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Let's preface this Zen Blog post by reminding everyone that I am NOT anti-technology; I'm anti-"How-we-use-it". I am a firm believer that re-learning how to listen to our amazing human physiology, sets a more solid foundation for us to create positive deep health change. Not only will it set a more solid foundation for our health practices, it will also arguably having us feeling BETTER and feeling LESS STRESS connected to our chosen health habits.
Your Body is NOT "Against" you
Your body is 100% NOT against you. On the contrary, it's VERY MUCH on our side. Humans are amazingly adaptive beings. Our physiology adapts to the stimulus/environment that WE provide it on a regular basis...
-If we sit often, the body becomes good at sitting - to make it easier for us
-If we run often, the body becomes good at running - to make it easier for us
-If we lift heavy things often, the body becomes good at lifting heavy things - to make it easier for us
-If we walk/hike up hills often, the body becomes good at walking up hills - to make it easier for us
-If we eat more food than we need, the body becomes good at storing that energy for later
-If we live high stress days, the body becomes good at keeping those stress hormones fired up so we can "deal with it"
The BODY IS TOTALLY ON our side. It's a matter of what we provide it most often.
In addition to that, it also "speaks" to us. Unfortunately, MOST things we tend to do in today's modern way of living pulls us further and further from listening to our body, which leaves us frustrated, stressed and confused when it comes to our health and wellbeing.
-The body is very good at letting us know when we feel GOOD or when we feel A BIT OFF.
-The body is very good at letting us know when we're doing something "out of the norm" for us.
-The body is very good at letting us know when we're doing too much, too soon.
-The body is very good at letting us know that 'this' food makes us feel good, and 'that' food makes us feel blah.
-The body is very good at letting us know that the constant barrage of stress hormones on a regular basis is impacting other systems and functions within our physiology
BUT we often DON'T LISTEN. Instead, we opt for what our watches say, what our phone tells us, how many "badges/awards" we got this week in our free app we downloaded OR... we simply ignore the body's efforts in "talking to us". We have given the innate knowledge our own nature over to stats and technology to decide whether we are "doing good" or "not so good", whether it's a "good day" or a "bad day" .... OR.... We "push through" and ignore it.
*Reminder - I'm discussing this from what MOST of us NEED / ARE DOING. Most of us being the GENERAL PUBLIC. Yes, elite athletes, elite services professions etc, who have specific targets to meet, tight timelines and more, need to be more specific and can utilize the benefits of technology in addition to listening to their body.
The average, everyday person (you and I)...
-DON'T have specific timelines imposed on us (except the self-imposed ones)
-Has TIME. We have the REST OF OUR LIVES to create positive change in our deep health.
-DON'T NEED to be as specific as elite athletes. (Eg: In pro sports, the best in the world in what they do, benefit from a 1% advantage on their opponents. For most of the world, us general population folks, 1% advantage does NOT have the same effect. This also means, we can get MORE benefit from being more general with our health practices than the top 1% of humans - that's a good thing in my books)
-DON'T put our bodies through what elite athletes or elite services professions do
We Approach our Health in ways that we Think we "HAVE TO"
From my experience, this is the case with many clients over my couple decades of working with people and their wellbeing. We "say" we know there's no "one size fits all" approach, but then our actions deviate completely from what we say. We act in ways that we feel we "should" or "have to" in order to improve our health and wellbeing.
How's that working for you?
(*Not sarcastic - genuine question*)
Imagine approaching your health in a way where you're not "shoulding yourself" on a regular basis...
Imagine doing things for yourself because you feel good while you're doing it and/or after you've done it...
Imagine creating new habits that make you feel good from the inside out most days, compared to if you weren't doing those chosen habits...
These things are VERY attainable, but I would argue that our attachment to technology and general stats are actually pulling us further away from these possibilities. These are tools. Tools should NEVER replace our individual nature within us.
How can we Re-Learn how to work WITH our Body?
When we're young (like infants), NATURE guides us. Our physiology tells us when we're hungry, uncomfortable, when we want to move, when we want to rest... It's amazing. Also during that time in our lifespan, we are HAPPY in our body and we TRUST it. It's only as we grow that our environment and present day world begins to guide us further away from Mother Nature's design.
I can't express the JOY and "weight" that is lifted off your shoulders, when you begin down this path of re-learning. When we begin to rekindle the knowledge that our body is FAR from "dumb" and that it is TOTALLY in our corner throughout our lifetime, it truly opens so many doors for positive change. Here are some ways we can begin to work our way back into that natural trust and relationship with our physiology...
Take the Time to Listen. Our modern lives are WAY too "on the go". Not just in the physical sense, but in all aspects. The amount of "noise" that goes on around us each and every day is beyond anything the human body has experienced in history. We FLOOD our minds with information (good, bad and/or ugly) regularly and constantly, we listen to videos, podcasts, music for a good chunk of our days... We RARELY just SIT and BE. In other words, when in our days do we actually take even just a few minutes to conciously, PAY ATTENTION to our body and to UNDERSTAND what it's telling us?
Write Things Down. Journaling, tracking, logging... whatever you want to call it and however you want to explore this practice, is a great way to look at the bigger picture. It doesn't need to be a forever thing either. What it can do is help us have a better understanding of the bigger picture from a neutral perspective. As we write, we simply record things AS THEY ARE in that moment. After a week, two or a month even, you can get a better idea of things to make a more informed decision about how to create change. Sometimes, it even leads us to understand that we actually feel better / are doing better than we thought.
Re-Learning TRUST in our Physiology. This requires time, concious effort and practice, but it can be SO POWERFUL in helping us find our way to the deep health we individually want. It's a mindset shift AWAY from the norm. It's the vocabularly we use on a regular basis when chatting with others. Understanding and re-learning that our physiology is totally on our side, can create a blank canvas for you moving forward in your health goals. The more we tell ourselves or others, that our body "hates us", the more we will live that lie.
Re-Learn using your Physiology as your Guide. No one knows YOU, like YOU. Only YOU know your physiology on such a deep level. Most of us have just forgotten that for a variety of reasons. Starting to practice approaching your health and wellness goals, plans and endeavours with self-compassion, an openness and trust will allow you to not only feel good inside and out, but feel the positive change beginning to happen in your deep health.
-If your body is telling you you're tired today, drop the intensity or duration in your exercise
-If your mind is foggy or tired, lean towards less cognitive demanding tasks for today
-If you feel unwell, but you "have to get your run in" maybe just go for a short walk today
-If your energy is low over a few days, conciously look to work in recovery activities that will promote energy instead of energy draining activities
-If you find your focus, memory or ability to stick to one task is faltering, look to make some small changes in your daily habits that have you doing the exact opposite
Often, Doing the Opposite Helps. This goes hand in hand with the previous ideas. If we don't like how we feel or how our body is responding during our daily routines, it usually is a sign the body is telling us something. When our body is telling us something, we can often consider the opposite in order to create a positive change:
-If your body is uncomfortable, joints are stiff etc it may be due to LACK of movement and/or movement variety. Adding just a little more movement to your daily routine may create the change you want.
-If we have a habit of grabbing processed, high calorie snacks/drinks and our energy and motivation is low, begin to bring in more nutrient dense foods instead and pay attention to how you feel and where your energy and motivation goes.
-If we find our focus is "out of whack", begin incorporating times where we have less "noise" (no screens, no social media etc). "Go analogue" so to speak and allow your focus to naturally fall in to place.
Know and Trust that our Physiology will Adapt, in time, to whatever we do Consistently
A big part of re-learning to trust our physiology and knowing our body is NOT against us, is re-learning the fact that nature (i.e. us humans) always adapts to whatever environment we provide for it, over time. This requires not only trust, but patience. However when we TRUST that our physiology is on our side, it makes that patience a bit easier and allows us to keep our focus on the process, ensuring our daily practices and routines are in place. When we do this, our physiology does the rest.
There are SO many factors and SO much going on in and outside of our body 24/7, that we cannot possibly control it in the "black and white" / "A+B=C" manner that we have been led to believe. Provide the environment and stimulus for change, and our amazing body will take care of the rest!
This intuitive approach to nutrition, movement and deep health in general has completely changed my approach, mindset and has re-gifted me the JOY in creating a healthy lifestyle for life for me. I have totally fallen in love with this approach to health and wellbeing, and it has really benefited so many clients as well. Imagine taking away unnecessary stress we attach to our health and wellness? If you'd like to dive deeper into this approach, feel free to book a FREE discovery call with me and let's chat about how coaching can help you re-learn that your body is AMAZING and is ON YOUR SIDE.
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