A few questions to consider on your personal wellness journey might be questions such as, who are you competing with and who are you following to the promised land of social media perfection. While you might personally eschew yoga or eastern philosophy, there is a concept which is part of the 8 limbs of yoga and is perhaps the one resonating theme which is easily understood and applicable to us all, and that is the guiding principle of Ahimsa, translated as ‘non-harm’. As you are asking questions on your wellness journey, perhaps the most important one is, are you harming yourself in the process.
It is easy for one to compare themselves to someone on the yoga mat next to them in class, or to the time run in a 5K or marathon, to the stunning dish presented on social media or the next ‘must have’ accessory all in the vain of acceptance, inclusion, validation and self-worth. But have you ever considered how much this might be contributing to the harm of yourself worth? Your financial and physical health? You could actually be harming yourself, and others, in the process of trying to attain the truly unattainable.
There is no single pill, potion, powder, person or pose on the yoga mat that will attain the perfectly curated perfection seen on social media feeds, nor in the lives of the influencers directing you towards their particular brand of perfection. Not only does it not exist, many of the brand ambassadors and influencers don’t follow the programs they themselves advocate you follow to the wellness promised land. Additionally, many have no evidence or scientific backing behind them. Have you ever wondered how many of them might be taking statins and hiding it from you?
If you believe you can’t ‘do it’ because you can’t get up at 5 am and workout as instructed by the program you’ve invested in then ask yourself, when can I exercise? And for how long? 5 minutes when you get home from work? Great, do that. One hour before bed because it clears your mind? Terrific! Do that. Ask yourself what you can do. Begin there.
Steve Magness, a world class runner and coach, has said that we have to look at what is behind what someone else is doing. As an example, if you want to follow an influencer’s high intensity interval training (HIIT) program at their level, yet all you’ve ever done is endurance training, you’re going to struggle to do the HIIT training at any level, let alone the level they present. Most of what we don’t see are the years of hard work and failure. It takes consistent work, and it may take years.
Instant perfection, instant gratification, instant everything is unrealistic. What is realistic is starting and starting at a level that is sustainable and enjoyable for you. One that is consistent. One that avoids comparisons to others. One that avoids buying that picture perfect yoga mat advertised by the picture-perfect yogi. Why? Because their life and their body is different from yours. Do what you can do. You might one day exceed what even they can do, but start where you are, in the corner of your bedroom, on a beat-up rug or towel and just start. Be you. Be kind to yourself.
Turn off all social media and extraneous influencers. Make yourself central to your own goals. Avoid comparison to others and their performance goals as they may not be real or realistic. Expose yourself to a variety of evidence-based resources. Try new things to find what works for you. Think independently. Cook your own meals. Have a mantra such as, ‘if I don’t cook, I don’t eat’. Or at least try.
There might be seasons where you are more fit or cook more. They’re seasons, and the goal is to be consistent over time and to avoid judging yourself harshly. To keep getting back up and staring over if you need to start over. Remember the saying, ‘the water wears the stone’. It takes time to smooth out those rough edges. And we all have them. Being persistently consistent over time is the key, ‘secret ingredient’, of any success. Not the fancy subscriptions, supplements, clothes or social media feeds. It’s what you decide to do for you, right now and every day.
Prioritize your mental health. Is what you are doing bringing you joy? Does it create barriers to healthy eating, or are you at risk of disordered eating because a particular branch of the industry says you can’t eat watermelon? Are you made to feel excluded? Create your own supportive local community where you meet face to face, away from the screen. Maybe it’s only you to start. Create a sense of belonging. Work to avoid the self-harm and trauma that can insidiously and unconsciously take root. Remember Ahimsa, non-harm.
One specific example of harm is nutrition, or our dietary intakes. Consider supplements and fiber. Do we really need them? Generally speaking, most of us should be taking b12 and maybe D3, but beyond that, and absent specific medical conditions or known deficiencies, we can get what we need from food. In order to not harm yourself, review third party supplement certifications. Review the dietary guideline from the US and compare them to another country such as Canada. Everyone wants to know about protein, but ask what are the dietary guidelines for fiber, and calculate how much you are getting versus how much you need. Instead of asking how much protein and from what source, ask how much fiber and from what source. Fiber is seriously underappreciated and the key to our gut health which in turn promotes whole health. Give your colon the best shot at producing natural grade GLP-1 from your L-cells, consuming whole foods and ditching the processed ones, especially the ultra-processed foods.
Make nutrition fun and change the climate in your kitchen. Grab a big, beautiful bowl and combine a diversity of greens such as collards, cabbages, romaine and other leaf lettuces to establish your foundation. YOUR foundation. Be inclusive of the diversity of food groups you add to your big, beautiful bowl: a grain or a legume (bean) such as black beans. Continue the variety by confidently adding the vegetable of your choice. Don’t forget the inclusion of both fruits and nuts or seeds. If you have a food allergy, such as a peanut allergy, steer clear of this legume and add raw walnuts which are high in alpha linolenic acid, the omega 3 precursor to EPA and DHA our bodies need.
Fuel yourself with clean energy by consuming whole, minimally processed, foods. Advocate for yourself and your body as it is the only body you have control over. The only body you can influence, and positively affect with evidence-based food choices. You are the CEO of you.
Avoid the negative and potentially harmful influence of others, especially the ones who do not follow the science, or evidence, nor follow the programs they promote online for others. Be curious, be judicious, be an independent thinker and researcher. Be your best self. Be your own best advocate.
Whole foods are accessible and feasible, even on tight budgets. There are very few true barriers to healthful eating. Think of a bag of dried beans versus a can. A bag of dried beans contains 12 half cup servings, with 8 grams of protein in each serving, at a cost of about $2.00 per bag. At best a can serves 3. Even if the can is on sale at $1/can, two cans will only provide 6 servings. Does it take more time? It depends. There are short cuts like soaking or using a pressure cooker. Will your result always be social media ready or perfect? No. Will you make mistakes? Yes! But you’re doing this for you, for your family, for your health, for your own budget and the wonderfully built machine that you are in charge of, whether you are male or female. Whether you are young or old. Whether you run or walk. It’s you taking control of you!
It’s a journey and a process to understand yourself. It takes time, consistency and patience. Be kind. Be open minded. Try something. Keep trying until you find what is right for you. FOR YOU. Give yourself permission to fail and to walk away if the path is harming you. Stop comparing. Stop trying to be someone else. Stop the cravings for the attention, for that perfect piece of equipment, or the perfect time for which to bring this all together. Just begin. It will be uncomfortable and messy. Maybe even chaotic. Welcome to being human. Welcome to being you.
We confine ourselves, and we set artificial and unrealistic parameters for ourselves. Set yourself up for success by batch prepping foods, doing something when you don’t feel like it, doing one thing today that will make your day, or life, better tomorrow. Do what you need to do. Listen to you.
You can do this. We believe in you. And we at Lifestyle Telemedicine are here to support you on your journey to being the best CEO of you that you can be. Love yourself. Love your life.
