From Coach Ronnie:
This is my first article published in a regular health column I write for “Envision” magazine, a woman’s publication that is included as a bimonthly insert in the Sunday edition of The Daily Telegram in Adrian. Enjoy!
Want to Get Healthier? Listen to Your Body!
Veronica Roman (a.k.a. “Coach Ronnie”), MBA, BSW
Veronica Roman (a.k.a. “Coach Ronnie”), MBA, BSW
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
www.merewellness.com
You probably agree with me that our lives today have gotten a bit out of control. In fact, for us ladies, life may feel tremendously out of control! We scatter ourselves in many directions – working jobs, raising children, and maintaining relationships with a spouse or other loved ones, among a zillion other responsibilities.
These demands on our time leave us with the notion that we have no control over anything. And so we succumb to the outside world, doing everything that is asked of us, making everything – and everyone – a priority, while putting our own needs last. After all, we can’t be selfish, and there’s no time to focus on ourselves anyway, right?
As women, we dis-empower ourselves by giving in to every demand that shows up. However, we’re not robots that can keep running nonstop without breaking down! Rather, our “machines” are our amazing, sacred bodies that each have their own unique, natural rhythms. When we refuse to follow these rhythms, we begin to experience all kinds of unpleasant symptoms. Forcing our bodies to constantly do things that may not be in sync with their natural rhythm can eventually lead to a myriad of health issues – both physical and mental.
As a woman, mom, and also a Health Coach who provides guidance to those who are ready to make changes to improve their quality of life, this issue hits close to home. I’m now working on healing my own severe health issues related to years of stressful living, working, maintaining a home and children, and hardly ever taking time to slow down and pay attention to my own self-care.
Literally, my circuits crashed, and now I’m in the “reboot” phase, which means I had no choice but to place myself at the very top of my priority list. If necessary, your body will force you to slow down, whether you want to or not!
Often, we compare ourselves to others and then self-judge. We might have feelings of shame, guilt, inferiority, or laziness when we realize that we can’t keep up with co-workers or other moms. This self-judgement actually makes matters worse in terms of our health.
It’s necessary to fully embrace our own rhythms and become intimately aware of the monthly ebbs and flows of our bodies and minds (even if you’re post-menopausal). There are times to be productive – and times to relax.
Our bodies are truly miraculous, and have the ability to heal themselves, by themselves – if we give them what they need. But when the very delicate balance of our body’s many hormones becomes even slightly out-of-whack, we experience symptoms.
Here are a few signs that indicate you’re pushing yourself too hard and ignoring your own bodily rhythms:
- Exhaustion
- Lack of sex drive
- Intense PMS
- Feelings of guilt, shame, or depression for no particular reason
- Appearance of cystic acne
- Weight gain around the middle of the body
What You Eat…and Don’t Eat…Matters
Paying attention to what you eat can make a tremendous difference in terms of feeling happier and healthier. Here are the top 5 ways, nutritionally, to regain your health and natural balance:
- Remove processed foods from your diet. Mostly eat “whole” foods, such as vegetables, fruit, and non-packaged food items.
- Evaluate the dairy products in your diet. Dairy is actually the biggest contributor to cyclical imbalance and produces mucous.
- Pick your proteins wisely, and eat “clean.” Try to eat grass-fed, local meats, poultry, and eggs that are free of hormones and antibiotics. Since everyone’s body chemistry is unique, experiment with different ways of eating, and be aware of how different foods make you feel. How does meat make your body feel? Have you tried to eat vegetarian for a period of time and noticed if doing so makes you feel better or worse?
- Fat does NOT make you fat! Therefore, eat high-quality fats, such as avocadoes, and cook with oils that contain healthy, high-quality fats, such as organic coconut oil (which can withstand high heat cooking) or organic extra virgin olive oil (use to make salad dressings or low-heat cooking only).
- Try the newest rage to get your healthy fats, as well as many other health benefits – organic chia seeds! Check out Dr. Josh Axe’s website (one of my favorites), in particular, 21 Fabulously Healthy Chia Seed Recipes at: www.draxe.com/chia-seed-recipes.
“Non-food” Ways to Regain Balance
There are other important things you can do to balance your hormones and find your unique, natural rhythm. These things are just as important as the nutritional advice, above:
There are other important things you can do to balance your hormones and find your unique, natural rhythm. These things are just as important as the nutritional advice, above:
- Empower yourself! Remember that YOU are important, and that you DO have choices. You are in control! (Yes, maybe you don’t have a choice when it comes to taking your kids to softball practice at 3pm every Wednesday, but you can say no to providing snacks for the team during your monthly cycle because you’re always fatigued during that time.)
- Make sure you’re getting quality sleep. This is a REQUIREMENT for good health! Start going to sleep just a half hour sooner than you normally do and experience for yourself the wonderful difference! Sleep all you need to on the weekends or take a nap on Saturday afternoon.
- Balance your nervous system. My own extreme “imbalance,” being “Type A” most of my life, resulted in an endproduct of multiple sclerosis that I’m now working on healing. There are many other serious health issues and diseases that are lifestyle-related. They start brewing in the body many years before you have outward symptoms. The good news is that there are ways to halt, or even reverse, them. For starters, try to add more fun to your life to combat any stressors you’re dealing with.
- Evaluate your exercise routine. It’s important to balance “hard core” with “gentle.” Sometimes, the harder you work out, the more stress you put on your body, especially if you have a Type A personality. Gentle exercises include tai chi and yoga. Also, meditating just 5-10 minutes/day will change your life dramatically!
- Embrace the power of community. Being lonely or not having an emotional support system can have a seriously negative impact on your health. In contrast, love, connection, and social interaction are crucial to living a happy, healthy life.
Start working on making just one or two of the changes I’ve recommended, and see what a difference it makes in how you feel. Experiment with eliminating certain “bad” foods, while adding some healthy, yummy alternatives to your diet. Your body is truly your temple that will give you years of health and happiness – as long as you honor its unique needs!
© 2017 Veronica Roman All Rights Reserved
