It’s so amazing to us that people are talking about mindset and mental health more and more these days in relation to overall health and wellness. However, many people still don’t really realize or choose to ignore the importance of the mind-body connection and how it can change your life. Take a minute, right now and think about it - really think about it and look within yourself - are you living in tune with your body? Are you listening to what it tells you and acting on that or are you living disconnected?
For so long, we have been promised easy fixes, quick diets and magic pills to take care of everything we think is wrong in our bodies (and minds), looking for someone to tell us what to eat, when to eat it, how much of it to eat, what movements to do with complete disregard to what our bodies are telling us. Our bodies aren’t textbooks and they are not all created equally. The answer to what works for you is ALWAYS it depends and will look different for you, for your sister, mother, friend, husband, etc. For example, I can run 5 miles a day and not loose a pound while you can do it and loose 20 pounds, why? Because our bodies are made differently and there is no easy fix. But, when you start listening to your body and responding to it and find that mind-body connection, that’s when you will find the magic.
So how do you get to that magic place of mind-body connectivity? Unfortunately, the answer is still it depends and will vary from person to person but a good way to start is to start getting to know yourself, inside and out. It’s a tough job and will take time but like most things in life, the hardest things are usually the most worth it. We won’t leave you hanging though, keep reading for some practical tips!
Personally, how do we do it? For Lara, therapy has been a life-changing experience and she’s been doing it for the past 13 years, where she has gained a huge understanding of her psyche. After years of working on the mind, she started exercising and for a long time, didn’t realize the connection between the two. When she finally found that, however, was when the real progress started to happen. For Viviana, it was the opposite - she started with exercise and only started really working on mindset a couple of years ago when she did the Whole30 and had no choice but listen to her body for 30 days straight. It’s still very much a work in progress, but she works daily on awareness, just tuning in to her body before and after meals and workouts and keeping tabs on energy levels throughout they day. We definitely do not know ourselves inside and out yet, but we realize that our bodies and our minds are together in this life and working together is a whole lot easier than forcing them to work separately.
Now, how can you do it? It’s not easy, especially when you have conflicting information coming at you all the time about what’s best for you. The only way to start making the connection is to tune everything out and tune yourself in and trust your instincts. It will be difficult, you will feel like you are being pulled in opposite directions and won’t know which one to follow because you’ve probably been ignoring your instincts for the better part of your adult life instead of following them. You will make mistakes but you have a lifetime to learn from it and no one can take that experience away from you as you start trusting your body and mind.
You’re probably still wondering, but HOW do I get there? Here are some practical tips:
If you like tracking things and doesn’t make you crazy, write down how you feel before and after your meals
Keep track of your energy levels throughout the day and ask yourself why you feel the way you do (is it something you ate, how you slept, your mental energy? we like the @commit30 planners)
Put alarms on your phone to remind yourself to check in with yourself, we know life gets busy so this is an easy way to remind yourself every day to look within for a quick minute a few times a day
If it’s your thing, practice meditation – we love the Headspace app!
If writing is your thing, journal away
Go to therapy, you can find someone at Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com)
Work with a Nutritional Therapy Consultant – contact us! We are here for YOU and YOUR body and can help you start paying attention!
It has been said before and we will say it again, you don’t owe anyone your health, you owe it yourself and your body to LISTEN. As with many people we know, we started this health and wellness journey eight years ago for other people – to be skinny, fit into clothes better, get attention, to look like everyone else. We started running as a form of therapy to run away from issues in our personal life (another story for another day). We ate low fat, low carb, counted calories and macros, followed this and that diet. While we are grateful that we started the journey, if you’re reading this and just starting out, you have the chance to do it right. You don’t owe us your health, you don’t owe it to your friends or your family, you owe it to yourself and to your mind and body. To feel strong, capable, beautiful, proud or whatever you want to feel about yourself that makes you happy.
After YEARS, we still have a long way to go, but we invite you think differently about yourselves, as a whole being, not two separate parts because as we work on one, we heal the other. Think about it, you and your body are in this life for the long haul so why not work together? Just go for it.