Our 4 pillars for optimal wellness!
Wellness is a personal journey that is ever changing. We’ve especially learned the importance of honoring our bio-individuality. What works for me may not necessarily work for you, and vice versa. However, there are 4 main areas of focus that we continuously return to in order to maintain an optimal state of wellness. The first of course is nutrition. The foundation of this pillar is that we believe food is medicine. It is at the core of having a body that is well, or a body in a state of dis-ease. Without going into the long history of how our food has changed over the years, it unfortunately has created a population in the United States of obesity, and chronic illness. The foods many Americans today have become accustomed to eating would not even be considered real food. It is processed in a factory and full of harmful chemicals that over time wreak havoc on the body and immune system. Real food is something that is grown naturally from the earth and has not been altered in any way. Choosing organic as much as possible is more important than ever as much of our food is heavily sprayed with chemicals that have been known to cause cancer, and/or over time other chronic health issues. We are by no means perfect in all that we eat, but we do strive to live by the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time we choose nourishing foods and 20% of time we allow for indulgences such as eating out or a glass of wine. Providing our body with the nourishment it needs can assist the body in healing, repairing, and thriving!
Our second pillar is movement. Our favorite mantra is move in some way everyday! We have learned that movement for us is intuitive, and changes with time and seasons. Honoring these intuitive nudges keeps us engaged, healthy, and excited about getting it done everyday. If you’re feeling in a rut take a moment to think about what you enjoyed doing as a child. Did you enjoy rollerskating, volleyball, running? Try to tap back into that activity and what about it brought you joy and start there. For us personally, it could be yoga one day if our bodies feel like they need to stretch or take it easy, and weight training another day. We love to include a little bit of it all!
Our next pillar is meditation. Meditation was a game changer in our wellness journey. When we began a regular practice about 15 years ago we saw the benefits immediately. Creating the habit of taking time to go inward each and everyday allows for clarity during difficult times, relief from stress and overwhelm, and an opportunity to hear the guidance from your soul self (your true self). This is how we start our day. Somedays it’s 5 mins and others are 20-30mins. Meditation is never about stopping the mind from thinking, this is impossible. It is literally the practice of BEing, focusing on your breath, witnessing the thought, and then coming back to focus on your breath. As your practice deepens you will notice your body becomes more easily able to be still, and allows the “downloads” of creativity, ideas, and clarity to flow. Allowing this space to feel is ultimately how we heal.
Finally, our last pillar is alternative healing modalities. When we say alternative what we really mean is the “original” form of healing. Going back to our roots of using the earth to guide us with the use of essential oils, energy healing, and looking to the root cause of an issue, not just a bandaid approach. We by no means disregard the benefits of modern medicine, and fully understand the blessing it has brought for many. However, as a society we have allowed pharmaceuticals to be the first and only approach in many cases, and this has caused problems with dependency, an approach that disregards opportunities for the body to heal, and ultimately causes issues to compound. A crucial part of our health journey has been finding our wellness team. This encompasses a functional medicine practitioner, energy healer, massage therapist, acupuncturist, and whomever else we’re intuitively guided to. To hear more about our personal journeys on this topic and specifically how we were guided on this wellness path have a listen to our podcast episode #2 where we share more of our personal experiences. Listen here!
We would love to hear more about what is working or not working for you! Please comment below!
Much love,
J & C