The Most Important Pillar of Health - And 5 Steps to Align with It
Whenever I started really owning my shit and took a deep dive into this health journey, the first step was yoga. I naturally dove into yoga from 8 years of cheerleading because it was easy. My dear friend Candace, and then my dear friend Alisa, taught my first couple of classes. I was hooked. I attended yoga every week, and sometimes more, at just 18 years old. It let do me later getting my teaching certification, teaching through grad school, and the rest is history.
In terms of the physical aspects of health, I felt like I had that nailed down. One of my first jobs I got in college was at a health + wellness clinic - so you could say that I’ve been doing this for a while. I started lifting weights (incorrectly, I might add) and eventually started running. I ran several half marathons, 10ks, and eventually ran my way into using running as an escape.
After a car accident while running, I transitioned into more of a focus body weight activities, pilates, and just general movement that made me feel so good, which is what inspired me to start my online platform (revamped so soon!). But even with all planks, core work, and leaning out (and let me tell you, I felt amazing), there was still something missing. When I started my Instagram presence as arkyogagirl in 2018, I posted many stretchy, bendy, fun things. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good inspirational quote with a bendy splits (which I can still do 😊), but at almost 30, I realize now there is so much more.
This brought me to my very natural inquiry of nutrition. I remember doing an interprofessional networking event while I was getting my doctorate in physical therapy, and we worked with nutritionists. We sat down with a fake patient and each respective discipline, and I remember thinking, I wish I was talking about their diet right now... At the time I didn’t quit, but finished out my doctorate because I was “already on the path”. Of course, now I only have 3 quarters left until I’ll also have my master’s in clinical nutrition. 🎉 Some might say that I don’t need the degree, but honestly I just love learning this information at an established unversity and teachers all over the country. It gives me credentials and credibility, and I enjoy the material so, so much.
Having worked with many clients now in person and virtually, I realize that food and movement is where I love learning and teaching. I’ve spent age 27-29 working with people and guiding them on easy swaps they can make that really make a difference. However (of course), there’s still more. There’s something that every single person I’ve worked with has in common: it’s never just about the food or the tense shoulders or tight hamstrings; it’s always so much more. It’s always about the relationship with we have with food, patterns we’ve developed as a child with eating, and most importantly, our relationship to ourself and how we handle anxiety, stress, and discomfort. Every. Single. Time.
Someone asked me: are you now going to go back and get your degree to be a therapist, too?! And the answer is no (haha). I think this is the last degree I will be getting. 😉 However, what’s really cool is that I feel like I have credentials and experience in the best areas of medicine: movement, nutrition, and with yoga: meditation and mental health. I realize that you need to focus on all three of these areas to be fully aligned with yourself and to be well.
As I transition into my 30’s, and into a recently new job that I love, a favorite part of working in private practice is the meditation, reflection and awareness of mind/body connection, and developing relationship to self. What’s the point of moving your body if you aren’t mindful with it. What’s the point of eating right if you’re not connected to your body? What’s the point of having no pain or bloating if you’re anxious, stressed, rushed, or depressed?
The only way you are going to live fully is if you know, and love, you.
Luckily, when your nutritional needs are met and you participate in movement that feels good to your body, your mental health is greatly effected in a positive way. However, I do believe the most important aspect of health and wellness in ourselves and our lives is to be present, to know yourself, to own your mistakes, and to actively choose each day to become the person that you want to be.
I’m a big journaler, as it’s an important part of reflection in my own life. If you’re looking to know yourself better and make a few changes, here are a few steps you can journal through to help you align with you:
First, write down an ideal version of yourself. And be specific. For example:
For me, that’s someone that doesn’t procrastinate, who’s lean, tonedm and feels good in her body. Aesthetically, I feel best when I have longer hair, a little bit of sun on my skin, and only wear very minimal to moderate makeup. I (generally) like my nails not painted. I like to wear minimal, sophisticated clothing, and I want to be someone who only has one or two cocktails a week (still working on that one…). I like to eat within a certain time frame of the day (12-7) and I just generally look and feel my best when I have a smoothie with collagen in it. My skin glows and I naturally lean out, which is really just when I feel the most confident and light. Socially, I feel best when I see close friends at least once/week if I can carve out the time. I also love expression via social media, writing (obviously), and cooking healthy food. That is my ideal version self.
So, I write all of this down, then I try to incorporate it into my daily routine in the best way I can. It’s actually really fun to get to know yourself. I’ve done so much work on this that it is so natural to me, but I encourage you to get specific and write down what that is for you.
Second, write down the version of yourself that you don’t want to be. The scary part of this is that a lot of it could be what you’re doing right now, and that’s okay. For example:
Whenever I write down this version of myself, it’s a version of me that is bulimic in secret, which I was for several years and still struggle with, someone who is scattered and lets her anxiety overwhelm her, someone who cancels things often, isn’t impeccable with her word, never shows up on time, who eats sugar late at night, and has one too many cocktails. These have all been me in the last year. My general form of self-sabotage is overindulgance and gluttony (side note, I am about to dive into Elise Loehnen’s book on the 7 Deadly Sins/Impulses, which explains how women have coped in this world using them). And I know that about myself because I’ve studied myself.
While these can be scary, it’s so important to recognize aspects of ourselves that we don’t like. Remember that these aspects are not you, but just patterns that you have that you have used to cope in this stressful life. But you CAN change them. One of the first and most pivotal parts to changing them is recognizing them, recognizing what triggers them, owning them, and then changing the patterns with practice (and time).
Third, write down boundaries you want to set. For example:
Personally, I’ve been doing a bit too much for free. I am giving a lecture this week completely for free, when I really should have stood up for myself and said that I couldn’t do it unless I was getting paid because it’s going to take up a lot of time in my week to prepare it. I also tend to give way too much physical therapy advice for free, which is something I get paid very well for. Another thing I tend to give away is my time, such as setting a limit of 45 minutes for a meeting or treatment, then letting it go an hour and a half or more. It could be anything for you, but write down what it is for you and then work on transitioning away from those tendencies. It won’t always be perfect, but it’s something you can continuously work on.
Fourth, write down things you want to carve time out for. For example:
This morning, I woke up earlier to do yoga with lofi music in my ears, took a few hours on my day off to write this blog, and to walk throughout the day, all of which are three things that absolutely make me a better human. I will make time to cook wholesome food tonight, but I’ll also do my job of seeing patients, running grocery orders and have meetings for Story, and workngi on my personal to-do list. It’s a balance and I have to work, but I am sure to carve out little moments here and there for myself that generally align me to be who I want to be in journal prompt number 1. You might not know what these are yet, but explore what makes you feel good. Explore what makes you feel aligned, then carve out time for those things in your daily life. You might have to try a few things, but that’s part of the journey to know yourself (and again, it’s actually kind of fun).
Fifth, write down things you need to have peace. This sort of goes along with the above bullet, but a bit more focused on the mental health aspect and routine. For example:
I am sure to meditate and move my body almost every day in some way, which calms down my nervous system and releases energy that becomes stagnant in my body. I try to do this in the early morning or mid morning, but sometimes it’s in the afternoon, and that’s okay too. I also know that I personally do well when I work intermittently throughout the day at my computer and take walks in between, because that’s just how I work with a more peaceful mindset. I also like to work a few hours from home, then maybe from a coffee shop, then at my boyfriend’s place or my even my parents house because I’m someone that likes to change locations, as it helps me to focus and get more done.
Lastly, I feel like this is so important for peace: stay away from people that have low energy. When I try to get work done and I can feel that there is judgement or tension in the space, I leave. I just can’t do it. It affects my peace and energy so much, and so I will leave it. It’s not my job to fix it, but to set those personal boundaries. Often our work environments can be toxic, so maybe that means not going there as much, documenting in a separate space or listening to a calming or inspiring podcast, or doing only what is absolutely necessary around that space. Sometimes it’s just certain people that you need to avoid. Here’s your reminder that it is never selfish to do what you need to do and create a routine that keeps your peace. You, my love, are the only one that is going to guard that.
These are 5 things I practice daily, and I hope that they are helpful to you. Talking about mental health is one of my favorite things, because we really do all have so much in common. One of my missions on this earth in this lifetime is to help people to live their best life, which sounds super cheesy, but it’s true. Life is hard and extremely stressful, and we will all feel the effects of an ever-demanding society. Choosing yourself every day and becoming the person you want to be is a choice. Tools like movement, good food, and knowing yourself help you to lead yourself to a happier life. And let me tell you: there is no better feeling.
I am sending you so much love and light. 🤍
Xo,
B