healthy fruit bowl and pretty table setting

Well… here we find ourselves on January 2nd, 2020. Crazy! We’ve entered into the biggest wellness month of the year — it’s officially the month of cleanses, diets, and gym membership discounts. But today, I wanted to talk to you about a potentially new way to approach things this time around.

Firstly, let’s talk about the word “holistic.” I work with my clients on holistic nutrition and wellness — but what does that really mean?

It means to look at the full picture. In other words, to look at the body and person as a whole, rather than looking at just one facet of somebody’s life. So for me, and the work that I do with my clients, this means that food isn’t everything. Food is incredibly important, and dietary choices can be incredibly impactful… but I don’t believe you can achieve optimal wellbeing through diet alone. There are so many other factors: your stress levels, your relationships, your environment, and more. You can have a “perfect” diet… but if you totally hate the job you go to day after day? And if you’re chronically stressed? And if you have toxic relationships? This all matters. It means that something is out of balance; and when something (or multiple things) are out of balance, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to achieve optimal wellness. Holistic wellness is about bringing the whole being back into balance.

So on that note, let’s talk about the word “diet.” Most people think of your diet as what you eat; but I like to think of your diet as being everything you consume. This means: food, beverages, conversations, tv, music, podcasts, books… all of it. And the question becomes: do these things support my wellbeing, or deter from it? Will whatever it is that I’m about to consume help bring my whole self into balance, or will it throw my system off? Not only does this take some of the pressure off of food choices, but it helps you begin to understand and get in touch with your body as a whole, connected system.

And, here’s another way for you to approach your wellness, especially your food intake, in 2020: with a lot of self compassion. Over the past two weeks, I’ve been over-hearing a jarring amount of negative self talk in response to behavior over the holidays… especially from women.

But here’s the thing, ladies. Calling yourself fat, beating yourself up about the food you ate, venting to anyone who'll listen about how gross you feel and look, and spiraling into a cycle of negativity and self-hatred is not going to help you.

Instead, you can use the start of this new decade as an opportunity to offer yourself more kindness and understanding than you ever have in the past. To notice how you feel, show yourself some compassion, and move on. If you happen to notice that eating tons of sugar, eating really large quantities, or eating with a deprivation mindset doesn't make you feel so good... use that as information for how you’d like to feel moving forward. If you notice that you feel tired, grumpy, bloated, and icky when you consume certain things... take note, and think about how you might be able to move on and support your body in order to return to a place of feeling good. Remember this — speaking poorly about yourself and your body does nothing more than keep you in a cycle of negativity. And at any moment, you have the choice to pull yourself out of it. So why not try opting for positivity and kindness towards yourself this year?

So, what do you think of these approaches to your wellness? Are you going to implement these suggestions in this new year and decade?!

Ready to become the glowing bride you DESERVE to be? Then I’m ready to guide you there. Take a look at the different ways we can work together here!

Curious to learn more & see if bridal nutrition is right for you? Schedule a FREE clarity call and let’s chat about it!