Your Body's Report Card

Your Body's Report Card
Oftentimes we look to tests and other data points to check-in with how our bodies are functioning, yet there are so many ways that we can evaluate our health metrics without stepping into a lab or wearing a device.  Everyday body functions and patterns can give us excellent feedback on how we're doing overall.  

Daily

• Digestion
  - Naturopaths have a reputation for being obsessed with gut health, and for good reason since many disease processes begin here.  Ideally you will have 1-3 formed, easy to pass brown stools per day and no signs of heartburn, bloating or gas.  If you have loose stools or difficult rabbit pellet poops, this is something to address.
  
  
• Energy Levels
  - Different highs and lows at certain times of day can indicate specific imbalances.  I find a mid-afternoon crash is often a blood sugar or lack of protein issue.  Waking up tired is often an iron or thyroid problem, unless it's from a lack of sleep or adrenal burnout (long term stress or over-giving).  Feeling wired and having a surge of energy at bedtime tells me that your cortisol curve is flipped and you're getting a release of hormone at a less than ideal time.  All of these issues have their unique supports.
  
  

Weekly

• Sleep
  -  Our restorative time needs to be protected and nurtured every day, but I do find it best to look at a weekly pattern because we can have one-off disruptions.  Difficulty falling or staying asleep can indicate a number of things, from stress to blood sugar regulation to cortisol patterns to low progesterone and liver imbalances.  Insomnia can be tricky to fix, since these patterns can go deep.  An occasional bad sleep here and there is ok, but if you're noticing it happening more often it's best to get on top of it right away.

Monthly

• Menstrual cycle
  - For cycling women, menstruation and the time leading up tells us about hormones, of course, but can also point to liver stagnation and lack of fibre, omega-3s, magnesium or iron in the diet.  "Normal" periods vary considerably, but ideally would be 3-7 days of red flow with little to no pain or clots, predictably every 24-32 days.  There may be a little dip in exercise performance and energy leading up to the period, but extreme irritability and flat-lined energy are a little more than we'd like to see.
  
  
• Exercise resilience
  - I do like to see people have some form of movement in their daily lives, with a variety of walking, stretching, strength training or other activities.  Over time though, you should notice your recovery time improves, your strength increases, your muscles grow, and your performance changes.  This means it's easier to climb a hill, open a jar, get off the floor, go up the stairs, or any other positive changes you see with regular activity.  Day-to-day the changes might not be so obvious, or can change a little with lack of sleep or fuel, but the general trend is stability or improvement.
  
  

Seasonally

• Waist circumference and how your clothes fit
  - I'm always careful with recommending a scale to check your weight, I remember the 1990s supermodel days, but we all notice how our clothes are fitting.  It's especially easy to observe when you pull out the spring and summer clothes (although I have been told that fabrics do shrink over time).  It's common, but not ideal, to notice your weight or size going up incrementally every year, then after 5 or 10 years we realize we've put on 10-20 lbs or changed 1-2 sizes.  Having honest reflections about our habits is helpful to notice these trends.

Our bodies speak to us through symptoms, and it's our job to decode the messages.  There's a lot we can learn through reflection, acknowledgement and intuition.  I've just given some insight on the different rhythms we can use to check-in on our health - our daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal report cards.  Of course, you may also notice your own individual patterns around headaches, allergies, blood pressure, joint pain, or other symptoms change over time too.  As helpful as labs, watches, and other data points can be, ultimately you are a human and humans are complex and unique! 

Unfortunately, as humans, we also forget how far we've come.  It's common for me to ask people about their energy levels or bloating, for example, and they've completely forgotten that it used to be an issue for them :)

Now, for those who like tech - I'm going to be doing my own trial using a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) for 2 weeks.  I do typically try to lessen my EMF exposure, but I also like to do short health experiments.  Stay tuned.

How did you score on your Health Report Card?  Do you need a tune-up or some help figuring out your symptoms?  I can help!  

I hope you enjoy the long weekend, if you have one. 

Remember my top suggestions around holidays: 

• use digestive enzymes or apple cider vinegar if you need
• protect your peace and manage stress through boundaries and scheduling time for yourself (even just a walk or extra hour of sleep)
• include liver support if you will be indulging in alcohol or heavy foods (dandelion, milk thistle)
• balance blood sugar (chocolate) with protein
• enjoy yourself
  ... and then come see me soon after to stay on track with your goals :)

Yours in health,Dr Christa

 
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