We often forget about our bodies until something starts to hurt or stops working. Have you thought about the miraculous way that your body functions? You breathe 20,000 breaths a day, your heart beats 100,000 times and your body processes 2,000 gallons of blood in one day. The human body is an efficient, masterful machine.

How are you treating your body? Are you criticizing it? Taking it for granted? Are you filling it with toxins? Or are you paying attention and listening to it?

Check in with your body with this 14-minute progressive muscle relaxation practice from Dr. Karen Slaton of the New Orleans VA Medical Center. Here, you will learn how to bring attention to each part of the body. This practice will leave you energized and relaxed and will create more appreciation for all the parts of your body.

When we stop and pay attention to each part of our own body, we gain more awareness of how precious it is. We notice what our bodies need in each moment. The more we practice, the longer that awareness continues. You may start to find yourself standing in line at the supermarket and noticing your posture or your breath, or how your feet are grounded on the earth.

MOVE!

If you are feeling like you want to start to treat your body better and know that your weight is holding you back from living your best life, you may want to check out the MOVE! Weight Management Program.

MOVE! is a weight management, health promotion program designed to improve the lives of Veterans. MOVE!’s core ideas – encouraging healthy eating behavior, increasing physical activity, and promoting even small weight losses – are easy to follow and based on the latest in nutrition science. With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can reduce health risks, prevent or reverse certain diseases, improve your quality of life, and even live longer! Learn more here: https://www.move.va.gov/. 

Do you know what Whole Health is? Check out this brief whiteboard video to learn what Whole Health means and how you can get involved in taking charge of your life and health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgNzmQBGehU.

Andrea Young is a field implementation team consultant with the VHA Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation.

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One Comment

  1. RICHARD VERA March 31, 2021 at 12:03

    From a Vietnam Veteran:
    In your article you wrote: “Have you thought about the miraculous way that your body functions? You breathe 20,000 breaths a day, your heart beats 100,000 times and your body processes 2,000 gallons of blood in one day. The human body is an efficient, masterful machine.”
    My response: Yes, a long time ago we were told by King David that “we are fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalms 139 (Old Testament)
    Thank you for the reminder that my body is indeed a miraculous and masterful machine.
    Richard Vera
    Prescott, AZ

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