I didn’t need another person telling me to ‘ground’, meditate, think positively, practice mellow yoga, rest, nor shroud myself in self-love. I already knew the psycho-somatic-spiritual perspective; I live and breath it…teach it!… for crying out loud. When enlisting the help of professionals when it dawned on me earlier this year that I felt just-not-myself despite my mind-body practices, Dr. Emily at Roots Natural Medicine was a breath of fresh air.
Of course, the above contribute to healing. However, I needed a Natural Doctor opposite to my air-y, head in the clouds at times, stoked on teaching and practicing mellow + vinyasa flow yoga-self. A fire-y Cross Fitter with two feet on solid ground, she approached my situation from her practical perspective. She immediately suspected adrenal fatigue, a lingering mononucleosis-ish virus, perhaps picked up from my travels, and a gluten/dairy intolerance. Dr. E ordered labs, and prescribed the following:
- High doses of Astralagus herb, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A to treat the virus (yuck).
- An herbal blend and trace minerals to support adrenals and energy.
- An RX to keep up the grain- and dairy-free Wild Woman ways of eating.
…and the most recent RX to stimulate immunity and balanced energy?
- Five minutes of, in Dr. E’s verbage, “balls to the wall” cardio within ten minutes of waking.
I call my new rx,
burst.
Bursts, when performed within ten minutes of waking, I repeat,
- fire up your metabolism,
- balance hormones,
- and trigger the body’s healing mechanisms.
Only five minutes. Ten if you’re in the flow.
So grab a jump rope, drop down for push ups, sprint around the yard, try plyometric squat jumps, and dance with flailing limbs. Oh, and make a high-energy playlist.
My playlist includes upbeat yoga jams, M. Ward’s “Chinese Translation”, Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned the Night”, Florence and the Machine’s “Shake it Off”, Nashville’s “Telescope”, Crosby Stills Nash + Young’s “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”, The Givers “Up Up Up”…
I love the way bursts makes me feel. Moving first thing in the AM gives me a chance to check in with myself before taking on the world: “Hello me! How am I doing today?”. I’ve even adopted these little cardio-dance parties at any low-energy points throughout the day.
Bonus? Mental focus + ripped abs.
Try it out. Only five minutes that get your day off to a clear, energized, and balanced start.
Follow with another five to twenty minutes of yoga or stretching, plus a tall glass of water.
Resume your normal activities throughout the day.
peace, burst, + love,
Beach Girl Abroad