down the chemical constituents. Over a period of time, the toxins start mimicking the hormones in the body which leads to complications. Some of the related health issues can include:

• Autism
• Autoimmune conditions
• Obesity
• ADHD
• Prostate & breast cancer
• Premature breast development in young girls
• Infertility
• Pregnancy complications
• Birth defects

Research confirms that many potential health problems can be solved by simply avoiding plastics.

Avoiding Plastic to Reduce Personal and Planetary Exposure

While all this information may seem daunting, there are ways to avoid and reduce plastic use. Taking small steps can help reduce our planet’s plastic load as well as our personal exposure to plastic pollutants.

If you are wondering where to start, here are some key small steps we can all adopt:

1. Choose glassware and stainless steel for leftover food storage
2. Use cookware made from stainless steel, cast iron, earthenware or stoneware
3. Use cloth or reusable grocery bags
4. Avoid packaged foods that have a plastic wrap, instead make your own cloth, plant leaves or beeswax coverings
5. Shop local or organic farmers markets instead of buying pre-packaged fruits and vegetables from grocery stores
6. Recycle and re-use

Plastic affects your health as well as the health of our planet. Buying plastic products means saying ”yes” to pollution and health sabotage. Let’s stop the self-destruction by stopping our habit of buying plastics.

Are you ready to break up with plastic?

What suggestions do you have to help reduce and live a plastic-free lifestyle?

Share below!

References

Yang, C., Yaniger, S., et al. Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem that Can be Solved. Environmental Health Perspectives. July 2011. 119(7), 989-996.

The migraines eased when I was 10.  But year after year my asthma worsened. Characterized by an overactive immune system and inflammation of the airways, asthma can be experienced as restricted breathing, coughing and wheezing.  It can be triggered by infections, allergies, strong emotions, and exercise. 

My triggers?  All of the above. As an adult, I became so sensitive to cat dander that my office was off limits to co-workers. My regime of medications included three inhalers, antihistamines, and other oral medications.  A cold? Five days on prednisone. Thrush from the prednisone? Try an antifungal. I became a medication expert. And I began to wonder what would happen if I contracted something like H1N1. Would I be admitted to a hospital? Would prednisone, a drug with serious side effects, become a daily go-to?  

Experimenting with Alternate Options

Faced with the challenge of frequent flare ups, I began to experiment with alternative and complementary health care. I dabbled in supplements and spent money on tinctures and acupuncture. Progress was slow.

Then I hit a turning point:  my doctor recommended I try a new medication- a designer drug used to treat severe allergic asthma. I’d receive injections every three weeks- and be at risk of anaphylactic shock after each treatment. I was dumbfounded. Designer drugs? Me?  

This wake up call invited me into a deeper question – how could I stop the cycle of inflammation and illness?  How could I bolster my health so that exposure to allergens and viruses did not trigger such a massive response from my body?  I realized I needed to look at the heart of what was making me sick. I had to start taking full responsibility for my health.

Self Care + Daily Routines of Ayurveda

My journey began to shift more fully once I was introduced to Ayurveda, an Eastern model of medicine from India. I had looked to yoga as a way to manage stress, and Ayurveda was a key teaching in the first training I attended. Ayurveda can include consultations with trained physicians and treatments like massage, oiling, enemas and dietary changes. But my curiosity was most peaked by a book I found which depicted the daily routine recommended by Ayurveda. 

Based on the Ayurvedic clock and the doshas, energies that dominate different times of the day and seasons of the year, Ayurveda recommends specific times of day to eat, sleep, and do other types of self care. Awake before sunrise. Early morning meditation. Eat your biggest meal at midday. It was the first time I had seen self care mapped out as a routine – one that looked nothing like my current day.

Stress, Asthma + Disease

From the perspective of Ayurveda, disease has three causes: making negligent choices, disrespecting your senses, and living out of rhythm.   I needed to understand how my constitution was leading me on a path towards lung issues, and how to line up my lifestyle with the natural world around me. I had to give myself a chance to create physical and mental resilience by eliminating key sources of stress.

These three key areas became my transition points:

1. Food Stress – Hot Versus Cold

The first shift I made? Eating in a way that honours the 4 season climate I live in. Hot water therapy became a habit that I still use daily: I carry a thermos of hot water everywhere I go and sip from it throughout the day. Cold air conditioned offices warrant hot water therapy in the same way that cold winter days do. I never drink ice water, and only switch to room temperature water when it really heats up. 

Lemon is too drying for me – so I quickly became used to plain water.

This pattern is also mimicked in my food choices. I eat warm foods like soups and stews in cooler times and limit my intake of raw cold foods like salads and raw veggies to the hotter months. I learned to protect my ability to digest, my digestive fire, by not dampening it with cold food or drink during the coolest seasons.

2. Sleep Stress – Chronic Deprivation

Learning to let go of my night owl tendencies was another change that shifted my health. When I began to experiment with an earlier bed-time I realized that I had been living in a state of chronic sleep deprivation. I was able to see that fatigue was triggering stress in my personal relationships and at work, and that going to bed early was one of the most impactful ways I could create more ease. 

Ayurveda recommends we go to bed before 10pm and rise before 6am.  Embracing this schedule has made it easier for me to work, be in relationship with friends + family, and find ease in challenges. More ease means less stress and fewer flare ups.

3. Body Stress – Learning to Breathe with Ease

My final big learning came about when I noticed how often I carried worry and stress in my body.  Learning how to develop a soft and sweet relationship with my breath was new for me. I was used to pushing myself hard and breathing hard. Learning to use a mantra was one way I created a more friendly relationship with my breath.  Practicing ujjayi or ocean breath was another. I began to recognize how often I was tightening my torso in a way that stopped me from inhaling deeply. 

Learning how to deepen each in a breath and slow the release of each out breath helped me create a baseline of groundedness that I could access anywhere. Breathing became my go to way to recognize when I was stressed and the main tool I used to re-establish myself in a space of ease. 

Freedom in breath is the exact opposite of the experience of asthma. Working with this technique gave me the ability to stay calmer and more relaxed when I was sick. This means less constriction, less medication, and less uncertainty.

Daily Ease in Breath + Body

I’d love to say that my asthma has disappeared and I no longer need my inhalers. While this is not true, I have significantly shifted my lung health.

Freedom from daily medication use is a significant gain for me, as is the ability to breathe freely and to worry little about exposure to allergens. I rarely need prednisone. My entire system is less inflamed and less at risk for a flare up.  Living in line with nature, making discerning choices, honoring who I am – this is how I love my lungs.