What I talk to my patients about taking care of themselves

One of my patients, a mom to be, mentioned how she does not want to look at social media since there are posts giving her shame on not doing certain things or not doing things “right”. She and I had a common understanding that social media can be very fragmented which will lead to some extreme cases if it lacks the whole picture.

Then it came to my mind, what are the right things to do for your own health? Any wise person probably already has an answer, there is no singular way to fit everybody, nor there is a singular way that fits somebody forever. And that’s where you can get shamed by not doing things “right”.

The general rules to be healthy are out there, everybody knows them. I call them “eat well, poop well, sleep well, exercise well”(we only talk about physical health here). Yet people are looking for some million dollar secret. 🙃

• Eat well: good proportion of carbs, protein, fat and fiber. Pick local same season food. Cook as much as possible for yourself.
• Poop well: unless medication is affecting, everyday once or twice of solid bowel movement without abnormal color and smell should always hit. No other norm exists.
• Sleep well: we are the descendants of people who highly relied on sunlight. Your wake up time and sleep time should also follow the rhythm of the sun seasonally.
• Exercise well: walking is moving, it is not called exercise. A good exercise always is accompanied by sweating. Be outdoors under the sun.

I personally would tell all my patients, even though something is good, too much of it always causes problems. So find your own balance, know your body’s signs to start or stop a thing. If possible, with my limited but sincere advice (wink wink)