Could You be Doing More for Your Body and Mind?

It has begun...one month of ‘healthy living’. What are we in for?

This goes beyond cancelling your date with alcohol for the month. This goes beyond ‘cancelling’ treats. This goes beyond restricting your diet. This goes beyond doing what you want and eating what you wish...whenever you want.

This is about listening to your body. This is about paying a little more attention to how your body feels and how your mind reacts to certain activities or foods. This is about getting in check with yourself and maybe having a meeting with your dear friend, Discipline, who has been MIA for a few months. This is about doing what is best for you and only you. Let this be a broken record...the effort that you put into your body, is the exact result you are going to get out of your body.

If restricting certain foods, counting calories, or compulsive meal planning has ever consumed you….hear me out. I believe that understanding WHY we feel the need to do any of the above is more beneficial to your results rather than the actual act of restricting/counting/planning. In my own opinion, restriction is usually used in an unhealthy way and it really isn’t teaching our mind and our body what it really needs to learn. From my experience, what you CANNOT have is always what you want to have...that shit definitely resonates with me. I feel that we choose to do these things (restricting/counting/planning) to regain control of our body...and I think this is okay. What I don’t think is okay is the relationship that this discipline paints between our bodies and food; the picture I feel it paints is guilt and blame within ourselves that we have created because of these ‘rules’. If I want to eat ice cream and homemade fudge sauce...I shouldn’t be upset with myself for doing so. (currently eating Kate’s homemade fudge sauce over a bowl of ice cream.)  

A perfect example was my ’addiction’ to peanut butter. If you don’t have a photo of yourself passed out inside the fridge with your hand in a jar of peanut butter...can you really call yourself addicted to peanut butter? Here is what I did know.... I was addicted to peanut butter. What I ignored was that my body actually felt awful after I ate peanut butter. It was a filler for me when I would restrict my carb intake, but it did not give me energy. It made me feel like a lethargic bag of poo poo. Why would I put my body through this? Once I realized I needed to listen to my body, it was far easier to shut down the cravings...because I now know that I only want my body to benefit from what I consume, rather than feel like a bag of shit. 

Try listening to your body and how your mind feels after you eat something. Discipline check in; have you fallen off the wagon and maybe lost interest in your latest meal plan or maybe stocked up on a few too many treats at the grocery store this week. It's OK. Just acknowledge what your body needs and do it. That bag of carrots and scoop of Helluva Dip sure made you feel a LOT better than that bowl of ice cream didn’t it? Check yoself. 

Do what's best for you; everyone is different. Not everyone’s body is the same. A bagel every morning for Kate may start her day off just right, but for me it does nothing for my energy and makes me feel bloated. Are you eating your veggies and whole foods? Or are you eating boxed foods that you can’t even read the ingredient list? You need to provide some kind of nourishment to your body. If getting your vegetables in for the day means tossing some butter on your steamed broccoli or some dip with your carrot sticks...DO IT. I would rather eat a pile of vegetables with a bit of butter or dip rather than eat absolutely no veggies at all.

Move your body! Get 30 minutes of movement each day. 15 in the morning and 15 in the evening, if that’s what it takes to get you back in the groove. And don’t forget to remind yourself how you feel. Are you getting your steps in? Are you feeling a bit groggy today or are you working a double and don't have time for a nap? My favorite pick-me-up is a quick jog around the block. Believe me you can find 5 minutes. Just do it. You won't even have to worry about sweating, but you will feel good. And remind yourself of that feeling...your body will learn to crave it and soon enough you will WANT to go for a walk/run/bike.

Are you feeling sore and drained from a week of runs and workouts? Take a rest day, you’re allowed.

Are you feeling stiff or achy from inactivity? Stretch your entire body or go for a walk or meditate.

I believe that if there isn’t a health concern and there isn’t an unhealthy relationship with a specific food, then there is no need to restrict or refrain from consuming. Why spend our lives restricting or postponing what we eat... moderation is everything. Because one piece of pizza is tasty, 5 pieces of pizza sends you to bloat town or constipation city.

Cheers to fuelling our body’s right and trying to get the most out of everyday! If you are struggling to get the ball rolling, there are always people around you who are happy to help. Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist or even if it's just a friend who is happy to join you for a walk. Do what’s best for you.

In case that went in one ear and out the other, here’s what I hope you take from this.

1. Listen to your body

2. Reunite yourself with your dear friend Discipline

3. Move your body

4. Nourish your body (eat your f%#king vegetables)

- Amy