TRUTH TALKS ~ SESSION 1
" THREE THINGS CANNOT BE LONG HIDDEN:
THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE TRUTH "
BUDDHA
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of sitting in a beautiful circle of women dedicated to improving their relationship to food and their bodies.
As with most circles of women I have sat in, there was a lot to talk about. Each woman had a chance to share some of her struggles, tell her personal truths, and shed some of her unwanted beliefs about food, health, and body image.
As I listened, shared, and witnessed this circle, I realized that wrapped up in our conversation is a whole lot of talking about what we think we 'should be doing'. Ironically, many of these 'shoulds' contradict each other.
I noticed that many of us had gotten so far from what feels good in our bodies, and replaced our innate intuitive wisdom with many of the most common health myths or 'shoulds'.
We (as a culture) frequently hand over our power to what online health trends and media are telling us to do rather than trusting ourselves and our own unique needs.
We are all looking for answers ...
... Answers about how to feel good in our bodies.
... Answers on what is the best thing to have for lunch.
... Answers on how to overcome our cravings.
... Answers on how to be our best selves.
It can feel complicated. It can be confusing. But most of all...it is completely unique and individual.
I wanted to share with you today a new summer series I created to help with some of this confusion...
*WELCOME TO THE TRUTH TALK SESSIONS*
For the next few weeks, join me in a little immersion into some of the ways we can reframe our health and reclaim our power. Together, we will take a deeper look at some of our personal beliefs and some automatic ways we tend to orient around our health. Truth talks are little nuggets of truth for you tochew on. We will debunk some common health myths and find our way back home to ourselves.
TRUTH TALKS ~ SESSION 1:
1. DON'T GET TO BOXY: Out there in the world of health, there are quite a few boxes in which you could try to fit. While many of them contain some wisdom, many oppose the others and are just simply too boxy for most of us. One observation I have made about human consciousness is that we like defining ourselves by our boxes. We like being part of something. We like declaring these personal flavors on social media. We like to be known for our chosen box. This seems especially true with the type of EATER we are: Vegetarian, paleo, low carb, gluten free, vegan, ... and even purist, cleanser, or perfectionist.
TRUTH: You don't have to pick a box. You don't have to stay in only one box. YOU are not your box (P.S. I know how funny that sounds, but decided to keep it to make you all smile a bit)
2. YOU ARE NOT DIRTY: While there are so many great reasons for cleansing, resetting, turning over a new leaf, and giving your body some serious food love, you are not dirty. Our bodies naturally cleanse themselves regularly and there are some nice little treats we can give ourselves to up the anti a little here and there, if we care to. While the incredibly trendy cleansing practices can be helpful, be careful not to go overboard.
TRUTH: Cleanse for the love of it, not because you are dirty. Cleanse for self-care not for punishment or because you hate your body.
Cleanse for health, not because your feel icky or disgusted with yourself. Most of all, if you decide to cleanse, cleanse with care.
3. GLUTEN IS NOT THE ENEMY: While it is very true that many folks have a hard time digesting gliadin (the gluten protein) and gluten in large amounts is surely inflammatory, a little bit of gluten here and there is not worth hating yourself over. While celiac is totally real (I once met a man who projectile vomited within moments of gluten hitting his tongue) most of us are NOT celiac. Food allergies are a big issue in today's world, but gluten is not the only allergen to consider. I see blood test results every week that show many other foods as the culprits of digestive issues, skin issues, fatigue, brain fog, depression and many other symptoms.
TRUTH: If you are not celiac or do not notice negative symptoms directly related to eating gluten, a little dose of gluten once in a while won't hurt.
4. THERE IS MORE TO HEALTH THAN GREEN JUICE: The green juice trend is rampant here in Boulder. While I am a big fan of a little green juice, green juice is NOT the key to our health or our happiness. Some people find it too bitter. Others, find it too expensive. For many of us, it's just not on our radar. As you have probably noticed, our culture tends to take things to the extreme. Too much green juice can be hard on our digestion because it is missing all the fiber. In large quantities, green juice can also interact negatively with thyroid issues. While I love me some green juice, it is not the cure all for our health.
TRUTH: Our health has many, many more important components than green juice: How we think about ourselves, how we move our body each day, how we sit down and eat our meals, the intention we put into our food and our health, as well as how we sleep each night, and how we relate to others, are much more important aspects on which to focus. Have a little green juice...or not.
5. SELF-LOVE IS NOT A SWITCH: We hear about self-love everywhere. We are often simply told to love ourselves more as if it were an on-off switch. While I believe in the practice of self-love immensely, it is a spectrum, a practice, and a life-long journey that is often incredibly complex and messy. Finding acceptance and compassion for ourselves is easy on some days, and almost impossible on others.
TRUTH: Self-love is not a constant, but rather a practice and a fluid expression of ourselves. True self-love is the practice of loving ourselves when we are not doing well, when we trash our clean eating program, or when we binge on potato chips. True self-love is the practice of loving ourselves through a broken heart, exhaustion, or when we miss our daily workout. True self-love is the practice of loving compassion through a hard transition, a change, or even a total failure. So...be gentle with yourself. Somedays will be easier than others to LOVE yourself. It's human, it's real.
Have some thoughts or insights about these truths? Have some requests for next week? Please comment below. I love hearing from you!!
With love and peace...