Over the years, many yoga/fitness instructors have told me to "just listen to what your body needs"---whether that is being more aware of daily water intake, protein, nursing an injury, etc. I felt like that phrase was such fluff. I mean, I k-n--o-w what my body needs. I struggled through different parts of our "wedding diet" as I limited myself with such structured meal planning. (To be fair, I needed the structure with so much else going on with the wedding planning.) I had a goal and by god I was going to stick to it. And I did, but in some ways I felt unsatisfied food wise and cravings were strong, my willpower stronger. I didnt like being challenged on how I was nourishing myself as I had researched a fool-proof plan and followed through. I felt amazing on our wedding day but I knew post-honeymoon some things would have to be more lenient (and I needed a social life again that could include wine and dessert;). It's been six months since then and my "AH-HA!" moment came today! After work today, I had a killer headache which is not normal. I figured it was a residual dehydration from bikram last night. The old Sarah would chug water for an hour, possibly not go to the gym, and feel guilty about my unmotivation to push through the headache. The me today reached for the Zico, poured a 1 cup glass (not feeling guilty about those extra calories), and within 5 minutes was better. And was then able to get to Tabata class @ Equinox. And got my bootie kicked :) I have about 10 more examples of healthy listening to my body choices that I have made the past few days between deciding what goes into my morning smoothie, what I reach for for dinner post-yoga, or what I snack on midday. My body craves things still but being able to decipher it as thirst, protein or carb/suger hunger has made all the difference. I dont feel buckled down by calories and if anything I feel empowered by my ability to make smart choices. It has made ME (not "the plan") the focal point of my daily health decisions. The art of listening...you win again.
One of the toughest skills I've had to learn in my job is being OK with silence, letting doctors take time to respond and listening and reacting with the appropriate follow up questions. Silence used to be so awkward for me. It made me feel like I wasnt doing enough and sometimes I ended up "data-dumping" with physicians who stood there nodding and attempting to absorb my ramblings. This seems so basic yet it took me a while to make listening become my new norm in the workplace. My whole job benefitted when I learned this simple skill.
Over the years, many yoga/fitness instructors have told me to "just listen to what your body needs"---whether that is being more aware of daily water intake, protein, nursing an injury, etc. I felt like that phrase was such fluff. I mean, I k-n--o-w what my body needs. I struggled through different parts of our "wedding diet" as I limited myself with such structured meal planning. (To be fair, I needed the structure with so much else going on with the wedding planning.) I had a goal and by god I was going to stick to it. And I did, but in some ways I felt unsatisfied food wise and cravings were strong, my willpower stronger. I didnt like being challenged on how I was nourishing myself as I had researched a fool-proof plan and followed through. I felt amazing on our wedding day but I knew post-honeymoon some things would have to be more lenient (and I needed a social life again that could include wine and dessert;). It's been six months since then and my "AH-HA!" moment came today! After work today, I had a killer headache which is not normal. I figured it was a residual dehydration from bikram last night. The old Sarah would chug water for an hour, possibly not go to the gym, and feel guilty about my unmotivation to push through the headache. The me today reached for the Zico, poured a 1 cup glass (not feeling guilty about those extra calories), and within 5 minutes was better. And was then able to get to Tabata class @ Equinox. And got my bootie kicked :) I have about 10 more examples of healthy listening to my body choices that I have made the past few days between deciding what goes into my morning smoothie, what I reach for for dinner post-yoga, or what I snack on midday. My body craves things still but being able to decipher it as thirst, protein or carb/suger hunger has made all the difference. I dont feel buckled down by calories and if anything I feel empowered by my ability to make smart choices. It has made ME (not "the plan") the focal point of my daily health decisions. The art of listening...you win again.
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AuthorSarah: one part of a family of THREE with my husband Lee and sweet girl Morgan, simply wanting to chronicle the path I'm on and the path that will come to be. For now it's NYC urban mamaville where everyday is a new adventure! (Actually, just getting to the post office is an adventure.) Ask Me Anything!Blogettes I LoveJoey & The Owl
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August 2015
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