I left off on my last post with my NEW definition of health: the ability to adapt to the cumulative burden of my environment. ⠀
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Many of us need to redefine what health is for ourselves. It has to be a personalized approach. Five people with the same stressors will respond differently. ⠀
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How we weave our goals into this definition matters too. ⠀
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Be willing to consider this…maybe health can’t be defined in a vacuum by a dexa scan, a lean physique, scale weight or what that internet click-bait is telling you can be achieved in 30 days.⠀
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Look around. This toxic load is unprecedented. Then we go to the gym, to ‘relieve stress,’ but when we are in an already-burdened state, we can’t possibly build back up again from this type of activity. Particularly if we are also in a phase which includes a calorie deficit or (for me) extreme lack of rest.⠀
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Actively pursuing body goals is great, but in the real world of parenting, politics, xenoestrogens, blue light, ALL the outside stressors that come with simply being human today, we are more susceptible to under-recovery than ever.⠀
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Bottom line is this: without proper stress management we don’t have the level of adaptability required to maintain our health. Let alone physique goals. ⠀
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For me, this starts with reducing my stress:
Sleep > training (I only train if I hit 7.5 hours of sleep) Sleep is when we restore and process detoxification
Working on my education- @tailoredcoaching mentorship has been inspiring me to dive deep into the research and this has been a great use of my energy
Staying cozy and warm - always with herbal tea in my hands and slippers on my feet
Soothing music playing all day long
Prioritizing food quality and longer periods between meals to rest and digest
Petting Redstone or sitting with a cat on my lap
Leaving the dishwasher or countertop full at night
Saying yes to my kids more and micromanaging less⠀
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While I patiently wait for my body to come back online, I am becoming aware of what foods and activities I am reactive to. I am tracking these insights. Limiting them won’t be forever but for now I am giving my body some space to heal before I reintroduce them. ⠀
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I may share details on this; but bioindividually matters. For now I want it to be clear that even if we share symptoms, we may not benefit from the same protocol beyond the stress management I’ve shared.⠀
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Finally, it’s worth noting that I needed the support of a functional medicine doctor to get the proper lab work run. Thanks to @faithandfit for helping me. It’s appalling to me how unsupportive allopathic doctors can be if you are not literally in a diseased state. ⠀
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Trust your gut. If you’re feeling off and biofeedback is tanking, perhaps functional medicine can fill that gap if you’re not being heard💗