Motivational Monday's (8/5/19) Topic: Listing to our body.

Happy Monday everyone!

Listen, did you hear that? Its your body talking. Yeah that’s right, I am cheezy and I am 150% ok with that. <3

Today my friends, we are going to discuss the nitty gritty of when I say, “we need to learn to love & listen to our bodies”. How do we know we are doing this right? What are my hunger cues? Where do they come from? And how do I know if I am hungry, thirsty, fatigued or what?!? Ok, ok, stop shouting! Let’s talk about it! 

As we all should now know, there is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to “healthy” living. There isn’t a cure-all or magic diet, either. The secret is in getting to know your body — what it needs to feel 100%, how it moves, and how it lets you know when something is wrong. This awareness is essential in order to improve the habits that set up how you feel every day. It sheds light on emotions that drive our eating decisions and motivations to exercise, and it teaches us to check in on ourselves when we’re stressed, tired, or unhappy.

We are even STILL uncovering the many ways our bodies are affected by our microbiome, stress, inflammation, genetics, and lifestyle. Our food choices are literally signaling messages to the cells in our body and mind, which impacts our sense of self, how we feel, and ultimately how we “show up” day to day. Listening to your body, while you ladies and gents hear me talk at nauseum about it in our one on ones… is truly so important and the key to developing a healthy relationship with food and ultimately, our bodies.

Understanding our increase/decrease in appetite & hunger cues –

If you do not have an appetite or are currently experiencing a loss in appetite, you may be able to tie it to some common psychological factors: anxiety, depression, stress, grief, etc. These psychological factors have a HUGE role in appetite production or lack thereof. Making them EXTRA important to address head on and not ignore, as listening and giving into these factors can lead to even greater internal issues for our bodies down the road.

And then another quite common sign, that we do not even think about when “not having an appetite” is that you are simply not eating enough for what your body is requiring at this point in time. Leading to low energy, poor sleep quality, physical hunger, cravings, headaches, etc.

(Not so) FUN FACT: When your body is already under catabolic stress & working way too hard to keep you alive it SHUTS OFF your regularly pinging hunger cues!! It does not have the physical resources to do this for you at this point in time. Scary? Um, I think, yes.

If you find yourself on the other end of the spectrum, hungry all the time, it may be a result of several lifestyle factors as well like lack of sleep, drinking alcohol, feeling stressed, or maybe you’re taking certain medications that affect your hunger. When these factors are at play, your hormone levels can fall out of whack, causing you to feel hungry even when you’re not. (Which is why it is also very important I know if you are currently on medication that affects hormone levels like this….)

Never-ending hunger can also be directly related to your diet, as well. If you’re obsessing over calories instead of the nutrient density of the foods you’re eating, you may be missing out on the key components of a nourishing diet.

(Actual) FUN FACT: All of the macronutrients work together to create a “balanced diet” that satiates you. That is why I preach balanced meals SO SO often!

Now, let us learn to LISTEN to our bodies!

1.       Are you dehydrated? Water is responsible for every process in the body, including your metabolism. By drinking enough water every day, you’re helping your digestion keep moving, while supporting an efficient metabolism, and so much more.

2.       Are you eating too many “simple” carbohydrates? Refined carbohydrate in excess not only lack the nutrients your body needs to function properly, they cause a spike in blood sugar, and then a crash. You’ll be left hungry again, sooner!

3.       Are you not be getting enough protein? Protein is known for its ability to provide you with the feeling of fullness; that’s because it takes longer for your body to digest. No need to OVER load for that reason as well, BALANCE.

4.       Are you not getting enough healthy fats? Similar to protein, healthy fats help you feel more satiated. Keeping foods like avocados, full-fat milks, cheeses, yogurts, seeds and nuts/nut butters in your diet is a win for controlling your appetite and freaking delicious!

5.       Are you eating too fast? Your mind may/ will not register when you’re feeling full from a meal if you inhale it!!! Set yourself up to feel fuller, longer, by allowing your digestion to do its thing and chewing food slowly. THIS IS HUGE!!!

6.       And last but certainly not least, are you going through an emotional time of your life? Stress, feeling pressure or a lack of control — emotions play a role in our relationship with food and how often we feel the need to eat. Check in with yourself around mealtime and ask yourself if you’re being fueled to eat by how you feel, or if your body really needs food. **This is also a HUGE way to connect with yourself you guys, take advantage of this moment. <3

There you have it lovelies. Hunger cues, appetite, body awareness. Together, we can begin to decipher and uncover what your beautiful body is really trying to say you, hour by hour, week by week, year by year.

All my love,

Brooke