Wellness is multi-faceted, and we are learning more about that every day. Once we thought it was just about eating right and getting enough exercise, but now we know it is definitely more intricate.
Most people have a goal of Weight Loss with Wellness as a perceived bonus, but are we really understanding our bodies. They are far, far more complicated than we thought. The Energy IN = Energy OUT does not really ring true all the time. Science is discovering more about the body daily and the fascinating interconnection of food, exercise, hormones and bodily functions, emotional triggers, stress, etc.
So lets explore a little more:……..
Our Physical Self:
What can we do to physically help our bodies to Wellness? A good start is giving the body the right fuel ie eating Whole Food, prioritizing Protein, and eating good Fats. Try a variety of food each week from at least 30 different food sources. Lots of green and yellow vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, nuts, and seeds, etc. All these helps develop a good gut microbiome which in turn keeps the body running smoothly and boosts the immune system. The body is very sophisticated, flexible, and with the right fuel, you can feel fabulous. BUT with the wrong fuel, for long periods of time, can cause problems within the body that may lead to illness.
Emotional Self:
We are starting to understand how emotions affect Wellness and Weight loss. Emotions play a part when we least expect it to – a bad day at work may lead to chocolate and wine that evening. Something we all do at times to ‘ease the pain’ we are presently feeling. But why do we think this will help. I know I “eat my feelings” some days, and it doesn’t help me a bit. However recognizing it is an emotional trigger, is the first step to making the next decision about the chocolate and wine. It puts you back in control. So, if you still choose to have some chocolate, make it 1-2 squares of dark chocolate, instead of sitting down and eating a whole block of chocolate. As for the wine……. there is always sparkling Soda water and Lime. But if it’s wine you need, just have 100mls and sip it very slowly. This lifestyle journey is about learning moderation to start with, as this will help the emotions align better with your goals. Slow changes are more sustainable in the end.
Ronit has written several articles on managing Emotions, plus we now have a 6hr online workshop devoted to Emotional Intelligence and Breaking Habits.
Academic/Career Self:
Our next perception of Self and Wellness is based in our Education and Career choice. This can be a driving force indeed. Plus, when we hit our 40s and 50s, we tend to evaluate how we have progressed in life, comparing our previous dreams to the actual outcomes so far. Everyone has a different version of what they saw themselves achieving in life. It can be quite confronting or comforting. Were your dreams realistic for you, were you following your dream or someone else’s back then. What obstacles did life present to change your course. All very interesting questions, and as I believe, all things always happen for a reason. We all work hard in the earlier stages of life, because we can. We have a lot more energy, drive and curiosity. Work hard/Play hard is a mantra that is chanted. But what if Work/Life balance isn’t addressed, weight loss may still be achieved, but what of Wellness and good Health?
Our bodies are very resilient, it will manage long hours of study and work if we balance this with some self-care along the way. This can be as simple as a morning walk along the beach with friends, going out to breakfast or just a coffee together. This break in routine allows the brain to rest and reset, giving you a fresh start/attitude to work or study. Eating well in busy times allows you to manage your stress levels better. A low carb diet with reduced caffeine, keeps the stress hormones under better control. Therefore, your busy lifestyle doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
When my kids were in high school and the household was stressed, I would take a breath myself, actually look at what food we all had been consuming the previous week or so and bring it back to good healthy choices. I was always amazed how this calmed everyone down just enough to make things manageable again.
Now my kids still employ this tactic in their own lives, sometimes is needs prompting from others, because when you are in a stressful situation you are just doing, not seeing what is happening around the edges. But good Whole Food and less Caffeine is always a good start to manage stress. It helps to increase energy and reduce the brain fog, hence giving us a better sense of Wellness.
Social Self:
Studies have found that Social Connection is one of the pillars for Health, Wellness, and Longevity. Staying connected with friends and family gives a good boost to the hormone, Oxytocin, making you feel loved and connected.
Creative Self:
People are so creative! I believe that we all have a talent. Developing and nurturing YOUR talent, gives you that feeling of uniqueness. If you enjoy painting…. do it! Maybe its Art or painting furniture, creating designs on fabric, or painting ceramics. Just enjoy it, being creative, tapping into the right side of the brain, will help with relaxation and self-satisfaction, putting a smile on your face! You don’t have to be THE best, just enjoy the process of exploring your creative side.
Spiritual Self:
Increasing your self-awareness, will be refined with regular Meditation and quiet contemplation. Nurturing your soul and spirit helps find your inner strength, so to speak, allowing you to feel more centred in the world. If Meditation is not easy for you, Relaxation Yoga is a good place to start, it promotes a relaxed state and usually has Meditation at the end of the session.
Just a quiet walk in nature can be meditative as well. Walking with purpose, one foot in front of the other, concentrating on just that and not thinking about all the other issues of the day. Quieting the mind takes practice, it is something that’s worked on daily, and only needs a few minutes a day to start with, increasing as you get better to 15mins. Some people like to Meditate for 30-60mins a day, but everyone needs to see how this fits into their lifestyle. If 10-15mins is working for you, then that’s great!
Environmental Self:
Our environment is not always able to be changed, but maybe we can tweak it a bit to suit the needs of Wellness. Any environment will impact on the choices we make in life. A busy family life or living alone; life in the city or life in the bush. Food choices alone will be different in each of these scenarios. Ensure your environment is working as best as possible for you. Put in place some small changes, like shopping for vegetables at the local fresh produce market, having the Aircon filters checked and changed, reducing TV time to start a good Sleep routine. Find a good walking track for a weekend activity. The little changes all add up slowly.
Financial Self:
This can prove to be a challenge for Wellness. Budgeting is a positive step, hopefully reducing some of the stress attached to financial matters within each family. The amount of money a particular person has, does not correlate with the stress carried. Every tax bracket has different stressors attached to it, from counting pennies with the grocery shopping to corporate takeovers. Find your Budget that works and know it will be tested from time to time too, especially in the present climate.
Intellectual Self:
How do we see ourselves intellectually? Quick witted, a deep thinker. Keeping the brain in good working order sets us up better later in life. Lots of us like reading, doing Crosswords or Sudoku to keep the brain active. Along with this is social conversation and knowing how the world around you is functioning. All these measures we believe will slow the onset of dementia. Recent studies have shown us that Whole Food also plays an important part in brain health. Keeping Sugars and Seed Oils to a minimum, eating fresh all play a part.
The Dimensions of Wellness:
A lot of our sense of Wellness is therefore from how we feel about ourselves within our bodies. Wellness does not have a weight code. Being thin does not mean you are always well and healthy. However, being excessively over-weight is a warning that things need to change and slow change is always more sustainable for us.
Losing weight is not always about eating less, some people, like my sister, must eat more, just better choices of Whole Food. She always lost her weight when she had 3 healthy meals a day and didn’t follow any fad diets.
Weight is very individual, it can be deep seeded in an emotion and hormonal imbalances, poor food choices or just eating to excess for one reason or another. Finding out why you are eating a certain way, helps to identify how to put small changes in place for yourself. Finding your “Peace with Food”, so to speak. Not feeling a panic if you haven’t eaten every 2-3 hours.
But, if you feel you need to change everyone around you, eg family etc, if this is your goal, you are still not fully invested in changing yourself and being confident enough to follow your our path.
This is where Whole Food Revolution may be able to help. Check out the Website for our Programs. (www.wholefoodrevolution.com.au).
Everyone has a story; we would love to hear yours.
Wellness is Wonderful!
Enjoy the Chilly Weather.
Deb
