This article was originally written for the September 2017 Renew Me challenge…270 participants changing habits and introducing more mindful nutrition, tools, exercise and self-care into their lives.
Get on my mailing list to be updated when we run our next group challenge later this year!
So, as we head into the final stretch of the challenge, there’s something important to consider here:
We’ve been hearing the stories and seeing the transformations all around us…perhaps we ourselves are 5 lbs lighter, or noticeably stronger from our daily workouts, or maybe we or someone we know has kicked medications to the curb, or cancer survivors sharing their incredible results from nutritional support..
But not once have we brought up the “right way” to eat…
Paleo, Gluten Free, Ketogenic, all these are very on fad right now, and some with great reason and great results for folks. But here’s the thing. Every single one of us is different, and how we need to eat for our best life and our ultimate wellness, is as unique as we are.
I will even add… there are seasons in life that allow for us to be larger “vegan” or “vegetarian” (That was me for a time)…but in other seasons of life, ex: pregnancy and post-partum–those are generally not recommended based on babies needs.
And do you ever wonder why you crave what you crave? Could it be that those are good things to listen to, whether it’s chips, bread, carrots or wine?
And do you notice…some members of your family might do better with a high meat diet, while perhaps you yourself crave and need more carbs to feel your best?
So, here’s the scoop. With bio-individuality and the need to empower ourselves and others to really eat in the way that best suits our lifestyle, fitness needs, food intolerances and more, we’re going to have to do a bit more trial and error, and a bit less preaching about paleo…for example.
This is a fascinating starting point related to this topic; it’s called the blood type diet. It essentially claims that our blood type and genetics has a huge (main) role to play in what foods we need for our particular body. This is hugely eye-opening for many people; but again, it’s just a starting point–you can educate yourself and experiment, but you have to do the work to make sure you find what makes YOU tick at your optimal levels, all day long. Then we combine this with cultural background, the foods our ancestors ate, and we’re getting even closer to the things that our bodies will natural desire and do best with. Fascinating, right?
http://www.dadamo.com/
As a health coach who has walked hundreds of folks through lasting health journeys…my suggestion is that this is about you taking the tools into your hands, the tools for learning about your own body, what makes you feel great, what makes you feel lousy, what energy inducing foods are good for lunch, and what indulgences (and their healthier variations) are you most likely to want to keep in your life…and charting your own path of clean and joyful eating and living.
The 7 day cleanse we offered at the beginning of the renew challenge is the perfect way to actually fully reset not only your metabolism but also your hunger and cravings. And that, in turn, allows us to head into the next phase able to trust ourselves, and be able to reach for greens, lean meats, good grains and more, rather than the hamster wheel of sugar and caffeine followed by crashes. If you haven’t tried the cleanse yet, but you’re reading this and are intrigued, chat with your Shaklee friend and give it a go!:)
It’s a similar to an elimination diet, which are extremely great to do 2x per year…and to discover and root out food intolerances. For me….that happens to be gluten and dairy…and sugar in large amounts…
So…now that you’re truly taking things to a new level for the final week, consider:
What is it that I’ve learned about myself and about how I want to eat?
Have I gained additional trust/self-reliance on eating for my optimal health?
How can I continue to improve and play around with these tools during the last few days of the challenge? Do I experience my cravings and then lead them into a healthier mode, such as those swapping out decaf for regular, or green tea for an afternoon pick-me-up, rather than refined sugar. Or craving salt (chips) could mean you reach for salted almond butter with apples for the crunch.
Sure, it might perhaps be easier if someone could just tell us “Eat Paleo, it works for me, it will work for you”…and if that were true. But it’s not.
So I flip it on its head and encourage you to Enjoy the process of figuring out what works best for you
You just never know how much your life might change as a result of these small adjustments of philosophy…and how much they will allow you to reach your goals of mindful and clear-headed eating for life and total wellness.
Cheers to an empowered last few days of the month–focusing in on your own journey to clean energized eating, and the overall balance of work, life and self-care, which you all appear to be rockin!
Another great resource/reference on eating for our bio-individuality and the impact it has for each of us:
Here’s to finding your own path to optimal clean eating that makes you feel amazing! This group of coaches is right there to cheer you on and make sure you always have the resources and support you need.