Just shut the f@$k up and listen

Making the decision to change your lifestyle is not easy feat. Any man, or woman who has chosen to take on a healthier life will tell you that it comes with many struggles. The struggle to stay on course. The struggle to consciously make the healthier decision. The struggle to get your butt to the gym. And, of course, the struggle to not overdo it. What no one prepares you for when you embark on the journey to health is how your body will come to crave those well-balanced meals and the moments you choose to spend at the gym. So, when the holidays come around, waving their tempations like the Devil himself, you finally see what you are made of.

Honestly, I commend any parent that doesn't steal at least one Halloween candy from a child's hard-earned stash -I love the Swedish Berries, and I definitely, just stole a treat-sized bag from Boo. Aside from admitting I just stole candy from a small child, I don't feel guilty. My reality of a healthy balance involves me indulging during the holidays, sweatpants on and turkey fork at the ready. So, this weekend, I indulged! I even had some wine! But, if there is one thing I have learned over the many years struggling to maintain some semblance of a healthy life, I have learned to listen. Listen to my body. Listen to how it reacts after certain foods. And, listen, when it is screaming at me. Today, my stomach was turning. My head was pounding. Today, my body was screaming "Enough!" Listening to that screaming is what helps get me back on track.

A few years back I attended a nutrition seminar that focused on the body's digestive system, digestive health, and the importance of "listening to our gut." During this evening, the guest speaker chose to focus her time on the body's ability to communicate its (dis)satisfaction with certain foods, and how we can improve our understanding of the signals it sends. Again and again, she urged us to choose to be more mindful and listen to our bodies: the body will tell you what you need. Ask yourself how you pysically feel a half hour after eating a cheeseburger? How about emotionally? When thinking of these physical and emotional feelings in a concentrated moment, does this response make you want to have another? How about when you eat a salad, or choose carrots instead of chocolate? Over the years, her words still resonnate with me. As someone who has a very sensitive digestive system, I have learned so much from choosing to be more mindful of what I feed myself and listen to my body's response. I ask myself questions, such as these. I pay attention to how I feel shortly after eating a rich meal at a new restaurant. I ask myself after a night out with friends -I don't heal like 19 year-old me, that's for sure. Typically, I know what is causing my tummy-troubles, and it's because I listen. I avoid the things I know will negatively impact my emotional and physical well-being; but, if I do choose to have them, I make sure that I get the best possible one. After all, who wants to waste their choice of chocolate on some mediocre, cheap a$$ milk chocolate when you could have had a truffle! I don't deprive myself, but I make that moment damn worth it.

I love following a macro system. I grew up with the Weight Watcher's point system, so switching to IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) just felt like I was upping my game. I find that a lot of people that preach IIFYM still manage to fit "junk" into their diets on a regular basis. Pizza. Doughnuts. Ice cream. Whatever is their vice, they find a way to have it on the daily. That is the beauty of IIYM. Although I love the flexibility that this approach gives me to my nutritional life, I still choose a fairly clean diet. I choose to set cheat meals, rather than indulge on a regular basis. Why? Because I'm always listening, and I don't think my stomach could take it. Now that I listen and eat clean 90% of the time, I am more likely to feel junk-over after a cheat meal than hungover after a bottle of wine -although, that still happens from time to time. Today, my energy was down, and I felt like I was in a mental fog. My stomach has been in knots, and I was drinking so much water that I considered the possibility I may float away. Just like Rachael Leigh Cook's example, my brain was the egg and refined sugar was the frying pan. This is my body on refined sugar.

Tomorrow is a new day. My alarms will be set, and I will go to the gym. My meals have been prepped for the next 5 days, and there is a large tray of veggies pre-cut for quick snacks. I am back to my routine after two short days of mayhem. What helps me keep these practices is my willingness to listen. I choose to be mindful of what I put in to my body, and I choose to prepared for any conseqeuences that may accompany an indulgence. It is this that gives me an advantage in my health journey and against temptation. It is what helps me find my balance. And, it is the best advice I can impart to anyone who is on, or seeking a lifestyle change. Don't be mindless when you eat. Ask yourself 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 2 hours after you've eaten: how do I feel? Then shut the f@$k up and listen. You may learn a thing or two about your own bag of bones.