Lost Touch With Your Body Cues?

Do you notice your behaviors around sleep, exercise and nutrition feel like a trance? Everyday you're doing the same, even if you don't feel like it. You just do it. Same meals. Same sleep schedule. Same workouts. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with having a set routine, the question at hand is: Have you ever felt "off" from your baseline, yet ignored the feeling because you needed to stick to your schedule?

If the answer to my question is yes, know that it is 100% human to seek structure and adhere to that structure, no matter what. The exercise community is FILLED with slogans that motivate, but can also coax overtraining.

"Listen to your body" can be easier said than done, especially when you have a habit of favoring your routine over listening to subtle cues that you might need to skip the exercise, eat more food, or change your sleep. Habits are hard to break!

When we lose touch with our body cues, we can be more likely to:

1. Get sick

2. Experience inflammation in the body

3. Have hormonal imbalance

4. Get an Injury

How can you relearn to attend to your needs and intuitively recognize what is best for your overall health? 

Step 1: Do a body overhaul 

• Take some quality time to sit and reflect on your current state of being, compared to the past

1. Do you ignore the pain and push through workouts or workout when you feel tired and reluctant to do so?

2. How is your sleep? Do you wake up often in the night to use the restroom, toss and turn, or for no apparent reason?

3. Do you feel burned out? Your body feels heavy, your mood is down, and you just feel somehow "off."

Step 2: Make a concrete plan

• Choose a planning method (Sit down with your planner, make a voice memo, put it in your computer, whatever works for you...)

1. How can you try and work on your sleep to get as close to 8 hours as possible? What needs to change?

2. Take rest days. If you're an everyday exerciser, try one rest day. Walk or do yoga, but cut the high intensity cardio. After a few weeks, add one more rest day for a total of 2 days off.

3. Are you getting enough protein in your diet? Try for real fruit and vegetables over supplements. In addition, make sure you are enjoying your food! If you weigh your portions or track consistently, it might be time for a break to give your mind and body the energy back that goes into this preparation.

4. Implement time for mindfulness and/or gratitude work. Studies show just 5 minutes a day can calm the mind and have positive effects on the body. It can also help reduce anxiety that can come when changing your current routine.
   

Step 3: Find an Accountability Partner

• What or who do you need to help you stay accountable? (Your friend/sibling/parent/partner) (Your calendar/phone/planner)

1. Speak to that person and let them know your plan. Ask them to follow up with you on how it's going.

2. Keep yourself accountable with a system that works for you- your calendar, your alarm, your planner, etc.

Stick to this plan for four weeks. Remember why you started and know the work you put in is meaningful. We function on a bell curve, and making these adjustments may just get you back to your peak.

When the four weeks is over, revisit step 1 and reflect on the three pivotal questions of the body overhaul. Change takes time, and four weeks should show improvement towards understanding and connecting with your mind, body, and spirit.

*Should four weeks go by with no change, talk to your physician and consider blood workup.

Taking the steps to reignite communication with your body can feel scary, overwhelming, or frustrating. Know that you have support and are working towards feeling your best self. Feel free to reach out with questions or if you need an accountability partner for your journey.