If you’re like many of the people that I connect with on a daily basis, you have big plans for each new season.
It’s as though as we enter any different seasons, there’s a new energy that rises. There’s a shift internally about what we want to accomplish. We can often feel like there’s an internal drive to embark on change. Many times this is connected to our well being.
Entering a new season is a good time to reevaluate your life and set new intentions or create new habits. You may have found as you move through a season, life takes over and derails your plans. How you approach your health and wellness goals affects your success.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could create positive change with ease, instead of putting more pressure on yourself?
What is it for you?
What do you want to accomplish this season? Do you want to drink more water? This may seem like a simple thing to you, however it’s a challenge for many people I hear from. There are so many other beverages available on the market with more flavour and they often carry lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners. As you bridge the gap from these unhealthy options to drinking more water, try this low-sugar, calcium/antoxidant fortified drink.
Perhaps you want to have a daily movement practice – a home workout, a walking or running group, or a soothing yoga practice.
The concept of selecting and starting with one thing is that it’s far more achievable than embarking on a complete lifestyle change over a season. Fitting in changes amidst all your other responsibilities can become overwhelming fast.
While many improvements can be seen in your health and wellbeing over a 30 day period, making gradual changes over time is less stressful and more likely to become a habit. Embarking on a very big goal can feel too overwhelming and can lead to walking away from your goal altogether.
For many ambitious women I meet, jammed schedules are blocking their health progress. It feels counterintuitive to stop working a bit earlier to fit in a workout. Pouring more energy into work may feel like it will yield better results, and they can just workout later. Except later is when the physical and mental fatigue has set in and it becomes much easier to reach for an energy boost from food or caffeine to fuel just one more task.
What they haven’t experienced yet is the magic of stopping work earlier to care for their body, exercise, get into nature, or go to bed earlier and see their energy soar later. Doing this allows for more creativity and flow and makes for higher levels of productivity in the future.
I invite you to think about the one simple thing you can create a habit around that’s going to help elevate everything else in your life. I could share a list of ideas with you, but I believe that you may already know what it is. Stop, take a few deep breaths and feel into what your body needs. Follow your inner wisdom. This is how you’ll stick to the new habit you’ve chosen to cultivate.
The self care I teach is soul driven. The kind that is directed from within you. It’s not dictated by what others are doing. It’s something that I guide you through in order to help you tune in to the things that you’re truly craving. You may not be able to articulate what those things are. But when you walk through a series of questions, your true needs will be uncovered.
You may be really surprised by what you need.
For instance, if you find that you’re craving a lot of sweet or salty foods, you may simply be craving pleasure in your life. It could mean you desire deeper connection with a friend or lover. You could also be craving sugary foods because you’re tired and your body is searching for energy. In this case, getting more sleep may actually be what your body needs.
You may be craving particular nutrients that you could be addressed by starting on a personalized nutritional supplement. I found this to be the case when I had powerful cravings for potatoes and cabbage. It turned out a blood test showed me that I my iron storage levels were very low. You can read that story here.
The challenge comes when you indulge a craving over and over without uncovering what your actual needs are and it becomes a pattern that negatively impacts your health. While this can result in weight gain, it’s important to remember that this is an indicator of elevated inflammation in your body that can work against your health over time.
After living through a challenging 2020/21, you may be feeling lonely, stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed. It’s been a lot to go through. And you still deserve to feel whole.
Starting with one thing can move you forward into a whole lifetime of beautiful habits and experiences. It can also lead to you uncovering your soul’s work and what you’re meant to do next. One shift can make all the difference.
Tell Me:
What gets in your way when you set out to make a change in your healthy habits during a new season? What’s one thing you can to do that you believe will improve other areas of you life? Please share in the comments. I’d love to cheer you on!
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Blessings,
Sheila
