Thankful for Health

In Thanksgiving

It’s tradition. Everyone’s doing it. Sharing my thankful list.

My list is aimed at whole body health. I’m thankful for:

• A body that moves. It can walk, bike, twist, and stretch.
• Sleep. It is rejuvenating and the dreams offer a (sometimes weird) glimpse into my subconscious.
• Frontal lobes that allow me to ponder and make choices. I could eat those chocolate chips or I could choose something more pure such as mixing coconut oil and cocoa into homemade chocolates!
• Amygdala (midbrain). It brings feeling to my life. Whether I’m feeling joy and ecstasy or sadness and grief. Emoting is necessary for living! How do I know? When I’m stressed, I tend to revert to my left brain place of logic, lists, wordiness, black and white—there isn’t room for emotions in there. And that isn’t healthy so it’s important to emote–use motion to move through the emotion.
• Hearts. According to Dr. Carla Hannaford, there are more neural connections from the heart to the brain than the other way around. So when my brain (particularly my left hemisphere) is concerned about rules and order, my heart can still signal that “love prevails.”
• Guts. Like the heart, my innards can send a “gut response” of butterflies or danger. 
• Physical systems. My nervous system knows how to use the gas pedal and the brake pedal, alternating them depending on what is happening. The endocrine system works closely with the nervous system sending hormones throughout the body. Melatonin, serotonin, adrenalin, cortisol, not to mention all of the female hormones coursing through a body that’s been around over 40 years!
• Family systems. Watching my dear friend and her family bring a parent home for her time of transition brings it all into perspective. 
• Information. Knowledge is power. Without it, I wouldn’t have learned about the mind-body connection and would still be teaching kids in an ineffective brainiac way. Without information, I wouldn’t have learned kinesiology and all the answers held within our physical systems. I can’t even imagine where my children would be on their educational paths without my having studied Brain Gym®!
• You. You complete me and make me who I am. Whether close or not, you are part of my circle. We are social beings!

There are no numbers on this list. Each item is vital to healthy living. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 2018 Cindy Goldade