Wellness and Worthiness

If you’ve read About Me you’ll know that whole-heartedness and authenticity are the most used tools in my arsenal. Showing up truthfully with the beautifully held belief that you are worthy of what you want is powerful beyond measure.  And on the flip side, if you’re walking around with your head in a constant cloud of anxiety, then you my gorgeous friend, will get in your own way.

What do I mean by getting in your own way?

You’ll stop the delicious flow. Second guess your intuition. Dim your light. Especially when it comes to your body, that magic vessel that works for you and you only.

Think about this for a second: your heart doesn’t beat for anybody else, her main gig is to keep the rest of your body functioning.

I put out a call on the facebook page a few weeks ago for a Wellness Survey I created. The response was moving to say the least. Amongst many others, the response to this question floored me the most:

Do you feel guilty when your food / what you’re eating doesn’t match the images you follow on social media platforms?  

60% of respondents said yes to this. 

The whole beautiful point to food and the ritual of eating is based on nourishment. Let’s get back to that beautiful body of yours for moment, the reason we put food in is to flood it with nourishment, love and energy. In return, it keeps functioning happily for you. A beautiful display of a balanced relationship right there. In the over saturated online world there are more meal plans than you can poke your fork at. And while it can be tempting to cut out all forms of carbohydrates or follow a rigid, calorie clocking plan because it works for someone else, let me remind you of this:

Wellness is an inside job.

When I first began coaching clients the kinds of intentions these ladies had for their bodies were purely external. ”I want to make my thighs smaller.” ”I just want you to tell me what to eat for a flat stomach. I don’t care about anything else”. ” I want to lose 20kG because that’s what the BMI chart says.” When the focus is external, we tend to look outside of ourselves for the answer. And more often than not, we find it in the form of a social media post, a brand’s instagram page, a fitness trainer being paid to endorse a product or the latest e-book on why you should be guzzling green smoothies.

image source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com

Food marketing is the axis around which the rest of the food industry orbits. It’s integral to the bottom line of major food companies and brands, and given that around 80% of Australian women are in control of their household expenditure you can safely bet that the majority of this advertising is targeted at women. Social media slots beautifully into the advertising calendars of all food companies. Many brands develop strategies complete with styling, witty captions and catchy hashtags to lure us in. To a certain extent, food advertising presents to you what you ‘should’ be buying, stocking your pantry with, where you should be shopping, what you should be eating and somewhat fashionably not eating. And if you’re not in line with what they’re presenting, you feel like alone. Unworthy even. This reaction itself is also tactical. I’ve said this before and it bears repeating:

You are the expert on you.

You know what foods work well for your body, whether you eat them or not is another question. If you don’t know, start with fresh whole food that your body recognises. As a guide, check out Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by one of my favourite food authors Michael Pollan. There is much more to us than our appearance. We are super complex beings, and in my experience there are usually unresolved emotional issues hiding out in our food habits & manifesting as weight/health issues. No amount of spirulina or raw bliss balls can change how you feel about yourself. Be transparent with yourself about your food choices. Are you eating certain foods because they make you feel a certain way, even if the feeling is fleeting? Does preparing certain food take you back to a happier time, perhaps a meal you shared with family as a child? Or are you eating something to cater to somebody else’s food philosophy? As the gorgeous Kris Carr says in her book Crazy Sexy Kitchen: ‘Change your plate. Change your fate’. Once you truthfully uncover the why beneath your foods behaviour you can start to recalibrate your mind-body connection and truly nourish to flourish.

image source : thesassylife.com

A few nourishing nuggets to steer you back onto your sacred path:

// How you feel on the inside is reflected on the outside.

// Your body is a messenger, tune inwards for the answers. Always inwards.

// Eat foods that make you feel aligned with your vision for your healthiest body. If that means more plant food, less animal product then go for it, but don’t feel pressured to start labelling yourself ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarian’. You have the right to find what works for you and you have the right to take as long as you like.

// You and your food are part of a bigger eco-system than you realise. Every time you eat for wellness in mind you deepen your connection to the nature’s exchange, the give and take that sustains us.

// You are worthy of wellness, right now as you are. Write it on your heart.

Do you experience guilt based around how food is presented on social media? I’d love to hear from you in the comments beautiful. Kind words only.x