On average, the human body consists of 67% water. It is therefore not surprising that water also plays a decisive role in terms of health.
The beneficial warmth of moor, fango and mud was discovered early on. Mud baths were documented as a natural remedy as early as the 14th century.
The climate has long had a major influence on well-being. Those seeking relaxation are most likely to find it in an environment with a balanced temperature and constant humidity.
GET STARTED AT HOME
1. Get to work in a sporty way
Ride your bike to work or to go shopping.
2. Get off one stop earlier
Get off one or more stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.
3. Active lunch break
Use your lunch break for a short walk in the fresh air.
4. Park the car further away
Park the car further away and walk the rest of the way.
5. Climb stairs
Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator.
Finding your inner center and going through everyday life calmly. That's what we all want at the moment. But how can that work when everything on the outside is focused on fear, avoiding illness and crisis?
It has been proven that a wide variety of internal and external stressors can weaken the immune system. This also happens now if we are not careful with ourselves, because the body automatically goes into what is known as "fight-or-flight mode". This stress reaction is completely natural and the response to dangerous situations. The body switches to a kind of "boost mode". Adrenaline is suddenly released, the heart rate increases, the muscles are activated, the breathing rate increases. All of this serves to be able to deal with the dangerous situation. So far, so good. But if the body's natural functions become unbalanced and the state of the stress reaction lasts for a long time, this leads to the immune system or our psyche suffering, for example, and other functional disorders can occur: nervousness, feelings of anxiety, headaches, depressive moods, digestive problems, sleep disorders or lack of energy. It is therefore important to bring the disturbed inner order back into balance in order to go through everyday life more calmly. But what exactly can we do about it?
1. Yoga? Yoga!
Yoga can provide balanced relaxation through various asanas. Just join a class and try it out. You'll quickly feel the effect.
2. Tai Chi
This sport, also known as internal martial arts, is ideal for achieving inner peace.
3. Pilates
Balance exercises can help to identify feelings of tension in the body. For example, performing a balance pose calms both the mind by focusing on the movement and the body.
4. Stretching exercises
Mental tension can also be transferred to muscle tension. Stretching exercises can also help to reduce our perception of stress through the reflective effects.
5. Breathing exercises
Simply concentrate on breathing in and out and follow your breath from your nose to your stomach and vice versa. Thoughts come and go, but are not judged. The focus is on breathing. With a little practice, you can find peace and the here and now.
6. Forest bathing
Forest bathing combines light exercise activities that appeal to all the senses. In combination with the conscious and mindful perception of the forest, this leads to the following positive side effect: two hours of forest bathing has been proven to increase the body's self-healing powers and strengthen the immune system.
7. Indian Balance
Move your body while your soul rests! Various mindfulness and perception exercises, regeneration and deep relaxation exercises and indigenous therapeutic gymnastics lead to a special kind of inner order.
Back in 2007, the World Health Organization stated that stress is the greatest health threat of the 21st century. But what does stress do to the body? It attacks the body's own reserves of vital substances and depletes them. If we do not manage to replenish these reserves, the body becomes unbalanced and is confronted with new challenges. The consequences can be sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, irritability, frequent infections, gastrointestinal diseases, high blood pressure and much more. Today we know that a healthy gut is an important prerequisite for a good mood. Why? Firstly, there is a direct connection between the gut and the brain, the so-called gut-brain axis. Hormones are produced in the gut that have a direct influence on our mood. For example, the happiness hormone serotonin or the stress messenger adrenaline. The gut transmits around 90 percent of its "mood" to the brain, but the brain only transmits 10 percent to the gut. Consequently, we should treat our intestines with care. On the other hand, all important building, nutritional and functional substances are absorbed through the intestines, and it is the center of our immune system. It is therefore important that our intestines and the 100 trillion bacteria living there are well supplied with soul food, because: food can make you happy.
“The path to
health leads
through the kitchen,
not through
the pharmacy:”
Sebastian Kneipp
1. Eat varied and diverse food, as colorful as possible
2. Vegetables and fruit in sufficient quantities, especially vegetables
3. Regional, seasonal and of good quality. Preferably organic
4. High-quality proteins, preferably plant-based, as well as valuable fats and oils as building materials for our body
5. Prepare all ingredients as gently as possible to preserve the nutrients
6. Use as little processed food as possible. We also talk about clean eating
7. Sugar and alcohol in moderation. The dose makes the poison
8. Pay as much attention to the composition of the food as to the "putting it together" at the table: enjoyment, joy, peace and time are just as much a part of a healthy meal
9. Sebastian Kneipp also recommends: Water, the best of all drinks
1. Water treading at home: Place a bucket of water on the terrace (preferably knee-high) and tread in it for one minute every day in a stork-like manner. Small exercise with a big effect
2. In the morning, walk barefoot in the dew on the still cool meadow. Then wipe off the water and warm your feet by moving. Finally, put on dry, warm socks and enjoy the tingling feeling of well-being.
3. When hiking, put your tired feet in a stream or tread water in the stream. Then
wipe your legs off the water and warm them up as described above
4. After the warm shower, take a cold shower. Slowly get your body used to it
Note:
Only regular water applications can enable a sustainable strengthening of the immune system.
If you want to know more about how water treading and showers are used according to Kneipp, the best place to find out is at one of the local Kneipp associations.
Before treading water, your feet should always be warm. It is best to warm up by moving around.
When treading water in the so-called stork walk, always pull one leg completely out of the water and bend the tip of the foot slightly downwards
As soon as the cold stimulus becomes too strong, get out of the water
Then wipe off the water with your hands, put on warm socks and warm up your feet with small steps or foot exercises
Water treading should never be done directly before or after a meal. At least half an hour
If you are ill or have other health problems, you should consult your doctor before treading water
Note:
Only regular water applications can enable a sustainable strengthening of the immune system.
“The path to
health leads
through the kitchen,
not through
the pharmacy.”
1. Versatile, varied and above all colourful food
2. Use as little processed, regional, seasonal foods of good quality as possible
3. Sufficient vegetables (at least 3 portions per day) and fruit (2 portions per day)
4. High-quality proteins, preferably plant-based, and valuable fats and oils
5. Mainly fresh, plant-based foods, moderate amounts of animal foods
6. Préparer soi-même ses repas le plus souvent possible
7. Use fresh herbs for seasoning
8. Avoid foods that have more than five ingredients
9. Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t have known
10. Use local superfoods such as blueberries, flaxseed or broccoli
11. Eat consciously, enjoy and take your time. Your body will appreciate it.
Source: www.kneippverband.de
Water is our most important food. Without water, people can only survive for about three days. Sebastian Kneipp was aware of this. He recommended water as a healthy solution not only for external use, but also for internal use. Water performs many vital functions. For example, it enables our metabolism by serving as a solvent and transport medium, and it also regulates our heat balance. Three quarters of the water in the body is inside the cells and only a quarter outside the cells. Blood is also made up of over 90 percent water. It is therefore important to consciously regulate the body's water balance, as nutrients can be supplied through the blood and waste products can be disposed of. Even the human brain is made up of up to 90 percent water.
People consume water through food and drink. On average, this is around 600 milliliters through food and around 1.5 liters through drinks. The German Nutrition Society recommends a pure water intake of 1.5 liters per day. Depending on physical activity, increased outside temperature (heat), illness or the composition of the food (rich in protein and salt), the daily amount of drink can increase to up to 3 liters or more.
In order to achieve the optimal function of water in the body, so-called unsaturated water, such as spring water, is particularly suitable. It has the ability to remove toxins and waste products, which is particularly relevant today due to the many environmental influences.
Nowadays we are driven by a faster, higher, further mentality. The so-called "work-life balance" often falls by the wayside and the biological rhythm between performance and recovery, tension and relaxation, sleep and wakefulness is lost in many areas. We also often actively intervene and thereby reinforce the negative effects: be it through artificial light, wake-keeping or sleep and sedatives and devices (smartphone, television) or other influences that can have a detrimental effect over time and can manifest themselves in the form of dysfunctions in organs. An imbalance occurs in the autonomic nervous system, which unconsciously controls the body's functions (breathing, heart activity, gastrointestinal tract). This imbalance can cause complaints such as digestive problems, cardiac arrhythmias, nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, depressive moods, reduced performance, muscle tension, headaches or circulatory problems, fatigue and many other so-called functional (stress-related) disorders.
Sebastian Kneipp was also able to identify an imbalance in everyday life in his time, which was still characterized by hard physical work. That is why he paid particular attention to it. Even then, it was about finding a balanced relationship between work and rest periods and a balance for all areas of life: the harmony of body, mind and soul. In order to avoid imbalance in the first place, Kneipp's way of life offers a variety of approaches to being in balance with yourself: be it topics such as "mental hygiene", chronohygiene (= time-organizing aspects) and the appropriate alternation of tension and relaxation, action and rest, day and night or the regulation of disturbed processes, stress control and reduction, stabilization and self-regulation, increasing general stress tolerance and increasing resilience. Many applications of Kneipp's five pillars, such as exercise, nutrition, water or medicinal herbs, contribute to the order of life and thus to the balance of body, mind and soul.
The days are getting shorter and with them the warming rays of sunshine. So it is no coincidence that when the leaves fall, many people's moods also drop. Tiredness and listlessness can set in. Viruses and other imponderables are also present, which are currently putting us under mental strain. Countering this means not burying your head in the sand, but actively beating the winter blues with Kneipp.
Sebastian Kneipp was particularly concerned with a holistic view of people. In addition to exercise, nutrition, medicinal herbs and water, the order of life is the most important pillar of his health philosophy. Because it is our thoughts that most often cause us problems. Marcus Aurelius already said in the 2nd century AD: "Over time, your soul takes on the color of your thoughts." So what can help to keep our mood from sinking?
Movement
Outdoor activities and exercise, regardless of the weather, can lift your mood as they stimulate the release of endorphins and the happiness hormones dopamine in conjunction with serotonin and noradrenaline, thus boosting the feel-good mix. The visible light outside also helps to keep the sleep hormone melatonin in check and makes us feel more awake.
Cold stimuli & water applications
Kneipp recommends cold stimuli for many things. They strengthen the immune system and at the same time stimulate the entire organism, which can have a positive effect on your mood. Whether it is a cold shower, treading water or walking on snow when the first flakes of snow fall: the body is stimulated to put itself in a good mood mode.
"Nothing attacks the hardened, but every sheet of paper upsets the effeminate. A hardened body offers you greater protection against the illnesses of the soul."
Sebastian Kneipp
Food
Mother Nature provides a lot of natural foods that can also be described as "mood food". These include all kinds of nuts and seeds, as well as bananas, pineapples, dates, figs and whole grain products. A good piece of dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (over 80%), ginger or chili can also help to improve your mood. The main mineral for stress regulation, magnesium, should not be forgotten either. It is found primarily in green vegetables such as broccoli, fennel and kohlrabi.
Medicinal herbs
Many herbs have calming and relaxing effects. Lemon balm can dispel nervous restlessness, lavender can relieve tension, hops and passionflower have a calming effect. Valerian can also help if you can't fall asleep and your thoughts won't calm down. Other plants such as St. John's wort or chamomile can help calm the nerves and roseroot helps reduce the release of stress hormones. It is not without reason that the saying goes: There is a herb for every illness!
Life order
Life is better when you're in a good mood. The dark season brings with it many challenges. So we should make it as nice and cozy as possible. For example, putting flowers in the room, lighting a candle and cooking something good: This can help to improve your mood. It can also help to read a good book, drink a hot tea, have good conversations and just do nothing, relax and treat yourself to a break.
Kneipp's most important element for treatments is water. In Kneipp's health philosophy, baths are used alongside pouring water and compresses. The treatments range from warm arm and foot baths to sitz baths and full baths. Heat is not only good for you, it also heals and has a circulation-stimulating and antispasmodic effect. The Egyptians knew this 5,000 years ago. Hippocrates also described the effect of hot compresses and the Romans built the first thermal baths.
In Kneipp's natural healing theory, there are various baths and treatments: full bath, three-quarter bath, half bath, sitz bath, arm bath (up to the middle of the upper arm), foot bath (up to the middle of the lower leg) and many more. The difference lies in the fact that these have different stimuli on the body. The more the body is covered with water, the greater the stimulus. A distinction is also made between medicinal baths and relaxation baths.
Who doesn't like to go to one of the thermal baths and mineral baths in the spas and health resorts in Baden-Württemberg in the cold season and enjoy the soothing and relaxing warmth of the water. The buoyancy of the water gives us a certain feeling of lightness and the surrounding warmth a feeling of security. All baths have one thing in common: they have a beneficial effect on the body, mind and soul and are usually used more often than cold treatments because they are perceived as more pleasant. In addition, heat stimulates blood circulation, increases the transport of oxygen and thus nutrients. At the same time, waste products can be removed more quickly and, for example, muscle tension can be relieved.
The effect of a full bath can be varied by the temperature, the length of the bath and by bath additives. Bath oils are particularly recommended as bath additives for bathing at home. Their ingredients are absorbed through the skin as well as the respiratory tract and can have a positive effect on your mood.
A NOTICE
Do not use if
Not all applications are suitable for everyone. If you have any questions, please consult your doctor or pharmacist beforehand.