The body, mind, and spirit are elaborate, adapting, evolving, and brilliant things that are ours to explore, discover, research, write about and infinitely develop.  The body is the fabulous system through which we contact the world and the better we care for it, the better contact we have with our lives.

With my various trainings, experiences and downright passion for developing human potential, I serve people, side-by-side in the quest for what we need to thrive in our lives.  Ask yourself, “How much capacity do I have to change?”  I guide you to the answer by taking a close look at these 6 foundational principles:

Exercise
Food
Sleep
Water
Thought
Breath

All of these can be life-giving or life-taking depending on the quality and the balance of attention placed on each one.  Imagine a mobile suspended from the ceiling with six things hanging from it.  In balance, each item hangs in mid-air, separated from the other items, yet completely dependent on the other items to sustain balance.  And, if one item is too heavy or too light in relation to the others, the mobile collapses into a tangled mess.  Essentially, when one of these principles gets emphasized more than the others or not attended to enough or at all, our bodies start the spiral into collapse.

Exercise? Simply put, use it or lose it.  We have the option to grow, or decay.  Physical movement is what causes our bodies to adapt to, endure and to practice life.  Without vigorous movement, we wither and decay.  When we are in balance, we are most likely to say, “I exercise because I feel good.”  Rather than, I exercise “so that” I might feel better.  Finding how and what level of exercise truly elicits growth in your body is crucial to a high quality of life.

Food? Life force comes to us through our food.  We are only as healthy as the soil that our food comes from.  Eat well first, and then see what complaints we have about stress.  The very foods we put in our mouths can be a cause of stress and damaged metabolisms.  Food is the main way to repair metabolism and, after good eating, we discover the body weight at which we thrive.

Sleep? In 1910, the average adult slept 9-10 hours per night.  Currently, it’s 7 hours.  According to St. Patrick Hospital Sleep Clinic,  with bright lights at night, watching tv and internet, our bodies rhythms are altered in a way that causes stress.  By looking at our sleep patterns and making changes, our lives change dramatically.

Water? Our health is dependent on the quality and the quantity of water we drink.  Water is vital to how well you function: your muscles are 75% water; your blood that transports your nutrients is 86% water; your lungs that provide your oxygen are 90% water; your brain that is your control center of the body is 76% water; even your bones are 25%. It is possible that you are often unintentionally dehydrated causing pain and dis-ease in your body.

Remember, “The solution to pollution is dilution.”  When you are not well, hydrate with water.

Breath? I heard someone say, “When in agony, breathe.”  If we are alive, we’re breathing.  But, the range of quality in our breathing is huge.  The connection between how we breathe and disease in our bodies is generally very neglected.  Whether you are debilitated by asthma or going for great athletic performance, attending to your breathing quality can change your life.

Thoughts? We have endless choices when it comes to our thoughts.   Awareness of our thoughts and how our lives are informed by our thoughts is paramount to our experience of life.  When we realize the fact that our thoughts effect our quality of health, our lives can be opened wide to vast potential for our health and the health of others we have relationships with.  My work with THOUGHT is based on the Kairos Foundation More to Life Program, a non-profit educational charity.  See www.moretolife.org

MC came to these principles through her work with the Chek Institute:  www.chekinstitute.com.