Where to start on a health & healing journey prt.2
Last week, I was inspired to share a more holistic take on where to start on a health and healing journey in a world that has so much information to tell us about what is right. In that post, here, we dove into some great questions to begin laying the foundation for the new house of health we’re out to build.
I believe that if we want to create more lasting and impactful change, then taking some time to get clear and pour intention into your new path can be extremely helpful. You may find that the only thing you know is that you want to feel better, and that’s okay too. You can continue to gain clarity as you begin healing and nourishing your body. You will find that as you cleanse, nourish, and begin to heal, your body becomes more open and connective. You free up space in your body and you start to become more… you.
So this week, I wanted to provide some places that you could start to implement physical change into your life if it is something you are seeking. Let’s explore.
WHERE TO START:
There are a few areas we know we can take into account
Movement
Nutrition & Hydration
Lifestyle Habits
Sleep
Stress
But when it comes to these areas, we don’t need to jump into extremes. Here is what I would recommend.
Movement-
What are your current habits with movement? How often do you move your body and what does that look like for you? Try implementing a non negotiable 30 minute walk a day, and 15-45 minutes of another form of movement. Yoga, pilates, weights, and other lower intensity workouts are an incredible place to start with this while walking is amazing for pumping the lymphatic system and encouraging you to spend time outdoors in the fresh air. Though I hope to create a resource for you one day for enjoyable, fun, movement that feels good, youtube can be an amazing resource. But don’t limit yourself. If you are just starting out, try as many forms of movement as possible, and continue to keep it interesting as you go. Movement doesn’t have to be structured and rigid, it can be quite free flowing and fun. Eventually, physical activity will become as second nature as brushing your teeth and your lifestyle will simply just be an active one. Home workouts, group classes, heading to the gym, trying a barre class, are all great places to start. While different forms of movement can have different key benefits, for example pilates will offer resistance and strength training while lengthening and aligning the body, while swimming also improves strength but it will mostly enhance cardiovascular strength, there is no reason to buy into the idea that you must move your body in any specific way, unless you have specific goals. If your goal is primarily to build muscle, choosing running as your most dominant form of movement way be misaligned. However, when it comes to starting a health and healing journey, start by taking note of where you are at, and what movement practice is most fitting to you and your lifestyle. If you go from no movement, to deciding you will engage in 2 hour gym sessions 6 days a week, you may be setting yourself up on a path that you can’t keep on. Start simple, nothing has to be overcomplicated. Walking and yoga are lovely places to start with gentle movement to begin clearing and releasing the body.
Nutriton & Hydration-
This is another huge topic in the health world. It seems that every where you turn, there is another food to avoid and other rule to follow and they all contradict each other. I want to reiterate that health is not meant to be complicated. We were placed on this earth with everything that we need to thrive and be in good health. & the more we connect with nature and our external world, the more clear and easeful healthful eating will become. As far as what to eat, keep it simple. Begin each morning with hydration. Water, teas, fresh juices, and fruits. As you begin to rise, begin hydrating your body so your body can gently cleanse and re-plump the cells that have dehydrated over night. Start with water, add lemon for a kick, and then move to other beverages like a fresh juices, teas, and fruits. Having 1-2 pieces of fruit before eating your breakfast can help aide digestion and get the body running. Be sure to drink water throughout the day. Herbal teas and juices are welcome as well. Limit your caffeine to a reasonable amount, and try to avoid having caffeine before eating or hydrating first. Make meals that are balanced are nourishing. This means including fats, proteins, and carbs at each meal. Check your food labels. Eliminate ingredients like refined, bleached flours, high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, added flavors, preservatives, msg, and bioengineered ingredients. Stick to real, whole, foods. Whole grains, sprouted breads or bread made from only a few simple ingredients. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, are all wonderful foods to fill your plate with. Nutrition can feel complicated though, especially if you’re in the dark about nutrition entirely. If. you need more support here, you can contact me at my email for more support.
Lifestyle habits-
What are your daily lifestlye habits that could use improvement? Do you regularly engage in habits that improve your quality of life and wellbeing? Making it a goal to spend time in nature daily, to spend a few moments connecting to your breath and your body, and taking even 10 minutes a day to simply care for yourself intentionally can drastically improve and aide the quality of your life. You could journal, meditate, clean, or sit outside without distractions to soak up nature. This may be a great place to start spending some time checking over the products in your home as well. Candles, cleaning supplies, bath and body care can all host an array of toxic chemicals. Go easy and slow, it’s okay if you need to take your time to begin ridding of the old and adding in the new.
Stress-
This a huge one. stress is a major factor in our wellbeing.