How to approach health and fitness from a more intuitive place
It can be overwhelming knowing where to start when you’ve decided to be more intuitive with your health and fitness. There will be a lot to unlearn from the restrictive rule driven diets, and a lot to learn about your body and what works best for you. I always recommend starting small and simple. Pick one or two things you want to start improving on and build from there. Here are some easy questions and tips to help get you started.
1-What does it mean to take a more intuitive approach to health and fitness
-Most people know the struggles of trying to diet, lose weight and keep it off. For many, this becomes a lifelong battle that often leads to negative health outcomes, negative body image, and a stressful relationship to food and exercise. Intuitive eating/exercise offers an alternative to this struggle.
-The focus isn't on weight loss or changing your appearance, but rather making internal motivators such as how you feel, what brings you joy, and what your body needs that day the priority.
- Ask yourself what it means for YOU to take this approach.
- There are 10 principles of intuitive eating that can help guide you. You can approach these in any order and in whatever way feels helpful to you. Think of them as guidelines not rules.
1- Reject the diet mentality
2- Honor your hunger
3- Make peace with food
4- Challenge the food police
5- Feel your fullness
6- Satisfaction with food
7- Cope with emotions with kindness
8- Respect your body
9- Movement feel the difference
10- Honor your health with gentle nutrition
2- What are some of the positive outcomes you can have by listening to your body more?
Better body image.
As you open up to the idea that your body is your ally not your enemy, you begin to respect it more and be less critical of it. You don’t have to love the way it looks to still respect it and care for it.
Getting away from the number on the scale.
This allows for more freedom with food and exercise. Eating becomes less of a stress and more of a positive part of living. You can find enjoyment again in special occasions, holidays, and vacations. You also start to experience new ways of moving your body that can build confidence, deepen connections with others, and bring back the joy of exercising.
Overall health improvements.
Because it’s not a black and white all or nothing mindset, you have much more freedom, flexibility, compassion, and choices which will lead to consistency in your healthy choices. This consistency is necessary for our health to improve.
Building trust with yourself.
As you trust your body you'll begin to trust yourself more in all areas of your life. You’ll turn inward more to guide you in making decisions rather than other people’s expectations of you.
3- What are some tips to get started on this?
Write down your experiences.
All the ways restrictive diets and punishing exercise has negatively affected your life and what you think you might gain from focusing on intuitive eating and exercising to feel good. What are the things you’ve missed out on in life because of negative thoughts about your body?
Learn.
You can buy the Intuitive Eating book, or listen to podcats that will offer help and advice. Learn more about how the body works and how amazing all the systems are that fight to keep you alive and healthy.
Journal.
Take notes on how you feel and what you notice around meal times and your workouts. This will help you see patterns that can lead you to better know how to understand your body’s needs and adjust your nutrition and workouts around how you're feeling that day.
Get rid of one food or exercise rule.
Think of one rule that is no longer serving you. Let it go and see what happens.