Making positive lifestyle changes is usually on most people’s list of resolutions for the year ahead and this was certainly the case for a new client who recently contacted me.  She had decided that she was going to start having regular reflexology sessions – not because she has a particular health issue, but as a means of keeping healthy for 2017 and having some relaxing time out for herself.

Using complementary therapies like reflexology in order to help prevent ill health is a practice more and more of us are turning to these days.  All body systems are worked via the feet during reflexology as all our body systems need to work together for balanced health and wellbeing.  If that balance is disturbed – either by stress, fatigue, or environmental and/or chemical pollution – then we are susceptible to illness and disease. To keep the body running harmoniously, a tune-up is often needed and for many, reflexology does just that. 

The deep and profound state of relaxation induced by reflexology assists in producing endorphins (the body’s feel-good hormones) which help to relieve stress and pain as well as boosting your mood.   Studies show that people who have a more positive, optimistic and contented state of mind develop a more robust immune system which protects them from viruses and bacteria.  The relaxing nature of this therapy also allows the miles of cardiovascular vessels within us to relax which improves circulation and may help to reduce blood pressure.  Taking out the rubbish regularly is essential for a healthy body and mind and the body systems responsible for this – lymphatics, kidneys, colon and skin – are all encouraged to function more efficiently and smoothly.   This all helps keep the body in a dynamic state of balance. 

Ok, so you had really good new year intentions this year and if you’ve managed to stick to them so far, I applaud you.  But if not, don’t stress it.  We put so much pressure on ourselves at a particular point in the year to make changes and if we don’t jump to it right away – we view it as a failure.  Don’t be so hard on yourself.  It’s not about making one big change at one specific moment in time.  If you want it enough, change will happen, but it probably won’t happen in one big single moment.  It will take thousands of little moments…each time you choose to walk instead of taking the bus, each time you choose an apple over a biscuit and each time you choose to stay calm and slow down rather than allow yourself to get stressed and irritated…that’s where the change happens.   Yes you might fail once or twice…or twenty times, but you’ve got thousands of more little moments ahead of you to get it right.