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This is something I need to adapt to, and if I do, I come out on the other side. —Todd Vance
you can tolerate. As an example, he cites Scandinavian heritage with a short growing season and associated high dependance on fat and protein vs. equator cultures eating diets high in carbohydrates. “For thousands of years your body had to evolve to eat the food that’s around you. If you keep those in balance: your sleep, your hydration, your nutrition – that’s yin,” Angell explains.
• Breathing: “Breathing can be very disruptive if you’re not doing it correctly,” he says. Taking in air from the chest instead of the diaphragm results in the sematic nervous system triggering a fight or flight response and high cortisol levels. This activates fat storage. • Thinking: “Just like with food you’re putting in your body, you’re making a choice with your thinking,” Angell explains. “If you don’t have a healthy body, it’s hard to have a clear mind too.” • Movement: “Are you working out? Do you have the energy to work out? Or do you need to work in?” he asks. “If you don’t have the energy, that’s stress on the body.” He suggests tai chi, chi gong or other forms of movement with breathing attentiveness to cultivate energy in your body.
Making adjustments for a healthier 2021 “We don’t know how this is all going to play out,” says Todd Vance with Breakforth Counseling. “It’s really easy to get wrapped up in certain situations; schools, politics, how to handle businesses going forward. We all want to function as close as normal as we can . . . with challenges come opportunities. If we have a growth mindset we say, ‘this is something I need to adapt to, and if I do, I come out on the other side.’” Vance notes the COVID crisis accelerated what was already happening. “Things will not go back to exactly the way they were before.” What can people do to make 2021 better? “There’s certainly physical self-care, [which] I think is really critically important,” says Vance. “The basics of fresh air, sunshine, exercise. Those aren’t limited by COVID and we know those are actually good for us. Taking a break from staring at screens. Watching your diet. All of those basic core practices are really, really important.” He adds, “If you have healthy family bonds, just nurturing them. If they’re not good, work to improve them.” Vance is concerned about the ripple effect of the pandemic, including its impact on health, economics, schools, careers, and job losses as well as the impact on families in abusive situations. “Hopefully people will work
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t JANUARY 2021 / vbFRONT.com