Appreciating Your Physical Body

The greatest art form that exists on this planet is the human body - a magnificently structured temple of sacred architecture. Are you grateful for your body? Some people are but most people take this wonderful gift for granted. Many people complain about the shape of their body - I'm too fat, too thin, too short or too tall. They spend a great deal of time in front of the mirror focusing on what they perceive as imperfections of their body rather than focusing on its magnificently balanced perfection. Being grateful for your body and for the multitude of its powerful gifts can make the difference between experiencing wellness or illness in your life.

One of the reasons why some people beat themselves up about certain areas of their bodies is because they are comparing themselves to a fantasy of a magazine cover they think they are supposed to look like. After working with thousands of people, I am convinced that for every part of our body we don't like there is a part we admire. If we are putting ourselves down in one area I can guarantee we are proud of another area. We may not like our thighs, but we admire our eyes. We may not like our thin hair, but we admire our skin. We may not like the shape of our body, but we like the shape of our lips and our smile and so on.

I worked with a supermodel in Canada who I thought was beautiful from head to toe but she didn't think so. She focused on exactly half of her body she didn't like. What's not to like? Well, she thought one of her eyes was off to one side if you looked from a certain angle, her breasts weren't balanced, one of her eyebrows was plucked too much and was too thin, one of her teeth was crooked, or so she thought, her hair was always folding on one side - you get my point. Her body had a balance of things she liked and disliked, and so does everybody else's. We need this unique balance to keep us humble and to keep us growing. If we only had things we liked about ourselves, we would get puffed up, overly proud and alienate ourselves from other people. Have you ever met people who thought they were all that, the people who were marvelous in every area and didn't need to grow or evolve anymore? That's right - you probably wanted to get away from them as soon as possible.

Begin to train yourself in becoming grateful for all parts of your physical body that you currently dislike. Think about your head - How can you be grateful for it? For your hair? Your scalp? Your eyes? Your skin, nose and lips? Ask yourself, ‘How does this serve me?' When you are grateful for all parts of your head, work your way in your mind through your body from head to toe, identifying each and every part inside and outside of you. Keep asking yourself how that part of your body serves you until you are truly grateful for every part of it.

No matter what your physical body looks like, you have things you like and dislike, or even admire and despise, about yourself. Everyone practices the same math of fifty-fifty, right down the middle. Both things you like and dislike are going to serve you in your life and the wisdom is appreciating this balance and being grateful for it. When you do this and take the time to see all parts of your body are serving you in your life to appreciate it for what it is, you empower yourself. Recognize the magnificence of your physical body and find a way to look at it in a new way - with awe and gratitude.

Dr. Demartini (www.drdemartini.com)

Osteoporosis: Catch it Before it Catches You!

There is a disease process that leads to loss of height, spinal deformities, bone fragility, and a consequent increased risk of fractures. It affects over 50% of women at some point in their lives and as you've probably guessed, it is osteoporosis. Luckily, it is a highly preventable and reversible disease and each of us can do our part in reducing our own risk.

An understanding of a simple physiological principle called Wolff's Law can empower us to take control of our bone health. The principle describes that bones are stimulated to thicken when mechanical resistance is placed across the bone: i.e., when a muscle contracts. Specialized athletes such as baseball pitchers and tennis players have measurable differences in the bone density in their arms. Bones in their throwing or racket arm are thicker than the lesser used arm.

Conversely, a limb that has been broken and put in a cast will show measurable bone loss. Studies on astronauts, the bedridden and athletes have clearly shown that if the muscles around the bone are not subjected to movement, and/or the bone not subjected to the weight of the body or an external force, they will lose calcium.

Exercise places physical stress on the body. Bones, like muscles, respond to stress by becoming bigger and stronger, and like muscles, bones weaken and literally shrink if not used.

Of utmost importance to individuals who choose to exercise or who haven't yet started is that it's never too late to positively impact bone health. When the astronauts returned from a weightless environment and started exercising again, the bone mass returned to pre-flight levels. When the cast is removed, the limb will also regain its bone mass if exercised. This gain in bone mass is not limited to the young. Studies on the elderly have clearly shown that bone loss can be retarded, even reversed with exercise.

One of the best types of exercise for bone health is resistance training. Many women believe that strength training will cause them to bulk up. On the contrary, when performed properly, building muscle not only improves bone strength but also converts fat cells into muscle cells. This in turn increases the body's metabolic rate, which causes calories to burn at a much faster rate! Weight bearing exercises such as walking and running also prove to be effective in maintaining and increasing bone strength.

Ensuring proper posture throughout our exercise and the way we work, play, sit and move can determine the chronic stress placed on our spine. Viewed from the side, the spine is shaped like an S-curve. It is ten times stronger when these natural curves are maintained. Good posture and body mechanics can alleviate/prevent back pain and protect your spine against fracture. Good posture maximizes respiratory capacity, which means we breathe more deeply. This, in turn, lessens fatigue. When the bond between us and the earth's pull is as nature intended it to be, we can reap these benefits and feel great!

Recognizing the body imbalance is as easy as standing in front of a mirror. Simply close your eyes and turn your head from side to side and then return to your centre. Upon opening your eyes, does your head tilt off to one side? Is one shoulder or hip higher or lower than the other? Does one pant leg appear shorter? Observe the tension in your neck and shoulders to determine if your muscles are working harder than they should to hold you up against gravity. If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you may be suffering from body imbalance.

In closing, realizing the significant impact we have on our bone health, we should be mindful of the following recommendations:

1. Adequate calcium and vitamin D intake is crucial to develop and maintain optimal bone health and to preserve bone mass throughout life. Supplementation with these 2 nutrients may be necessary in persons not achieving recommended dietary intake.

2. Resistance training and weight bearing exercises are the best options for individuals seeking to improve bone health.

3. The importance of a balanced posture in helping achieve optimal bone health can not be underestimated. Since gravity is a constant force acting upon us, we might as well be in line with it. Having your body balance checked early in life may catch small problems before they become big ones.

Dr. Jason Plotsky