When I first read this saying it blew my mind. I mean, really think about it. How you eat is actually the way you live. Isn’t it so true? How you eat is a reflection of how you spend your time, how you spend money, and how you exude love and energetic resources. And the fact that I knowingly have a tendency to rush through meals more often than I’d like to admit hit me hard. I try my best to live mindfully and am very self-aware of my tendency to move fast, sometimes as though I’m racing to cross a finish line that doesn’t even exist. But I want to see what’s on the other side! I can get so impatient, and FOMO has been a real thing for me probably since I took my first breath.
My speedy eating and at times rushed cooking routines are definitely reflections of how I am living in other areas of my life – which makes me think, are there even “other areas”? I think what I am feeling more and more strongly lately is my desire to have one integrated life. I want to have all areas of my life integrated into the whole – so that everything I’m involved in, dedicating time, energy and focus to, is interconnected and mutually supportive of all the other areas. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to transformation work and holistic coaching.
A big outcome from my own personal journey in healing has been the clear realization that my life is not something I want to (or can) compartmentalize. After all, I am the same person everywhere I go. Like that saying: where ever you go, there you are. I’m no different when I am at work during the day than when I am at home in SF with my family, or out to dinner with friends at night, or on an epic camping adventure with friends from all over the country, or traveling solo through Europe. I used to think I could be different, or that I had to be in order to fit in so people would accept me and treat me the way I thought I needed to be treated. For much of my life I was practically a chameleon.
Turns out that was all false conditioning I picked up somewhere along the way, rooted heavily in an underlying sense of not being enough just as I am. Years later – this tendency still comes up at times but of course in more subtle, challenging ways. Most days I can choose to see these challenges as a gift (usually with help from friends and mentors pointing me in the right direction) – they’re a reminder of how much I’ve transformed and how I’ve still got work to do. Congratulations, I get to keep growing and evolving.
Which brings me to my initial thought that sparked my gratitude for all of these integrated, holistic healing vibes! I love my health coaching program curriculum so much. Lately I’ve been diving into a lot of experimentation with new recipes, drinking more water, introducing adaptogens (like these especially) into my smoothies and matcha tonics and trying new kinds of exercise (weights and resistance training OW!). I was recently reviewing a lesson on food cravings, which I found to be particularly relatable – I mean who hasn’t gone through cravings before and wondered, what just happened after being voluntarily sucked into a vortex of chocolate or sugar overload?! It happens to me with chocolate and even ice cream or other weird snacks like almond butter with apple cinnamon rice cakes or frozen bananas..weird, I know.
Alongside the section on food cravings was this beautiful checklist covering many points that make up the holistic outlook I try to model throughout all of my work. How perfect are these:
- We eat the way we live; how we eat is also how we spend money, time, love and energetic resources.
- All psychological blocks are gateways to our true nature.
- What we pay attention to grows. And grows. And grows.
- Until we examine what we really want, we mistake indulgence (in what we think we want) for freedom.
- Joy and delight and curiosity must be cultivated, although they are utterly natural states of being.
- Happiness is an inside job.
- How you get there is who you will be when you arrive there. And there is no there.
Food is absolutely the central connector for everything I want to embody. I can’t be of service at the level I’m aiming for if I’m not fresh-faced, glowing, energized, well-rested and radiating love, joy and delightful curiosity! Wow that sounds good. I am going to take these sweet reminders with me today and use them to reflect on how I can be more mindful with my own eating and cooking routines.
In the mean time – check out this sweet chart (below) my friend Gabrielle Wong at The Babe Collective shared with me when I blasted out on Facebook “SUGAR FREE APRIL, whose ready ya’ll?” Let’s just say I’ve taken Sugar Free April with a grain of salt but overall have felt really good having minimized my overall sugar intake – it’s amazing how removing sugar impacts me, almost immediately! After a few days I feel more energized, clear-headed, my skin looks #flawless, my emotions feel more balanced and I feel much more connected to my intuition like BOOM. There’s no doubt in my mind that giving it up is in my best interest, but I’m just not totally ready to say bye forever (yet). And I know from experience that small steps lead to big progress and eventual deeply felt lifestyle changes. But simply cutting down, drinking more water and increasing my healthy snacks is just where I’m at today. Right where I’m supposed to be.
