Throughout the process of WAITING...waiting to get into the doctor, waiting for test results, waiting to feel better, and waiting to learn about and sift through the massive industry of vitamin supplementation, there are a few basic ways to start feeling better right away.
Let's say you're nearly bed-ridden with fatigue (or you actually are) and don't have a shred of energy to get on an exercise bike or take a walk (been there), the simplest way to boost your energy and mood is through breathing. Yep. Breathing. Something we do involuntarily and couldn't survive without, yet most of us go through our entire day holding our breath and taking in short snippets of air. You just took a deep breath, didn't you? But -- was it an OPTIMAL deep breath?
Did your belly region expand from your pelvis to your neck and did you blow it out just as slowly? Probably not. Try it. Count to five while you breathe in through your nose ("Nasal breathing, as opposed to mouth breathing, increases circulation, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, slows the breathing rate and improves overall lung volumes " Swift, Campbell, McKown 1988 Oronasal obstruction, lung volumes, and arterial oxygenation. Lancet 1, 73-75) and five to breathe out. Feel a bit light headed? That means you need to do this a few times.
If you're in your car, in your kitchen, in the shower or if you can just sit still for a couple of minutes, do this exercise. You might find you have a clenched hand that opens or your shoulders that are always up by your ears lower.
When I was bed ridden with back spasms and nerve pain a few years ago, I couldn't walk let alone exercise. I had many years of yoga under my belt so I knew the power of breath. At times it would release the spasms and warm or cool my tense, pain-filled body. If you breathe out through your nose like you're fogging a mirror that will keep the warmth in your body. If you exhale through your mouth it may cool you and release extra CO2, but there's little evidence to determine whether exhaling is better through the nose or mouth.
Try to do this a few times a day, and if you do it at bedtime, you might find you doze off before you're done with a few. As you become more in-tune with your breathing, you can up the count and you may feel it in your extremities as serenity spreads throughout your body.
Once you're comfortable with breathing, and if you're able, hang your head upside down to get a fresh supply of blood to your brain, face, sinuses, and of course, breathe. Yes, blood courses through your head no matter what, but it's quite a feeling when a rush of it enters your cranium. Again, you'll probably feel dizzy so best to start by doing it laying on a bed or sofa with your head hanging off. Come up slowly and be still for a moment. If you can do it a few times in a row, you'll start to feel less dizzy and truly refreshed. If you're nose is stuffy or your ears are congested usually they'll clear up, even if it's just for a few hours. Think of it as a power-wash for your head. As fresh blood rushes to the area, old blood is pushed out by fresh cells and oxygen.
Once you've gotten used to this, again, if you're able, try bending over at the waist and just stay there for a count of 20-30, breathe and come up very slowly, head coming up last. Repeat two more times. It's okay to rest your hands on your thighs or shins or use the edge of a table for support. We all have pretty tight hamstrings so the added bonus to this move is that they may stretch out a little. If you're able, let your arms hang loose and shake them out or cross them and let them hang. The main goal is to get the blood moving, refresh your mind and get your "glow" on. And remember -- keep breathing deeply in the process.
I know this all seems simplistic but I promise you, it works to beef up your long-lost friend ENERGY and find your missing cousin CIRCULATION.
I know in the last bog, I mentioned talking about a few supplements to boost your system, but I've decided to touch on only one today. Liposomal Vitamin C. If there is nothing else in the universe that you add to your daily routine, it is this (Vitamin D3 is close behind -- but we'll get to that).
According to the experts (there are so many published research findings, I won't reference them here, but feel free to do your own search on the Internet) and every doctor I've been to, the value and benefits of added Vitamin C outweigh the addition of any other nutrient. If you can only afford or want to start with one -- this is it.
Why Liposomal? It has an added "fat" so that our cells will absorb it readily versus peeing it all away. Our cells need a little fat to absorb nutrients. I'm not talking bacon -- I'm talking olive oil, safflower or sunflower oils. The one that I take has sunflower lecithin. Some have soy lecithin. Not my first choice as I'm soy intolerant, so as always, read the label.
The benefits of Vitamin C: Boosts the immune system (and greatly helps those with immune deficiency), helps with inflammation, improves cardiovascular health and lowers risk of stroke, increases eye and skin health, and new findings show it may assist in controlling blood sugar. Best of all, it can help stave off cancer or in high doses (IV), kill cancer cells.
It is hard to get enough Vitamin C from our diet, even if we eat the recommended nine servings of fruit and veggies per day, our modern-day produce is severely lacking in nutrients, so supplementation is the a great way to ensure you're getting enough.
I don't want to be liable for dosing recommendations, so I will share with you that I take a minimum of 1000 mg of Liposomal C per day. Due to my wonky immune system, I usually take more, but that is based on my needs and my doctor's recommendations.
I have been receiving intravenous vitamin C since 2006 and will probably have to continue for the rest of my life due to my immune deficiencies. I consider it a gift that I have access to them and feel that it is the least I can do for my body to stay functional and minimize inflammation and free-radical damage.
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health." Hippocrates
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