Athlete wellness rituals we can all put to use

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s common for athletes to practice wellness rituals. However, they aren’t the only ones who should maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In the latest Let’s Get Moving with Maria podcast episode, host Maria Shilaos spoke with Dr. Dwight Chapin, Team Chiropractor for the Toronto Argonauts and Author of Take Good Care: 7 Wellness Rituals for Health, Strength & Hope, to learn what these wellness rituals are and how we can put them to use in our daily lives.

Wellness ritual #1: Prioritizing sleep, rest, and recovery

Unfortunately, a lot of people think of sleep as an off switch.

“Somewhere between 50 and 70% of individuals either don’t get the quality of sleep or the length of sleep that the body needs to repair and recover,” Dr. Chapin said.

Biologically, our body is very active when we sleep. Prioritizing sleep can help us tap into that healing process.

Wellness ritual #2: Consuming healthy fuel

We can use our relationship with food to develop a therapeutic strategy around how we eat. It will help with reducing inflammation, reducing the risk of disease, and effectively managing the calories we consume.

Wellness ritual #3: Fighting for your waistline

This ritual is all about metabolic health and energy management. In a society with an obesity crisis, this will create an energy deficit and mobilize calories efficiently to reduce the risk of disease.

Wellness ritual #4: Moving to stay young

Various physical activities can help challenge your strength, balance, and coordination.

“Not only does that improve the quality of how your body moves, but it also slows the aging process down,” Dr. Chapin said.

Wellness ritual #5: Protecting your strength

“By the time we’re 40 years old, we are already a decade into decline in our strength and muscular stability,” Dr. Chapin said.

One way we can maintain that strength is by practicing resistance training.

Wellness ritual #6: Nurturing mental fitness

This is about understanding your stress response and knowing how your body responds to the triggers.

“We are very prone to be constantly on the lookout for threats, and that has a significant impact on health and longevity,” Dr. Chapin said.

Wellness ritual #7: Having fun

Playing with purpose leads to happiness, and when we’re happy we get to enjoy greater health and stronger cognitive function.

Research also shows that adults who play are kinder to others, so it’s a benefit not just to ourselves but also to our communities.

Listen to the full episode below to hear the rest!

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