Yoga as Medicine?

Rethinking our motivation for exercise.

This week, a panel of experts made 9 new food recommendations. The first is, “treat food as medicine”. 

This simple phrase really stopped me in my tracks. The first thing I think of when I’ve got a bellyache is ginger.  But what if food became our automatic first-response for every ailment?  Headache, inflamed knee, a cold… First try food.   Who knows what could happen if we changed our entire motivation for eating!  

“I’ll have to work it off this ice cream tomorrow.”  → “The sugar in this ice cream will make my energy crash, but I have an easy night tonight so let’s do it.”  
“I’ve had a tough day and deserve these fries.”  →   “The sodium in these fries will make my joints achy, so I’ll enjoy this hot salty yumminess with a full glass of water and a banana.”  

Yoga could be seen through this same advice.  A 5-minute yoga pose can take the edge off a headache, help drain sinuses, release tense hips so we can sit through that meeting. 

Who knows what could happen if we changed our entire motivation for food and exercise! First try food. First try yoga. That’s some expert advice I can start right now!

Until next time, 

Laura