FOR THE BODY
“Nourishment of yourself is the best preventative medicine currently available.”
This statement by John Travis and Regina Ryan in The Wellness Workbook is something we need to remind ourselves of on a daily basis. We need to nourish our mind, body, and spirit to stay healthy. When it comes to the body, the foundation is simple: feeding it with food that is wholesome, balanced, and genuinely nourishing. We also need to remember that there is a direct link between our state of mind and our eating habits. If your mood is low, your eating is often erratic and void of thought. When you are feeling positive, you are more conscious of what you eat and tend to savour your food more. A healthy mindset is the essence of a healthy body.
Over time, I’ve also learned that this journey evolves with us. Being post-menopausal and almost five years post–gastric sleeve has added complexity and challenge to my own path - and managing spinal osteoarthritis has added another layer to this journey. I’ve had to pivot, adapt, and re-learn what my body needs, and it hasn’t always been easy. As with all aspects of life, there are peaks and troughs, moments of alignment and moments of struggle. These experiences have reinforced how important it is to approach physical wellbeing with gentleness, patience, and flexibility.
It is also important to concentrate on incorporating healthy eating habits slowly, one at a time, rather than focusing on weight loss in a purely quantitative manner. Treat weight loss as an added bonus of healthy eating; the reduced stress and anxiety will help you stay on track. I have personally had the most success when I keep things simple and doable - easy-to-prepare meals and fun, do-it-anywhere exercise.
In this section, I’ve included some simple, healthy meals and tips for tweaking your daily routine to help you stay on the path to optimal health. I would also love to hear about your experiences - what worked for you, what didn’t?
Drinking Enough Fluids
Staying hydrated is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy mind and body. Drinking adequate amounts of water has countless benefits, including flushing out toxins, regulating blood pressure and body temperature, reducing muscle cramps, supporting optimal organ function, and increasing metabolism (which can also assist with weight management). I personally find that I have more energy and better concentration when I’m properly hydrated.
The recommended amount of water is 8 glasses or 2 litres per day. But this “one-size-fits-all” guideline simply does not work for everyone - especially after gastric sleeve surgery. With the restriction of drinking around meals, there are days I’m lucky to reach 2-4 glasses. And that’s okay. We are aiming for consistency, not perfection. Aim for 8 if you can, but if your body is signalling that 5–6 glasses is what it needs today, honour that. Our hydration needs change with our environment, activity levels, health conditions, and life stages. The most important thing is to listen to your body and respond to its cues.
If you’re thirsty - drink.
If your energy dips - drink.
If you’re sweating from heat or exercise - drink.
And whenever possible, don’t wait for cues at all. Start by drinking a glass first thing in the morning and another before each meal, then gradually increase your intake as it feels comfortable for your body.
Coconut Water & Other Options
If you don’t like drinking a lot of plain water, there are alternatives. No, not coffee (sorry to the coffee lovers - I’m not trying to offend!). Try raw, organic coconut water - it’s excellent for hydration and perfect during or after exercise. You can also add natural flavour to your water using fresh lemon, lime, berries, mint, grapefruit, or cucumber. These simple additions make hydration more enjoyable without the unnecessary sugars found in the sugar-laden energy drinks on the market.
In the cooler months, water can be harder to drink even at room temperature, so warm, organic herbal teas are a wonderful option. My personal favourites include chamomile, hibiscus, peppermint, lemongrass and ginger, and green tea with jasmine. There are endless blends available - explore until you find the ones you love.
Once you make hydration a daily habit, you’ll notice the difference on the days you fall behind. This one conscious change is too valuable not to adopt. Will you join me in this simple challenge to stay hydrated?
Exercise
Today I'd like to broach the "E" word, exercise. For me, the word exercise brings to mind going to the gym - which I hate with a passion because I find it extremely boring. Gym memberships may work for some people but it needs commitment. I had a gym membership for over 5 years and only went actively for two of them. I could never stay motivated for too long unless I had a personal training session but they became really expensive on top of the gym fees. The one thing I really did enjoy at the gym though were the group classes - especially the boxing and high intensity cardio classes. Wow! Now they were heart-pumping and fun – despite the pain. Group classes and the interaction with other people works for me but the gym set up and environment doesn’t.
When I first started cardio tennis lessons after many years of not exercising I realized how much I missed it, how amazing it made me feel. The adrenaline rush from any form of exercise - all those amazing endorphins - is priceless and quite addictive. And the benefits are so worth it: improved mood, increased energy, weight loss, better sleep and more importantly prevention of a whole lot of health issues.
But exercise should be fun – not mundane. Find something you enjoy whether it's going to the gym, walking, cycling, swimming or even Zumba classes, try something you’ve never done before to discover what you enjoy.
Find a local yoga/pilates studio or sign up to online yoga classes. There are even mobile phone apps that allow you to do workouts at home. Ditch the excuses – it’s too hot, it’s too cold, I’m tired, I don’t have time, I don’t have any active wear, 10 minutes of exercise is not enough – ignore those crazy excuses for good. Just make sure you designate “non-negotiable” times to do it and make sure you stick to it. Even if it's only for 10-15 minutes, one or two days a week, and increase it as you go. Slowly build it up at your own pace to a doable level that you can maintain and above all, enjoy it. Do it with a friend, join a walking or cycling group, just get moving and have fun. Just do it! But be warned, once you start, you may never give it up but your mind and body will thank you for it.
I need the motivation to get back into exercise which is why I wrote about it. Will you join me in making a start today? Let’s all dust off those runners, grab a bottle of water and get started, right now!