Giving Thanks for Your Incredible Body
If you live in the US, Happy Thanksgiving!! And even if you don’t, giving thanks always feels good:) So this week I have a special invitation for you. I invite you to give thanks for your incredible, amazing, wise and powerful body. That’s right, I said incredible, amazing, wise, and powerful. Because you know what? No matter what your body looks like or what it feels like, it is all of those things. And if it’s not looking, feeling, or performing in the way that you’d like, chances are it’s simply doing its job of letting you know that something has to change. I’ve talked quite a bit before about how symptoms and health challenges are ultimately simply information. Your body letting you know that something about what you’re currently doing, how you’re currently living, is not working for you. And honestly, what a gift. It might not feel good, it might not be easy to hear, and it might not feel easy to change. But your body will never stop telling you the truth. Why?
Do you feel helpless with your health?
I wanted to connect with you because I’ve been talking to a lot of women lately who are really frustrated with their health. They feel tired, exhausted, depleted. They are carrying extra weight- and it impacts how they feel in their bodies, their energy, their joints, their ability to move- not to mention their self-image and confidence levels. They are struggling to get pregnant, and they feel like a failure as a woman. They are facing a diagnosis that has them feeling unsure, even scared. They feel anxious, stressed, despite being on anti-anxiety medication. They feel guilty about not only what they’re feeding themselves, but their kids and their families. Yet they keep pushing through, keep smiling and saying “good” or “fine” when friends ask how they are, keeping up the facade, when underneath it all they feel frustrated, confused, overwhelmed. The worst part is, they have no idea what to do to change it- or if they even can. They feel helpless and powerless when it comes to their bodies and their health. Is this woman you?
Are You in Love with Your Body?
I’ve been connecting with lots of different women, and thinking about what holds us back from having the health results we really want in our lives- whether those results are losing weight, having better energy, feeling happier, getting pregnant, or experiencing ease from uncomfortable symptoms.
It’s a big question for sure, and although there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” approach that works for everyone, there is one common element that is vital for any woman looking to improve her health- are you curious to know what that one element is?
Drum roll please……..
Why is it so hard?
Here in the States, we are celebrating Halloween, and all things sweet and spooky! I hear a lot of women, particularly moms, groaning about the onslaught of candy that is happening in homes across the country right now. Partly because your kids are going to be hyped up on sugar, and partly because you are now dealing with having lots of candy in your home, which can be hard to resist. Whatever your stance on sugar, I think we can all agree that eating lots and lots of candy isn’t ideal for promoting things like weight loss, balanced hormones, and great skin. Changing our habits often feels hard enough without having constant temptation to boot. So this got me thinking - why is it so hard to change?
When Momma Ain't Happy...
Are you able to enjoy it all? The vibrantly colored leaves, the crisper weather, the festivals, the hayrides, the pumpkins - oh, the pumpkins - they’re everywhere and in everything - lol!! It’s a great time of year - but if your health isn’t where you want it to be, you might be missing out on some of the beauty and magic that currently surrounds you. And to me, that’s just not okay - or at the very least, not ideal.
I talk to so many women who struggle with their health. Are you this woman? You put on a brave face and push yourself through your day-to-day, but behind the scenes, you’re struggling with feeling tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, overweight, foggy, moody, unsure or even scared about what might be going on with your health or your body. It’s not that you don’t try to find answers - you do! It’s just that there is SO much information out there and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and confused. Or you do go to your doctor, and all your lab work is “normal” - you may even be offered an antidepressant. So you do your best to muddle through, you tolerate feeling “blah”, “meh”, or worse, and you keep on keepin’ on. The problem here is...
Want to get to know your body? Try these 3 steps...
A couple weeks ago I was talking about the importance of knowing your body when it comes to being vibrantly healthy. I think of vibrant health as looking and feeling amazing - and if you’re like most women I know, you want that for yourself. But getting to know your body? What does that even mean??? You may find you feel confused, overwhelmed by information, or like a total loser because you can’t seem to figure out what to do, or that when you try to follow “expert” advice, you never seem to be able to get the result you want, if you are even able to stick to it for more than a week. What you aren’t told, though, by all the experts running around out there, is that you are missing a vital piece of the equation - YOU!!! You have been so focused on outside opinions and advice that you forgot to bring yourself to the party - and to create and experience vibrant health, you definitely need to come to the party. So what does that mean - and how do you do it?
Want Vibrant Health? Then answer this question...
In the spirit of promoting, inviting, and encouraging you to embrace the very things that will help you create and experience vibrant health for yourself, I have to ask you a question...
How well do you know your body??? Now, before you answer, I want you to pause, close your eyes, and take a breath. Be really honest with yourself. And let me be clear about what I’m not talking about. I’m not talking about how much you weigh, how many steps you take a day, or your blood pressure. I’m not talking about your cholesterol level, or what diagnoses you’ve been labeled with, or what meds you take. And I’m not talking about which “hot” diet you’re on, what superfoods you eat daily, or even the results of your genomic testing.
The Gift of Your Discontent
I want to share something with you. It’s something I’ve noticed in myself, in the women in my life, and in the women I work with. It has to do with discontent - that sense of longing deep within that you desire something different, something better for yourself. It could be with your health, with a relationship, with your career or work, or with your finances. It could be with something as “small” as feeling “blah” about the same meals you prepare for yourself and your family each week, to something as “big” as not really loving the city or town you live in. What I’ve noticed is that we tend to dismiss our discontent. Like somehow it’s bad or wrong to want something different or new - to want more for ourselves and our lives. So we tolerate the status quo. We wait until “someday” when it makes more sense to address it - if that someday ever comes. When asked how we are, we give the pat answer “Fine” or “Good”, almost as if on automatic pilot, before quickly echoing back, “How are you??” We bury away our discontent behind our smiles, our surface conversation, and our politeness. And in doing so, we miss the gift entirely. Not only that, but dismissing how we really feel chips away, bit by bit, at our vibrance, our strength, our health on every level. Not acknowledging and addressing how we really feel can even lead to or contribute to serious health challenges. And this, my friends, is not good.
So what is the gift?
I needed one - here's one for you
I wanted to share with you an experience I had recently because I suspect you may be able to relate. I was feeling a bit “out of sorts” - not sick, nothing really specific, but I had a vague sense that I was feeling a little stressed, like there just wasn’t enough time in the day, feeling a bit “stuck” in several areas of my life, like things weren’t flowing well, and a little tired. Nothing major. Pretty run-of-the-mill, in fact. Easy to rationalize or explain away - summer ending, the start of a new school year, getting used to a new routine, blah, blah, blah. After all, my whole thing is the power and magic of pleasure for feeling better, so I knew what to do. Or so I thought.
Then I saw a woman who I know, love dearly, and respect tremendously, on Facebook one day, quite by chance, and she was being really vulnerable about something she was going through. And that’s when it hit me - all of a sudden my tears started flowing and I realized how much I had been holding in, how out of touch I had become with myself, and how out of alignment I felt even though in many ways I had “everything”.
Are you ready to choose pleasure?
Are you starting to feel the shift into end-of-summer, back-to-school energy? Did you have an opportunity to enjoy the recent solar eclipse? How are you feeling about adding more pleasure to your life, and focusing on pleasure more during your day-to-day? Remember, your pleasure is not just a selfish afterthought. It’s not something that needs to be compartmentalized to evenings, weekends, and holidays or other special occasions. I’ve heard pleasure described as a commodity - something that’s outside of you, that you need to buy or sell, in order to experience. I’ve also heard pleasure described as a birthright - something we all have access to and are worthy and deserving of, just for being alive. I like to think of pleasure as a natural and required part of vibrant living - where you feel fully alive, fully expressed, and fully turned on to life and all it has to offer. Pleasure is simply a part of living fully.
Pleasure for Productivity
We’ve been talking a lot about pleasure (one of my very favorite topics:), and you may be thinking - this all sounds great, but if I’m focusing on adding more pleasure to my day-to-day, how am I supposed to get anything done? I’m already so pressed for time as it is - I never seem to be able to check off all the boxes on my never-ending to-do list - and you’re asking me to add more to my plate? Not only that, but I don’t see how this is REALLY going to make a difference for me…A nice idea, but not realistic. Sound familiar?
This is something I hear often from women, and the arguments are understandable. In fact, not adding more to an already overbooked day is something I support women to embrace and practice. Makes sense, right?
Too much to do = more stress = feeling overwhelmed = the opposite of the Hot, Happy, Healthy Lifestyle. We’ve all been there.
But what if I told you that pleasure and productivity can go hand-in-hand?
Are you starved for pleasure?
As you enjoy these final weeks of summer, it’s a great opportunity to think about how much pleasure you’re experiencing on a daily basis. Why is this important? Because pleasure is a requirement for vibrant health. Pleasure is an antidote to stress. We know pleasure is important because the body is designed for pleasure - when you look at the anatomy of your body, and particularly your brain, you can see that it’s set up to experience pleasure. The very “pleasure receptors” in our brains are set up in such a way that they can continue to increase in number - this translates to you having the capacity to experience pleasure in an ever-increasing way. But only if you choose to increase this capacity.
And how do you do this?
Pleasure Experience
You’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of pleasure in your day-to-day. But you may be wondering how that translates to you and your life - and why it matters. Two women decide to start walking in the mornings and have a completely different experience.
So what’s the difference?
Feeling Hot??? [Part 1]
What does “feeling hot” mean to you?
When you hear that phrase, does it bring to mind how frustrated you feel with avoiding summer get-togethers for fear of ending up feeling and looking like a wet dog? Or waking up in the middle of the night drenched in a pool of sweat and having to take a shower, change the sheets, and take what feels like hours to fall back to sleep again? Or never knowing what to wear because you never know for sure when your next “flash” will come on?
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone.
Feeling Hot??? [Part 2]
How are you talking to yourself? This is a big topic and there are lots of angles to it - which is great news for you because it means there are many ways you can begin to feel better, hotter, more you. This week’s focus is all about taking a stand for the very things that will support you in feeling your best.
Begin to honor yourself by honoring your own wants and needs.
Feeling Hot??? [Part 3]
We’ve been talking a lot about feeling HOT, and what better time than the end of July to complete our discussion about ways to feel “Hot” the way you want to feel it. I’m not talking about the waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat kind of hot - more like the kind where you feel radiant, glowing, turned on to life, and amazing in your body. That’s the kind of “Hot” you’re going for. We covered some different strategies already - and they all boil down to finding ways to address different sources of stress in your day-to-day.
Time to Make It Happen
How many times have you said to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be great if I ________”? It could be working out regularly, doing some sort of cleanse or even doing something fun for yourself. BUT THEN YOU DON’T DO IT. You get busy. You’re tired. You forget. And when you remember, it’s never the right time. […]
