Renewmyday's holistic vitality concept
Renewmyday aims to help people to take charge of their lives, with personal success and ultimately joy and purpose, by improving and protecting their energy. This requires focus on vitality. We make vitality accessible and practical, by offering a 12-week online program, co-created with a group of international experts, who offer daily tips and short audio & video sessions covering 5 vitality pillars Move, Sleep, Eat, Breathe and Reflect. The combination of these pillars, or a holistic approach integrating body, mind and spirit, delivers faster and more sustainable results, than when activated in isolation.
The Western vs. Asian view on health
In Western medicine we have broken the human body down into so many elements that we seem to have lost sight of the fact that we are dealing with a complete human being and an ingenious collaborative, balanced system. Some holistic practitioners ‘blame’ Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher, who inspired modern science by his theory of mind-body dualism. Although he was much more nuanced in his understanding of the mind-body connection than often assumed, the polarising mind-body dualism applied in science, was an exaggeration of his theory in an effort to suit the body for scientific study. It has had a dramatic affect on how we approach diseases of all kinds, whether the symptom of the disease is physical or mental.
My personal experience with a more holistic approach to health was through TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine, which goes back 2-3000 years), when I was living in Amsterdam in the late nineties, seeking help from a Chinese doctor when my lower back problems were not solved by my physiotherapist or chiropractor. The Chinese doctor took my wrist and measured my pulse, while I had to stick my tongue out. “The problem is in my lower back” I was thinking, but I surrendered to the doctor. He treated me with acupuncture, not only by just putting needles in my back, and I had to drink some herbal tea for a week or two. His plan was to treat both the inside and outside. I don't know if it was the acupuncture or the herbs, or both, but my lower back pain was gone.
A few years later I was visiting my sister in Malaysia in the Northern town of Ipoh. There was a small Ayurvedic clinic that had a good reputation for overall health practices. I was convinced to take an 8-day ‘rejuvenation’ treatment, including massages with aromatherapy and a cleansing. I consulted the Aryuvedic doctor, who (again) was interested in my pulse and my tongue. Based on his diagnosis I learned about my biological constitution of ether, air, earth, fire and water, as well the three doshas -forms of energy- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. In Ayurvedic medicine every person comprises of the same elements but in unique constitutions and that by knowing your personal balances you know e.g. how to eat and how to move in order to feel well. In my case I was rubbed in a personalised oil cocktail by two strong gentlemen for 8 days in a row, with a cleanse on day 5, lying on a wooden plank. The therapy itself was painful and not wat I expected (e.g. 2 lovely ladies and a spa like setting), but the result was amazing. Something happened. It felt like my energy was doubled and so it stayed for about a year or so. The therapy must have rebalanced my biochemistry.
Both TCM and Ayurveda are rooted in Asian societies for 1000's of years with a totally different view on the human body, mind and spirit. These ancient medicines seem to have a profound understanding of the connection between physical, mental and spiritual well-being and focus greatly on feeling well and thus preventing illness rather than treating illness and preventing people from dying. In the West however, we may have become more advanced in curing (or repairing) trauma (e.g. broken bones), but the holistic health approach and focus on prevention could still learn from traditional medicine approaches such as TCM and Ayurveda.
The founding of Renewmyday
When I first met Renee, I learned about her intention to create a holistic health platform with Renewmyday. It struck a chord. I was ready to put my acquired Asian ‘wisdom’ next to more ‘earthly’ experiences into practice.
The Renewmyday approach resonates with above mentioned holistic health principles in the sense that the human body is an ingenious collaborative system, where what we eat and how we digest impacts how we move and how we sleep. The way we breathe impacts our nervous system and our sleep, as well as our capability to move. There is also a link between breathing and the food we crave; i.e. over-breathing (e.g. caused by stress) influences our oxygen-carbon dioxide balance, causing our (very efficient, slow) aerobic energy production ability to decrease. We start to crave for fast carbs, sugar, coffee, and energy drinks for (inefficient, quick) anaerobic energy production. Reflecting or adding consciousness to the way we eat, move and breathe will impact its effectiveness; e.g. how nutrients will be absorbed, our muscles work or how oxygen is exported to our cells. There are many more examples of these relationships that are not very well known or obvious.
We are lucky to have some internationally renowned scientists (a.o. a cardiologist, neuro-scientist, psychologist, .. ) in our Vitality Board who underline these principles and confirm how our Western lifestyle has pulled many of us in a seemingly vicious circle of bad breathing patterns, bad eating patterns, impacting energy levels and weight, resulting in lack of movement and all kinds of mental and physical issues amplifying each other.
How our approach helps you
Renewmyday believes that it is not too late to take control in your own hands and to become the pilot of a new healthy life. We believe that every human being has unique powers (i.e. including healing powers) that are already there, often waiting to be claimed and manifested. These powers will manifest when you are your total self. As ‘self’ is the description of your relationship with nature, the nature within you, it is nature that will manifest itself!
Our online program facilitates our users on a journey to change from stress to calm, from feeling stuck to being in charge, from feeling helpless to feeling empowered, from lacking energy to a radiating appearance, by putting vitality first. In our definition vitality is ‘the state of being strong and active, having energy'. You could say that having optimal vitality means having optimal energy, allowing for nature to create and heal.
There is substantial scientific proof that by activating and improving one element contributing to greater vitality, e.g. sleep, there is a ripple effect onto different processes in the body. The Renewmyday concept is built on 5 elements or ‘vitality pillars’. These pillars are mutually reinforcing and when activated regularly and in balance, they offer impact on your vitality in the most efficient and sustainable way.
We also believe that the next step is not a quantum leap, but a tiny step towards improvement. First become aware of the choices you make and how these impact your health or how these keep you away from reaching your full potential. Set new intentions and be aware of (new) decisions you make and how these contribute to your intention. We will offer plenty of tips and inspiration to take matters in your own hands.
We hope to see you again soon on Renewmyday.com.
Best, Marc
