Summer is upon us and that means talk of beach bodies, getting in shape, losing weight and everything in between. And while that is all great, I wish it would shift to more of a lasting approach such as gaining a nourished, healthy metabolism all year round for life instead of a seasonal decision. If people would shift their focus from just weight loss to actual health, they may be surprised at what their body will do for them. And gasp…that probably includes weight loss. Wouldn’t it be nice to lose weight without the fight?
Are you wondering how this is possible? First, you have to know that it IS POSSIBLE! It means listening to your body and working with your body to create a nourished metabolism – instead of fighting it by calorie restriction, deprivation and excess fitness regimens. Now I’m not promising anything fast but I am promising lasting! If you learn what your body thrives on and what things are harming your body it becomes an easy process of feeding it what, how much and about what times it likes and then stopping all the other junk. For many of us, we need to reconnected with our self.
This sounds crazy, right? I know, I know, but when think about it many of us have lost the ability to hear and know what our bodies really do like. For instance, we are the only species on the face of the Earth who needs to be told when to get a drink of water. If an animal is thirsty, they drink. If not, they don’t! It’s that simple. They don’t have a set standard, or markers to align with. They don’t have rules.
Why don’t you see a bunch of obese wild animals? They listen to their bodies.
We have this same natural ability, we can see it in our infants and children (if allowed to do this). They eat when they are hungry and they drink when they are thirsty. If we didn’t force them to eat something, they would stop when they were satisfied. They don’t have the “food influence” that we have built up throughout our life, all they have is their bodies telling them their needs. And guess what, YOU HAVE THE SAME INSTINCT! Your decision is if you want to find it again. Just remember that you can, if you choose to. This means letting go of diets and the scale…. I know that is frightening for some of you but it is because you are chained to the standards of this society. You can be free of all of that and most importantly you can be HEALTHY!
So what is your body trying to tell you? There are a lot of different things your body is telling you without any blood work or tests. In most cases problems are pretty obvious, if we choose not to ignore it or slap a bandaid on it or find the latest product trend that promises results. What is happening on the outside of your body (including your GI tract -which is technically external) is probably happening on the inside. Get where I am going? Some things that indicate health are;
Gastrointestinal Functioning:
- Bowel Movements (amount, consistency, frequency)
- Heart Burn (Acid Reflux)
- Gassiness
- Bloating
- Upset Stomach
Psychological:
- Mood
- Energy Levels
- How well you sleep (insomnia, difficulty falling asleep)
- Depression or anxiety
Status of your skin, hair and nails:
- Dry, cracked, brittle, thinning, etc.
- Vibrancy
Muscle Tone:
- General aches and pains
- Inflammation
- Cramping
Body Temperature:
This may sound crazy but the status of your internal body temperature first thing in the morning can be a good indicator of health. We are a country plagued by low body temperature (less than 97.8 degrees). Can problems arise from this? Of course! This could be an entire post in itself, but know that normal is 98.6 degrees F and anything below that and you will see issues arise.
The key to remember is that if you have problems with any number of these things, it generally demonstrates that there is something going on internally. Your metabolism and your health are not where they should be. It is important to note that a nourished metabolism is more than just calories or how many you burn. A nourished healthy metabolism supports thyroid function, which in turn supports the quality of sleep, our moods, energy levels, skin, hair and more.
If your external body is showing signs of stress, please do something healthy and stop damaging your health. You can start by letting go of the big D- word (DIETING) and the scale and realize that your body is much more complex than restriction. You can do this, you can get a healthy, nourished metabolism. Your body will thank you and probably even reward you with easy, lasting weight loss.
I’ll bet you didn’t know that you could put easy and weight loss in the same sentence did you?
STOP compromising your health for a number on the scale!
If you would like more help with gaining a nourished metabolism I would love to have you join me for my eight-week Nutrition Bootcamp eCourse! This course will teach you how to listen to your body and feed it what it wants. You may be surprised at how easy this lifestyle can be!
**Can’t start right away? This eCourse is all online with unlimited access to the videos and newsletters. Do it at your own speed. But know you have all the tools you need to make this change and unleash the chains!
