I am going to get real with you. The last few years (since the studio has opened) have completely flown by. Each passing day has brought new opportunities and experiences. I have met and connected with so many incredible people and I couldn’t be happier with where this journey has taken me. I have been working relentlessly to build my brand, my studio, my community and more personally – my life back up from scratch. This has all come at a cost – the harder I have worked, the more depleted I have felt. Here I am, leading, inspiring and exemplifying what it means to take control of your health, food and how to live a more natural holistic lifestyle but I am compromising my own health. At the end of the day, I am tapped, exhausted and drained. I have even encountered more health challenges this year than ever before. I don’t even have kids (yet) and often feel that I am running on empty. I know this is all temporary, as the big picture of my business (TBD) is on it’s way!
Real Health Tips
That said, burning the candle at both ends is and has been my life for some time now. But I am not going to let that happen any more, I want to be the one holding the candle, while it burns bright from only the top! I know what it takes, I have the knowledge, the foundation and even more so now with all my amazing colleagues, friends and other experts that inspire me everyday! Slowly, I have been taking control of my health to get it back to the thriving girl I know is there. I have been working hard to create more balance by, taking weekends off (when I can), enjoying all the activities that I love to do (yoga, bike, hike, run) on off hours and booking mini vacations when feasible (which is hard to come by when you run your own biz). Of course this is all in addition to spending time with friends and loved ones.
The point of writing this post is not only to be totally vulnerable with you, but to also hold myself accountable. These words are now going out to the world and they are here to stay.
Here are some tips that I have implemented and started to integrate on a daily basis. All of which “were” working against me, and now have made a radical difference in my overall health and vitality
1. Make your wind up and wind down times special. What you do when you get up, is your special time for you – it sets the tone to your day. Your morning and evening routine will reflect the quality of your health. Take that sacred time whether it’s one hour or 10 minutes that is just for you – to get you going for the day or for a restful sleep at night. Implement meditation, movement, hydration, stretching, dry brushing in the morning. For the evening maybe add in a calming tea (CALM, chamomile, tulsi, ginger), soothing music, reading, a podcast or meditation. All of which can help to nourish you to a fabulous sleep. Be sure to also turn off your wifi, dim your lights and set a total mood for bed.
2. Discover which foods nourish you. Don’t just buy into the trends. Don’t convince yourself that you need to eat a certain way to be “healthy”. What works for you today? Not tomorrow. I have recently been experimenting with my own body and the foods that nourish it. Adding in organic eggs and sheep + goat cheese a couple of times a month, have seemed to help balance me. It’s not just about protein. The plant world will always be the foundation to provide me with the protein that I need day in and day out. However, my body is requiring other nutrients that I just haven’t been getting enough of recently, and this has started to become apparent. Luckily I am very aware of my body and how I feel and I am listening to what it needs today. Tomorrow it could be something else.
3. It’s okay to be lazy and to do nothing at all. Trust me, as a Type A, busy-body personality this is very hard to accept. Down time has never come easy, neither have naps, resting or even watching TV. I am usually restless and antsy. Now with my “all over the place” schedule I am STARTING to embrace the time in between and letting myself know, that it’s okay to have no plans and do nothing. It’s still very hard.
4. When you are at a loss for answers, don’t think you know everything & seek out other experts. Whether you are a health practitioner or even just a health/nutrition junky, we all have a tendency to self prescribe and make often uninformed drastic choices for what we “think” is best for ourselves. Of course you have to make the call at the end of the day, it’s your body and what you eat and what supplements you take has to feel right for you. My point is to make sure you gather all the information that you need to make an informed decision about your health. Then you’ve got to stick to your new plan or protocol at least for a bit in order to heal. Even us practitioners sometimes try and look for quick fixes 🙂
I hope this gives you some small tips to point you in the right direction. There are more things I can share and I actually may come back and update this blog with some new ideas every once in a while. So check back! Comment below if you have some strategies to upgrade your health to the next level. How are you self nurturing? Inspire me (and others)!