Posts Tagged ‘healthy lifestyle tips’

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An important key to healthy living

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

listening to your body joyce cherrier

 

The first time I tried surfing I was 16. That was *gasp* 33 years ago. It was the beginning of a personal transformation and life journey. I was at a crossroad and I could either go down the healthy path or unhealthy path. I fell in love with surfing that day and luckily it caused me to head down the healthy path.

Back then, healthy info was not readily available like it is now. There was the basic eat your veggies mantra but not much more. But what I did notice was that being in the water all day made me crave real food. I didn’t desire donuts after four hours of surfing or windsurfing. I wanted lean protein and veggies and good carbs. It just felt right. As the fitness craze started to take off and more science became available, it all started to make sense.

Like depending on auto-fill to spell words, I have often found it easy to depend only on what I’m hearing and reading and forget to pay attention to what I’m feeling. But whenever I go back to listening to my body I’m able to make better choices. If I have an upset stomach or I’m really tired I want to know why. I would then take an inventory and change what I was doing.

Many times there are the usual suspects when my body starts complaining:

  • Processed food
  • Simple carbs
  • Too much sugar
  • Lots of gluten
  • Not enough sleep
  • Stress
  • Sodium overload
  • Not enough activity

I’m slightly obsessive about reading the newest health and fitness info, but I think we need to be the experts of our bodies by listening to and adjusting how we’re treating it. Keeping a journal helps you to evaluate and start to make the connections between what you put into your body and how it responds. That includes exercise and sleep patterns. After awhile you learn what’s negatively affecting you and you can make some adjustments. It then will become a lifestyle.

Only you know how you feel. Listening to your body is one of the most important keys to lifetime health.

Do you listen to what your body has to say?

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Posted in The Company You Keep | 9 Comments »

When your body speaks, do you listen?

Monday, June 27th, 2011

listening to your intuition

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I would have spelled the word right.

S. O. U. V. E. N. I. R.

Souvenir.

However, in that moment, when it really mattered most, I had a total brain collapse and I spelled it wrong.

S. O. U. V. E. R. N. I. R.

DING… “We’re sorry Mr. Sullivan… Congratulations Riannon”

For the second year in a row Riannon Fletcher (yes, I still remember her name even though it was in the 4th grade) beat me in the school Spelling Bee. I took second place. It felt like I should have been the first loser. I was devastated and distraught. It was probably the easiest word I had been given during the course of the competition and because of one fleeting moment when I decided I’d just spout out my answer instead of thinking it through, I misspelled the word.

I missed out on the 8 inch trophy of a bee wearing glasses and a cap and gown. I missed out on my chance to go to regionals and compete for that $50 first prize furnished by the local newspaper. And most of all I missed out on the glory of being recognized by my peers as “the best speller in the school.” This was before spell check too, so it was kind of a big deal.

This is obviously all a little bit tongue in cheek (only a little though, I hold grudges), but do we ever do the same thing to our bodies?

Do we ever just skip over that internal prompting or voice that’s helping us understand what it is we need nutritionally, just because we’re in a rush or because we try and outsmart our intuition?

I know that I do.

When I was 9 years old I trained my brain countless hours so that I could win that spelling bee. The amazing thing about our bodies is that they instinctively come packaged with the ability to let us know when things are running smoothly, and when there’s a red flag.

All we have to do is take the time to listen. We have to stop and think long enough to hear our bodies tell us what they need.

As life gets increasingly busy, the ability to stop and ask ourselves “am I full, or am I trying to clear my plate?” becomes more and more difficult. When we eat that favorite food we know is going to make us sick afterward (hello pork nachos!), we’re ignoring the wisdom of our bodies.

All the studying in the world won’t better help us understand our dietary needs better than the signals from our own bodies. That’s a fact. Next time we reach for that chicken wing (traditionally indigestion-inducing), cheese stick (for the lactose sensitive), or baguette (for the gluten sensitive), let’s take a quick pause and listen before we partake.

Taking the time to learn from our bodies will definitely help in our respective journeys to be       H. A. P. P. Y. Guaranteed!

Do you have any techniques you use to listen to your super wise body? Share them in the comments!

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Posted in Healthy Living Tips, The Company You Keep | 8 Comments »

Finding Your A-HA! Moment for a Healthy Life

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

healthy passion

Sometimes health and fitness can seem like a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. Do this workout and eat this food and all your healthy dreams will come true.

And then there’s reality.

Being on the planet for almost 5 decades does have some advantages and the one thing I’ve learned is you have to discover what works for you. There are general rules that go with health and fitness like calories in, calories out; but even that rule is an individual thing. How many calories and how much exercise each person needs depends on variables.

Lifetime health comes from consistently eating healthy foods and consistently moving. But that comes in a lot of packages.

And that’s where the need for the A-HA! moment comes in.

When I was 16 I was smoking cigarettes and doing nothing physical. Then I met a friend who surfed. I had always felt drawn to the ocean and went to the beach often. We paddled out on the same giant board and when a wave would come he’d grab the back of my wetsuit and help me get up quickly and steady me. My whole life’s direction changed that day.

It became my passion. I had an A-HA! moment, though I didn’t know it at the time. Now I didn’t have the desire to smoke. I felt myself getting physically stronger. I wanted to eat foods that helped me be stronger and fed my muscles. I wanted to try some resistance training because I had learned it could complement my new sport love and help me build strength. I had more energy. I slept better. I felt better emotionally. I looked better. That was about 32 years ago! Although I can’t get to the ocean as much as I like now, healthy eating and exercise is so much a part of my DNA now, it’s as normal as brushing my teeth or washing my hair.

So ask yourself, what’s your passion? What do you long to do or be? Is it trying to run a 5k? Or creating a beautiful garden in your yard? Maybe you always wanted to try martial arts or learn to wakeboard. What about horseback riding or beach volleyball, or biking? Are you an outside person or inside person? A mountain or beach person? Is there something you watch someone do that makes you long to do it?

Passion for something makes it easy to stick with. It becomes a part of who you are. Finding your healthy passion will not only improve your physical self but will also spill over into all areas of your being. A healthy lifestyle will change your whole life, not just your dress size.

Have you found your healthy passion?

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Posted in Healthy Living Tips, The Company You Keep | 2 Comments »

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