Self care is vocal care!

Sleep, eat well, drink more water, exercise, we hear this all the time.

Can we just talk about why?

Your voice is an instrument. Like any instrument it needs care. Guitars need new strings, pianos need tuning, cleaning, rewiring etc. regular care of Instruments we can see is second nature To a musician.

Why would your voice be any different?

They Em carry their guitars and bass in padded cases. You should be wearing a scarf if it’s cold.

They use resin on their bows you should be drinking more water.

They fine tune their strings, you should probably get some more cardio in and build that lung and diaphragm strength.

Others keep their instruments in temperature controlled rooms. (Honestly I like to keep myself in temperature controlled rooms also.) Perhaps that scarf would be a better choice in the cooler months.

I think by now you get my point.

Much of our time is absorbed by things we need to do. But have you taken the time to make yourself a better you? I’m not talking about the things like being kind. (though if you are working on that I think that is wonderful and I fully encourage that)

im talking about your health.

Have you seen seen a nutritionist?

Have you gone to your yearly check ups?

Are you following the advise of your doctor?

Im talking about eating better.

Sleeping at the right hours.

Every one of my students hears how important your health is to your voice. Care for your voice is instrumental! But it really does start with care for your self.

Your whole self is what matters. How can you honestly expect to be at your best vocally if you can't be at your best physically?

This is an expansive undertaking as far as health goes. There are so many rabbit trails we can go down. But I want to narrow it for you. So we will start with the one thing I have to tell my students most often.

Take care of you.

Ask yourself "What do I need to focus on in my personal health?" And that can really be anything.

If you need to focus on more water start there.

I tell my students before you do anything in the morning drink an 8 ounce glass then after you eat breakfast or that cup of coffee, drink another 8 ounce glass. Take it one step at a time. more water can be done in increments. Do what makes sense to you.

Or

If you need to sleep more, make it a point to get to bed an hour earlier than you usually do.

if you need to see a doctor for something deeper then go see a doctor.

You want ant to eat better and get the right balance of food? See a nutritionist! They are wonderful!

Need to relax? Go have a spa day! You deserve it!

Please understand. We need to get our bodies in line in order to get our voices in line.

If you need to work out, jog, cycle, rock climb, get creative in getting healthy. Need a reason to get off the couch? I happen to be a big advocate for walking dogs. I’m not saying get a dog (if you love dogs and want a puppy yes get a dog if you can) If you can’t get a dog make some money and walk dogs. As a dog owner a good dog walker is always helpful. And they will give you a great reason to walk more. Dogs will run with you. Dogs will walk with you and they will love you and thank you in their own ways for doing it.

Think about ways to get off the couch.

Think about ways to eat better.

Think about ways to get healthy.

Little ways to drink more water, relax more, breathe more deeply, sleep more, write your thoughts down.

Tell me about those ideas, how you plan to take a step. They really can start small. It’s just a start. You have got to start somewhere.