Managing inflammation and stress as a big city dweller

By: Nicole Benoit

Ahhh, the annual surge of renewed self-will and determined gusto is in the air. It’s wrapped in a beautiful box with the “New Year, New Me” bow on top. But perhaps, if you’re in the same situation as me, that “New Year, New Me” has gotten a little phrase revision: “New Year, NOT New Me, but Improved Perspective”. That seems more fitting and even a little more empowering. In recent years, it clear to me how far this fighting spirit and the human body has gotten me after 30-odd years. Therefore I’m more committed this year than ever before to harness this total body. And I’m all about proactive care and not forcing it into submission at the feet of some fantastical goal.

Getting back to feeling good!

As the unenthusiastic host of a dazzling array of back problems, snap-crackle-pop hips and ankles, and a regularly persnickety sacrum, I incorporate FLEX as a method to not just pacify inflammation, but also help prevent it along the way so I can continue toward growth. I still believe my body and mind are capable of extraordinary things despite the creakiness and puffiness of my pain. Collecting my own green-leafed version of Popeye’s spinach to pump me up when I’m weakened is crucial.

As a New Yorker, that desire to not wither under pain, mental or emotional stress is especially dire. I can’t make the city pavement any less abrasive. I can’t shift our overall air quality or dim the light pollution of Times Square. I can help reduce their effect on my body by creating an internal eco-system. Thus promoting balanced chemicals and more efficient detoxification. 

Getting your body in FLOW

After all, my tenacity and willingness to plug forward are at the core of me whether it’s January or July. That survival instinct, it’s part of what makes us all human. Sometimes that means finding ways to expedite healing so we can keep doing what we find our greatest joys in life. Ultimately, I know the cost of my highly-active and physically demanding profession. It is one where I must surrender to the fact that many of these aches, pains, and injuries will nag me in perpetuity. Maintaining optimal health when I’m collecting more and more years of wear and tear is increasingly challenging. However, it’s not impossible. With a product like Flex that only takes 30 seconds of my life to utilize, why would I not harness that tool for rebalancing?

Pain relief is achievable

Acknowledging I feel chronic pain doesn’t distance me from my goals; denying it does. Whether I’m trying to kick my feet out of bed in the morning, kicking back from a job well done or “kicking face” as we often call it in the dance studio, it’s been reassuring to know there’s a community of support who can relate to what I’m experiencing. That’s why Flex exists! Whatever your body, mind or life “improvements” may look like this 2020, keep flexing that beautiful self that you embody!

Author Bio:

Nicole Benoit is a multi-hyphenate performer and choreographer, fitness instructor and model, arts contributor, non-profit founder and cross-genre creative collaborator. Hailing from Washington State’s “Apple Capitol of the World”, she is now home-based in New York’s “Big Apple”. Nicole has graced the stages of theaters worldwide from North America to Asia in leading-lady Broadway productions, and regularly travels nationally and internationally as a master teacher in the arts, fitness wellness and mentorship.

Please visit   www.NicoleBenoitOnline.com and @nicolebenoitonline to discover more or to collaborate.