We live in a challenging world. Work, family, friends, pets, and all other things that make demands on our time can often lead to stress and self-neglect. That’s why many health and wellness authorities have emphasized the need for self-care over the past few years. Making time in the 24-hour day for things like sleep, entertainment, and socialization may not always be convenient, but it’s essential for your mental well-being.
Why is Self-Care Important and Why It’s Okay to Invest in Yourself
The human body is a very complex and delicately balanced machine. Like any other machine, for it to run well, you must dedicate time to address its requirements. For example, it’s important for you to get the nourishment you need to meet your body’s energy requirements, but you also need to consume nutrients that support cellular reproduction.
However, more is required than eating healthy meals and going in for your annual checkup. Self-care involves reducing the daily stressors that trick our bodies into producing excess cortisol, which leads to inflammation, increased blood pressure, and interferes with sleep. It means regulating your weight and body fat, which can lead to a plethora of health issues and make you feel uncomfortable with your appearance. And it also means allowing yourself periods of emotional release where you can feel joy and experience laughter.
It’s important to recognize that proper self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. It’s necessary for your long-term physical, mental, and emotional well-being. If you have other people who depend on you, you ignore self-care to their possible detriment. Consider any time you set aside for yourself an investment in your future health.
5 Ways to Practice Self-Care
If you’re unsure how to begin practicing self-care, here are a few suggestions to help you get started.
Diet and Nutrition
According to the CDC, it’s been a well-publicized fact that many Americans are overweight — the obesity rate among adults is approximately 42%. But many adults with a BMI falling in the normal range still have poor nutritional habits. By eating healthy meals and minimizing caffeine and alcohol intake, you can not only improve your overall physical health but also avoid energy spikes and crashes that adversely affect your mood.
Exercise
Physical activity carries many benefits, including improved cardiovascular condition, weight control, enhanced muscle tone, and increased energy. One positive outcome of exercise is that it can make you feel more attractive. Another is the release of endorphins, which help ease aches and discomfort as well as elevate mood.
Meditation
Like diet and exercise, meditation can profoundly alleviate stress and elevate mood. Spending even a few minutes shutting out the conflicting thoughts of daily life can reduce stress, which also reduces cortisol production.
Cosmetic Treatments
Looking and feeling better can give you confidence, which is a key element to self-care. When you’re self-conscious about your appearance, it projects into other areas. Feeling good about the way you look gives you an edge. Whether you remove an uncomfortable scar or you engage in something like cold laser fat removal to give your body a leaner, more defined look, these treatments can be a beneficial part of your self-care regimen.
Leisure Time
It’s essential that you have time to play. That means that your entire day can’t be filled with work, chores, and other commitments. Build in an hour for reading, television, socializing, or whatever you like to do to take yourself away from the insane hustle and bustle of daily life.
How to Maintain Healthy Body Image and to Practice Self-Love
Self-love is not only about having a healthy body image, but liking your body can be a huge factor. That’s one of the reasons why a plan to create a healthy body image needs to address diet and exercise. At Emerald Laser, we recognize how important positive body image is to self-care. Our providers encourage our laser lipo patients to maintain a healthy, calorie-neutral diet, exercise, and reduce unwanted fat with a safe, practical, non-invasive procedure. Emerald laser uses a low-level laser to target and drain fat cells in key areas. Because this is a “cool laser,” patients don’t feel any pain or burning. The treatments are effective on nearly any part of the body — particularly in areas that are difficult to target with exercise. If you’re trying to figure out how to love your body and the skin you’re in when you can’t get rid of stubborn fat, consider Emerald Laser lipolysis. Treatments take under 30 minutes, and there’s no downtime.
How Laser Lipolysis Can Improve Your Body Image
Emerald Laser by Erchonia is a unique non-invasive fat reduction procedure. Using ten 532 nanometer low-intensity lasers, the Emerald Laser Machine targets fat cells through the skin. The laser penetrates the wall of the cell and liquifies the lipids inside. They then safely drain through the hole and are disposed of by the body’s lymphatic system. This is the only laser fat removal system that has received market approval by the FDA for individuals with a BMI over 30. Most patients see some results within two weeks, with full results in twelve.
One of the major advantages that Emerald Laser lipolysis has over other treatments is that there’s no pain, no downtime, and no disruption to your life. You can schedule a treatment before or after work or even on your lunch break.
FAQ About Laser Lipo and Self-Care Benefits
Many people are unaware of the positive physical and mental benefits of fat reduction. These are some of the most frequently asked questions by our laser lipolysis patients.
How Can Laser Lipo Help With Self-Care?
Feeling good about yourself is a huge part of self-care. Many people try to achieve the body they want through diet and exercise, only to find unsatisfactory results due to pockets of stubborn fat. Laser lipo procedures can help tighten up those regions of the body that won’t respond to exercise and diet.
What if I’m More Than a Little Overweight?
We know what a challenge it can be when you have a large weight loss goal in front of you. Emerald Laser has FDA approval for individuals with a BMI up to 40. It has been clinically proven to reduce the body circumference of individuals with BMIs from 30 to 40. No other laser fat reduction machine has a similar record.
Whether or not you choose to try Emerald Laser, we encourage you to practice self-care and self-love for the sake of you and all your loved ones.
