-Awareness
-Whole Food Nutrition
-Exercise
Step One: Body Awareness The first priority in addressing ANY imbalance in the body, whether it be emotional, physical, or mental is awareness. I don't mean relaxation, I mean emotional clarity. Emotional clarity provides the spirit with strength and insight into what to do and what not to do. It seems as though everyone out there is just following the next fad; the popular diet, the newest form of exercise, the next best thing. The truth is the next best thing may or may not be appropriate for YOU, and the only way you are going to know is to be able to listen to your own inner guidance. Greater awareness has the potential to change your relationship to food. How do you cultivate body awareness? First, start with some sort of daily awareness practice. There are so many out there! Here are a few suggestions: daily walking meditation, sitting meditation, quadrinity check (checking in with your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual Self). Find a practice that speaks to you and DO IT! Every day! This is just as beneficial as exercising your physical body! Cultivation of the interior is just as important as the exterior! Step Two: Whole Food Nutrition Eat whole foods! This means you are going to have to take responsibility for yourself and learn to COOK! No getting around it. Salads are fine, but not every day. Eating out usually does not provide you with whole food options and frozen foods aren't going to cut it long term. So learn to cook! There are simple and easy things that you can prepare. A crock pot or a steamer is a great way to begin cooking delicious and nutritious food. I have seen many disease processes reversed with just a change in food choices. No more cereals from a box! It is too processed and is doing you more harm than it is good. Better choices include, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, organic meats, ocean caught fish (preferably Atlantic), raw cheese and milk, crispy nuts and seeds (remember that recipe I sent out!). Anything you are eating now that isn't made in your kitchen, prepared or cooked, is going to be one (or more) steps away from a whole food!
Step Three: Exercise Again, no one exercise is suitable for everyone. Moderate regular exercise is essential for the proper flow of blood, Qi, body fluids, and nutrients through the body. There are exercises that encourage awareness as well. Some examples of these would be: Yoga, Tai Ji, and Qi Gong. Without enough exercise we will not be able to build our digestive fire which builds a strong appetite and aids in the digestion of our food. There is such thing as exercising too much. More is not better people! Light walking, stretching, and gardening are sometimes ample movement for people. Make sure to tailor exercise to your body and bring body awareness into that decision making process. For example, do not go running if you know for sure that it negatively affects your joints and causes pain. Make sure you have ruled out other possible factors, like poor quality running shoes, but if you continue to suffer with pain, running is not the best exercise for you. Change it up too! Don't do the same exercise routine every day.