As we embark upon another year, many women find themselves searching for the perfect diet. Let’s face it, the dieting industry has got our number.
They know how to entice us into believing their promises.
They know how to shame us into thinking we are not enough.
They know how to market to us, making us curious to learn more.
And they certainly know how to sell to us, because we continue to buy.
Each year another diet is presented to us in a perfect little package. Making us believe this is the answer we have been looking for.
But what if the answer is not in another diet?
What if we decided to let go of all the rules and regulations we have been taught on how to be healthy? What if we started to shift the standards of what healthy is supposed to look like?
What if we decided it is time to take a different path?
Maybe healthy is not that constant obsession of reading labels and knowing every fine detail of what you’re putting in your body.
Maybe being healthy starts with practicing self-love.
What if you started your day thinking about how you were going to treat your body right so you could live your best life?
For some people this might mean starting with a daily walk or swimming or maybe a vigorous run. For other people it might mean making a smoothie or pancakes or just sitting in prayer and meditation. The point is, instead of being told what makes YOU healthy, you shift into an intuitive approach, allowing yourself to find your own path to health and well-being.
As a mom, especially with young children, it can be difficult to practice some of these things. But there is no reason you cannot start practicing self love – isn’t love the thing that is keeping you going in the first place? Love for your babies, love for you spouse, love for your God, love for your family?
Instead of giving love to everyone else but yourself, start with YOU. Be kind to YOU. Praise YOU. Love YOU.
It is time to stop hating yourself healthy and instead embrace who you are. What if you declared a new resolution for 2018? Instead of adding another diet or restriction, you resolved to honor your body and your life, just as it is right now.
Being healthy starts by paying attention to your body and how it responds and reacts to foods and exercise. Begin exploring what foods and exercises empower you. Pay attention to what makes you feel good and energized. Pay attention to what makes you feel drained, irritable, and less than your best self.
Let’s start with an egg.
You’ve probably heard that eggs are a nutrition powerhouse, but let’s pretend you knew nothing about the nutritional benefits of eggs. Instead focus on how your body responds and reacts when you start your day with eggs.
How do you feel? How is your energy? Do you even like the taste of eggs? Do they keep you satisfied? Or does the thought of eating eggs make your stomach churn? Listen and honor what your body is telling you. Do this little experiment with a variety of foods and see what you discover. Try the same with exercise.
In 2018, instead of trying to figure out what food or exercise plan to follow – slow down and let your body guide you. Experiment with food, movement and habits that make you feel happy, healthy and empowered. What if you stopped labeling everything as either healthy or unhealthy and instead explored what was nourishing you to not only feel well but also but live well?
The truth is when you feel healthy on the inside, you live well on the outside, enjoying the people in your life, sharing your gifts, and embracing this life you were given.
