As a new year begins, I thought it would be a good idea to examine how you currently live and how you can make it even better. To do that I’m going to talk about how simplicity and abundance can be used to create a life you love.
This article is the third part in a four-part series on simplicity and abundance for your:
Space : the physical world you live in
Mind : your mental experience
Body: your physical health
Soul: your inner experience.
My intention for you is to be able to identify goals for yourself after reading these four parts and be able to begin integrating your insights to create a whole picture of who you are and what you want.
DEFINITIONS
I want to start with some quick definitions to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Body: This refers to all things physical, including but not limited to your health, strength, healing, internal organ function, hair, nails and skin.
Simplicity: Reducing the overwhelm of input from outside sources to find your own body’s needs.
Abundance: Increasing the beneficial habits that maintain a healthy, strong body that will carry you through your life.
SIMPLIFYING FOR GREATER RESULTS
There is a lot of information out there about the human body and how to take care of it. A lot.
Books, the internet (please, oh please, stop looking to WebMD for answers), articles, social media, your mother, your best friend, infomercials, podcasts…the list seems never ending.
I have seen people who are committed to gluten-free one week, then they read an article saying wheat bread is a must, so they start eating that every day. The next week it’s the cabbage soup diet, the next week it’s something Dr. Oz said, and the next it’s something else.
I’m not kidding, I’ve seen this exact scenario and variations on it over and over in my years of practice in psychology.
It’s too much. All of that information needs to be paired down.
Determine a source you have reason to trust and get your information there.
If you get information that contradicts your source, research it, ask questions.
Trust your own instincts.
Be logical about your choices.
Remember that miracle cures don’t exist, you will have to work for your health.
Simplify your approach to your own health by deciding for yourself what you believe. Know why you believe that.
If you find yourself jumping from one fad to the next, ask yourself why. Are you impatient and want instant results? Do you think everyone else must be an expert on your own body?
Slow down.
If you find yourself on a ton of prescription medications and you aren’t totally sure why, ask your doctor. You are allowed, and even encouraged to ask questions and take your health into your own hands.
If you’re working out seven days a week and are perpetually fatigued, try cutting back and see if giving your body a chance to heal helps.
If you’re sleeping 10 hours a day and you aren’t a teenager, and you still feel fatigued, talk to your doctor and/or your therapist. You may have a medical issue or a mental concern.
Slow down and think.
This is your body and you get to make decisions for it. Too much of almost anything is never a good thing. There is always the possibility that one thing is canceling another out. Simplify down to only what is necessary then add on intentionally.
THE ABUNDANTLY HEALTHY BODY
As you examine what you may have too much of, you can also examine what you don’t have enough of.
A healthy, strong body that sustains you to a ripe old age takes some maintenance. Intentional maintenance. Mindful choices.
We all vary in the amount of sleep that is the sweet spot for us. Some people do great at seven hours, others are a bear unless they get a full nine hours.
Lack of sleep can lead to symptoms and behaviors that mimic mental illness, like depression, anxiety, paranoia, irritability, and impulsivity. It can also lead to physical health issues as sleep is when our bodies heal.
So, if you’re running yourself ragged and not getting enough sleep, something needs to change. “I don’t have time to sleep” is not a valid argument. You have the time, but you may have to reduce or release something else.
You’ll decide if you and your health are a priority or not.
Ignoring your eating habits will lead to either eating unhealthy things, or eating too little or too much. It’s important to increase your awareness of your eating habits so you can make ones you feel good about.
All of our bodies need to move. Joints need to be in the practice of moving or you turn into the Tin Man. Muscles need to be moved to maintain strength to hold those joints in place.
If you have a job that has you sitting all day (I have one of those) find some way to move your body at least 20 minutes every day. I don’t even care what you choose to do. Yoga, Pilates, walking, running, biking, weights, isometrics, dancing, horseback riding, swimming…it’s your body, you choose!
Having an abundance of awareness of how you choose to care for your body is how you determine what habits you want to increase to help sustain your body.
CHOOSE WISELY
There will be days when your body is worn out and what you need most is rest. There will be other days when you’ve been sedentary for too long and your body must get some movement.
Having a loving relationship with your body helps you to know what it needs at any given time. A mixture of simplicity and abundance in just the right proportions is key.
If you’re having a hard time tapping into your relationship with your body and deciding what you need
If you think you may be confused by your body’s signals
If you’re so accustomed to doing things one way that you feel “wrong” doing it any other way even though you know it isn’t healthy…
…Then you will need professional support on your journey toward health.
That support may be your physician, chiropractor, exercise instructor, dentist, psychiatrist, dietician, and/or me, your Integrative Life Coach.
I can help you pull all of the information together to make the most informed decisions. I can also help you get in tune with your own body, and work though the mental messages that interrupt your intuition.
We can do this together!