Listen to your body. It talks to you all day, every day. It is your most precious possession. Love, honor, respect, and care for it.
Feeding and fueling our bodies is as YOUnique and authentic as each of us.
Know your body. Not just how you feel, but also what you feel.
Food, water, nourishment, matter.
Rest, comfort, attention, matter.
Exercise like walking, running, biking, tennis, aerobics, yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi, basic stretching.
The physical act of pumping and moving life force throughout your body. Literally unclogging your self, matters.
How do you take care of your body?
What ails you?
How are you taking care of that?
Do you have physical pain in any part of your body?
Do you feel inflammation or sluggishness?
How are you healing yourself physically, naturally?
Our bodies speak to us every minute of every day.
Do you listen to your body? Do you hear the messages it is sending you?
How will you care for, and cherish, your body?
How does food affect our bodies
The nutrients from the food we put in our bodies give our cells the ability to perform their necessary functions. Think of it as planting a garden. If you are planting a tomato seed, ideally you use the right soil and the right amount of sun for the best success. However, if you use the cheapest dirt and don’t give it enough sunlight you may still get a tomato, but the tomato may not be the ripest, roundest, reddest, or tastiest tomato.
In other words, giving our bodies the right nutrients can help you grow to a healthier version of yourself. Thinking about food from this aspect goes beyond calories and good food versus bad food. You need to focus on the foods you are putting in your body versus the foods you are excluding.
– Advanced body scan
Listen To Your Body
Roughly ten years ago, I became concerned with my health. My feet always seemed to be swollen, and my fingers hurt, particularly when I curled them into a fist. They felt stiff. Along with a few other symptoms, I was hearing the message my body was sending – something was not right.
So I drank more water, elevated my feet, ate anti-inflammatory foods and herbs. I tried everything I could think of, but this inflammation wouldn’t go away.
I visited my doctor, had an endoscopy and was diagnosed with Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Being ever mindful, I consulted books on how to change my diet, much preferable to taking medication.
I did everything in the books, but after awhile, I noticed some things did not make sense.
For instance, if I had GERD then food such as marinara sauce and drink such as red wine should have bothered me, but they did not. Plus, my inflammation was not going away. My body was definitely telling me something still wasn’t right. I was quite perplexed and unsure where to go next.
Lucky for me, I happened to be at a seminar one day, where a gentleman was speaking about detecting and treating various ailments. The gentleman was a chiropractor by trade who also practiced enzyme replacement therapies. As he was speaking, he was listing all my symptoms. I booked an appointment.
After a very thorough exam, he recommended I exclude Gluten from my diet. That meant no beer, which was something I had been very fond of, but I did it. I desperately wanted my body to feel better.
Gradually, over time, I felt better! All my symptoms went away….. as long as I did not overindulge in gluten heavy foods.
Moral of the story: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!! Doctors still question me about the gluten sensitivity. I even went to an allergist, at my doctors recommendation, who also confirmed the sensitivity.
There is no test to confirm my sensitivity (it’s not celiac). I just know what my body is telling me.
How Can My Story Help You?
I hope my story inspires you to listen to what your body is saying, and if it is persistent in the message, be persistent in listening. Consult traditional and holistic doctors. Use a food journal to track what you are eating and see if there is a connection to how you feel.
Try as many strategies as you can to identify the root of your ailment.
Don’t stop until you feel good and know what your body is telling you.
Healthy Eating Habits
We all know that healthy eating habits are critical. But do we all know strategies to support them?
Here are a few that you can try:
Awareness
Learn how to read labels and learn about general nutrition. Also, do not fall for advertising that is only looking to catch you on the latest fad diet or send you to the closest fast food joint.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is bringing your full attention and awareness to the act of eating. It is being mindfully aware of the food you are preparing, and eating, in the present moment.
When practicing Mindful Eating, you fully immerse yourself in the experience. From sensory exploration to the soil that grew the food, to how that food will nourish you.
Sit at the table. Back straight, both feet planted on the floor. Follow these steps:
- How does your food look? Notice the beauty of your food. Color, shape, firmness or fluidity.
- What does it smell like? What images/thoughts/emotions does the smell evoke?
- How does the food feel in your hand/fingers?
- Consider everything involved in getting the food to you. Farmers, factory workers, storekeepers, truckers.
- Consider what elements were involved in the making of the food. Earth, air, water, sun.
- As you put the food in your mouth, before chewing, experience the tactile sensation of the food.
- Notice the feeling as your mouth begins watering, producing saliva.
- Taste the food. Move it around in your mouth and notice if the taste changes.
- Chew the food. Chew slowly, mindfully, until the food is reduced to mush that easily slides down your esophagus.
- Observe the feeling of the food moving down your esophagus.
- What flavors remain in your mouth?
When we savor our food in this way, we naturally come to understand the difference between a processed food that is mass produced and an organically, naturally created gift of nourishment.
Mealtime
How you eat your meals is extremely important. Here are some tips to avoid overeating:
- Drink a full 8oz glass of water before you eat.
- Sit at a table, in a chair, both feet on the floor, facing forward, head up so eyes are looking straight.
- Don’t read your book, the newspaper, watch TV or play on your phone. Just eat.
- Take a mindful breath before you take a bite. As you eat, chew fully. Stop and pause between bites. Put your fork down between bites if it helps you to pause.
- Do not eat too fast. Take 20-30 minutes to eat your meal.
- After you finish eating, drink another 8oz glass of water.
- If you still feel hungry after eating your meal, wait at least 15-20 minutes before going for seconds. Sometimes your brain is still waiting to receive the message that your stomach is full. If, after 20 minutes you still feel hungry, have a second serving, but be mindful of the size, and follow the same eating process.
Listen to your body. It talks to you all day, every day. It is your most precious possession. You need to love, honor, respect, and care for it.
This blog post has been about how to Listen To Your Body. I hope you take away something that will help you on your journey of self discovery.
I will leave you with these very wise words:
“THE FIVE CONTEMPLATIONS”
1.This food is a gift of the Earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.
2.May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food.
3.May we recognize and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
4.May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.
5.We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.”
Thich nhat hanh, how to eat
Peace & Love,
Lorraine
