Hi and happy Feel-Good Monday!
This is where we share our favorite tips, tricks, secrets, and ways to "think like a healthy person" so that you can find your own delicious path to healthy living.
"Feel-Good Mondays" are meant to help us get back into that place of feeling energized, nourished, and ready to take inspired action for the week ahead.
Last week I took a spontaneous, totally unplanned trip to San Francisco.
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Matt, my husband, found out on Friday that he would be traveling to SF for a last-minute work trip. By Sunday, I found myself on a plane with him, and proceeded to spend the week working in (and pleasurably wandering around) San Francsico.
When the trip opportunity came up, mind quickly said, "Yo! What are you doing! You have too much on your plate for a spontaneous trip! No freakin' way, dude."
But my gut gently urged me to throw caution in the wind, switch my appointments from EST to PST time, and get on the plane.
I have not always been this way.
To know me is to know that I love travel. But what you may not know about me is that I am a VERY well-planned, well-scheduled traveler.
I was never someone you would've called "fly by the seat of my pants" spontaneous.
Not surprisingly, the same went for me around food: I used to stick with the usual suspects because they were "good for me". I didn't question what my body truly wanted. What intuitively felt best for me. What made my body sing out with joy.
Over the years, one of my biggest lessons I have learned is this: We need flexibility to be our healthiest. We also need to listen and become more intuitive when it comes to what our body really wants.
Sticking with rigid rules and regulations (as I did for years before I finally lost – and kept off – 50lbs) not only doesn't feel very great, but it usually doesn't last very long, either. Ask anyone who's ever dieted!
Sometimes being healthy is about following the rules: opting for less sugar, more veggies, better hydration, etc. But other times, it's about listening to your gut. Paying attention to the seasons. Consciously and mindfully indulging because that's what feels freeing and joyful and fun. Other times it can be about sticking to your plan (even when you're at a social event or on vacation) because you know that's ultimately what will feel best for you.
What are you holding on to that could use a looser, more gentle grip? I'm all for planning, but there's a difference between planning and organizing and over-controlling. Lord knows I've been on the over-controlling side, and I can say from personal experience that it actually led to less health, less radiance, and less joy in my life (it had also led to more weight in the past!).
When it comes to your health, there's no one "right" way to go. Slow down. Listen. Usually, I find that the right answer will be whispered (or yelled!) to us if we're open enough to hear it.
Love,
P.S – Are you ready to let go of being so "in control" of your diet (without actually ever getting the results you're continuously seeking)? I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to us and let's talk about how we can help you go from controlling to balanced, easeful, and successful.
