GET HEALTHY: Part 2 of 6 How we interact with the world determines our health status #28

This is the second of 6 topics that we will cover in the “6 Week get healthy series” where Dr Ian Tennant will talk us through the research and advice that can be found in his new book Restoring Balance which is available on Amazon. 

Control your environments and build resilience

What is our environment? Where does it start and finish? (think Russian Dolls). We have an internal environment (inside our body). Our home and workplaces are environments….the fields that our food is grown in is our environment.

• How we interact with our environment matters just as much to our health as the genes we were born with.
• ‘Faulty’ genes don’t have to mean disease – the environment we are in can switch genes on or off for the benefit or detriment of our health.
• Sometimes, genes are labelled as ‘faulty’ because of their association with specific illnesses are known to make people less likely to contract other infectious diseases.
• It is changing signals from our environment that trigger genes to be switched on or off.
• Genes that have been linked to specific diseases do not always mean that disease will manifest.
• It might be the genes that load the gun – but it’s the environment that pulls the trigger.
• Soooo……Health is largely a matter of how you and the world interact!

 Light and Dark – this is a biggy!!!

• 21st-century life can send our hormones out of sync ­– modern forms of lighting can disrupt our natural biological rhythms, leading to weight gain and disease.
• Equally, a lack of natural daylight at the right time of day is bad.
• Links closely to our sleep/wake cycles….Proper light levels help us get a good night’s sleep. The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. Wash your brain by getting a good night’s sleep! 

Doing this ultimately will improve the fluctuation of hormones in our body which then directly influences our health, for example, our ability to control blood sugar and the likelihood of developing cancers that have a strong hormonal influence such as breast and prostate cancer.

Our Internal environment –Interoception, the world of subtle feelings

• Your body is your mind – every time you have a thought or perception, a change occurs in your physiology.
• People who are more aware of their bodily cues for stress are less likely to overreact in potentially threatening situations.
• Develop sensitivity to the quieter signals your body is communicating
• HOW – techniques for developing this sensitivity and awareness. Body scanning, bioenergetics, bodywork therapies. Together these can help manage stress and improve relationships, understand boundaries and reactions.

Finally, Avoiding Overwhelm – recognising the difference between a sphere of concern and sphere of influence.

For example, I realise that I may be concerned about or feel compassion towards a whole host of global issues. However, I can’t single-handedly change them all overnight. 

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