As the kiddos are getting ready to head back to school and summer is coming to a close, I am hearing the words “diet, self-care and balance” from many women.  These words came up often this week during my attendance at several women’s networking events for the Frederick County Chamber “She Week.” As women discussed their desire for balance, taking care of themselves while being mothers and entrepreneurs and living fearlessly through uncertainty, it made me think.  I wondered; how many women are striving for balance and how many are frustrated with trying to achieve it? 

As women, we tend to do everything for everybody.  We pour into our families, careers, community, relationships and other areas of life.  All while often times placing ourselves on the back burner. This ends up leaving us frustrated, depleted, exhausted, sometimes resentful and overwhelmed.  Ladies, can you relate?

So many people think, “I’ll focus on getting my finances in order when I grow myself personally.  When I lose weight or feel confident, I will work on building a relationship.” Well, it’s time we said goodbye to the “I’ll be happy when..” mindset.  It’s time to live the Nourished Life.

That’s not to say that we won’t do parts of life messy and imperfect.  Honestly, I don’t even think that exists. There is no “perfect time, moment or scenario.”  It’s important to take action towards the goals we want to achieve, the dreams we want to fulfill and the desires that we feel burning inside of us.  We want to have a healthy and fulfilling life aligned with nourishing food, movement, relationships, finances, passions, and joys. 

It was through my own struggles and journey that I learned how to live the nourished life for my own bio-individuality.  Something I educate and share with other women whom I work with. When I began to implement what I learned through nutrition school and life, I felt empowered.  I discovered the foods that supported my own unique body and lifestyle. Foods that reduced inflammation and pain, increased my energy, impacted my mood and emotions.  Ladies, you can even increase your sex drive! Not sleeping well? That was me too! Now I sleep well and wake rested and refreshed.

Creating and implementing healthy habits that are designed for your unique, beautiful body not only help increase health and happiness, but it’s also an act of self-care.  I understand that self-care comes in many forms and one may work for you but not for your girlfriends. Maybe you don’t like Epson salt baths or find the gym to be “not your thing.”  Maybe you prefer grabbing a glass of wine with a friend or taking a walk after dinner with your spouse. Whatever you enjoy that fills your cup. Do it and then do it more.

Through my coaching programs and working one on one with clients, I emphasize several areas that support one another in life.  These areas are fuel for life (nourishing foods), movement for life (whatever movement you enjoy), surrounded for life (relationships), fulfilled for life (passion, purpose, spirituality, and joy) and loved for life (self-care and love).  Using a holistic approach, I educate others about how these areas of the “wellness wheel” are connected with one another.

Let’s think about it… 

How many times have you felt lonely, bored, stressed about your job or frustrated with your spouse and you grabbed the ice cream container or cookie jar?  Often our emotions and things that are going on in our world resort to the actions we take (especially with food and other means). I’ve been there and I am sure many of you can relate too! 

Being mindful of how we are feeling and what we are thinking makes a huge difference in how we respond to things.  Not to mention, our gut health is connected to our brain. So, if we are damaging our gut and microbiome, it’s impacting our thoughts, feelings, and actions.  This is another big reason to discover what foods support your own unique body.

As the season changes and summer moves into fall, I encourage you to slow down.  Observe the above areas in your life and how they are connected. Where can you make some changes?  Where are you not feeling fulfilled and nourished?  

Just as the leaves fall from the trees, fall is a season of releasing things that are no longer serving us.  Whether they be habits we need to change, toxicity, unhealthy relationships, fears and doubts, emotional baggage from the past.  Fall is a great time to detox…mind, body, and spirit.

I encourage you to include more self-care to support your body and mind as you naturally move through this beautiful process.  Experiment with things that bring you joy. Get out and try something new. Maybe try a new yoga or cooking class, volunteer, grab some friends and enjoy a picnic at a local winery.  Hold yourself accountable by penciling in your “self-care date” into your cute planner like you would a meeting.  

Consider the areas I shared and see how you can interconnect them.  Discover ways to fill the different areas of your own wellness wheel that work for you and your lifestyle.

Ladies, I say this to all of my clients.  Think about the oxygen mask on an airplane.  Who has to put theirs on first so that you can show up greater to give back and help others?  That’s right..it’s you! So, please take your cute little teapot off of the back burner and start creating or fulfilling your nourished life.  This isn’t a trendy new diet or phase. It’s a lifestyle and one you have to stay committed to.