Disempowered. This is the first word that comes to mind when someone tells me they are utterly confused at how much health and wellness and nutrition information there is online.
I know.... At this point it might feel like there's an "expert" saying one thing and another "expert" right next to them saying something opposite.
It's no wonder the average person. might simply give up on all of it and continue eating foods that keep them sick and tired.
There is a better way. There's no need to keep giving all your power away to so called experts..... the REAL expert in your body's needs is actually yourself.
It's from a young age we are told to listen to authority.
We are told we "have" to do this, that or the other to belong in the world.
We are told there are appointed experts in everything from health, food, farming, world news, politics and more.
But never can I recall as a child or even an adult being told that I am the expert on my own body. Can you relate?
At no point up to the past few years did I even believe it was possible to get in tune with my body's needs and to care for myself in a way that helped me feel my best. I definitely looked at the holistic world and wondered how much truth was behind all of it. But on the other hand I was also a nurse trained in western medicine and repeatedly told homeopathy and holistic care was all lies and pseudoscience.
Being a nurse who has since worked to move away from western medicine, I can say that all throughout my training as a nurse we were told the ultimate authority on the human body was the world of medicine. Not the individual. That it was not possible for the body to heal itsself.
One of the worst offenders is this: "What you eat and your lifestyle choices have zero affect on your health, conditions or outcomes".
Wow....... I am so grateful these days I know better. And can do better.
The bigger picture here is this.... If we ever want to cut through all the noise that we are constantly bombarded with then we have to reclaim our personal power.
We get to empower ourselves. We get to trust ourselves. We get to make the choices that are supportive of our own wellbeing.
We get to DECIDE what advice we will take and use the information we each learn to our advantage.
The truth is that you know your body better than anyone else. No matter what they are an expert in. You are the expert in your own body.
If some kind of health claim you see online sounds absolutely wild, may be it is!
Just because a company runs an ad or pays an influencer to say a cleanse or pill is going viral for helping people lose weight overnight doesn't mean it's actually good for you. It also doesn't mean you need it.
Tuning in to your own personal power means looking at what helps you feel your best.
Asking yourself what you plan to accomplish in relation to your health.
Reflecting on what foods support your overall wellbeing.
When you are unsure of something you want to implement then you could look for information from trusted sources. If such advice is not helping you then drop it. Try something else.
I choose not to get caught up in all the new, shiny, fancy health and wellness things. Not the supplements either.
What I have found and have studied quite a bit in school, I became a Nutritional therapy practitioner last year, is that getting back to the basics can be the most beneficial.
Coming back to how our ancestors did things. How they ate locally and seasonally. How they moved their bodies. How they spent time outdoors. How they didn't fear the sun. How they didn't have the technology we have today - much of which is far more detrimental than we know.
Society has advanced in so many ways, technology being one of them, but I can tell you this is not entirely a good thing.
All the convenience we could image is available to us. At what cost?
If you truly want to get in touch with your body's individual needs and do what helps you feel your best, It's time to reclaim your personal power. Decide what's best for you.
Start right now by looking at what foods you typically eat and how they make you feel after eating them.
Consider starting a food journal to track this over a couple days. Then review what you're eating and how it makes you feel.
Looking for clues like indigestion, nausea, stomach aches or feeling tired 1-2 hours after eating can be ways you can see that those foods are not helping you feel your best. Another clue is when you eat and feel hungry again within 1-2 hours. This can mean you're not consuming enough protein at your meals.
Taking a look at your sleep patterns can also be helpful in evaluating your body's needs. The average person needs between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is how our bodies regenerate and how our brains detox from the day before. If you sleep well you will wake up well.
Movement is so important in today's world. We have every convenience and never want to get up. There are studies being released the past few months tying physical activity to a longer lifespan of 10+ years. While I take these studies with a grain of salt I can honestly say I do believe doing regular activity that we enjoy probably does add years to our lives as well as improve the quality of our lives.
If you have a desire to keep learning and get even more in tune with your body and how you can eat to support your body's needs then check out Food First.
This is my signature program geared towards empowering you with the tools and resources to live a healthier, happier life.
Cheers to health, wealth and love!
-Cheri
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