How is your energy?

What a difference in our energy when we have a little bright sunshine and longer daylight hours. These past weeks I have felt invigorated and it is a magical time of year for new beginnings.

Manage your stress

We hear advice like “manage your stress”. But I want us to have a different focus. Lets manage our ENERGY. How are your energy levels? I would like to explore some simple methods for ensuring that you create more vitality to live a fulfilling and happy life from now and into your twilight years. We are limited by how much energy we have.

Everything that we do requires energy and our ability to continually generate and replenish it. We discovered last quarter that getting sleep and enough rest is imperative to making and having energy. We have several energy systems operating in our body, and they are whole in nature in that one system effects the other. Since I am a chiropractor, I focus on the body. Our brain and spinal cord make up our nervous system. This central nervous system coordinates our whole life through daily rhythms and cycles. It links all the systems together and is therefore the most important system. It also regulates your heart, lungs, spleen and all the other systems through intelligent release of hormones. Your brain and spinal cord are confined in your spine and have no knowledge of the outside world.

Get outside

It is exposure to light, that is activated in your visual system converted to electrical signals that make the nervous system decide whether to be alert and functional or not. Light exposure and understanding its rhythms is really what calibrates this system and makes our energy. Supplements or medications can give us a temporary effect of energy, but this is not long-lasting. What they can do is help us change our behaviour, which is what makes the brain change permanently. Neuroplasticity means making pathways that become more efficient and overtime lead to better health without you having to think or do anything extra. We have one body that houses our essence, to last a lifetime and if we stop for a minute to appreciate it, we should realize what a miracle this body truly is. Yes, I’m referring to the one we were given, not an unrealistic photoshopped version we see on social media and magazine covers. If we are tired and feeling unwell, every aspect of our life is affected. This is true at any age. We have desired goals and pleasures and yet, once we feel under par, simple tasks seem overwhelming and even our energy for fun dwindles. Our temper and patience fray and our relationships become strained. What does “energy for life” mean to you? For me, it means being available as a parent, doing the sports I like to do, my ability to think clearly and earn an income to support my family and to fulfil my desires to truly enjoy my free time and not just recover.

Let’s cherish our energy,

Dr. Sunitha