Primary and Secondary Foods
When it comes to our health and wellness there’s more than just what we eat and how we exercise. If you’ve been reading my blogs up to now you know how important sleep and rest are, plus stress relief, MELT, breath work and or meditation are in our lives. But there’s more. Our mental and emotional state are at the base of how we care for ourselves.
So what else plays into our health and wellness?
Our environment- our home life, neighborhood, whom we surround ourselves with all play a part.
Our spirituality- not just religious, but how you feel about your spirit, your energy and how it plays into your beliefs and the way you treat yourself, the earth and others around you.
Our careers- are you fulfilled in what you do? Do you love getting up everyday or do you struggle with a career or job that creates stress and resentment?
Our relationships- our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers- how do we see ourselves and interact with others in our daily life.
Our creative expression- how do you enjoy free time? How do you express yourself creatively? Participating in creative activities that we enjoy is a big part of caring for ourselves.
What's your environment like? The space you call home. When you walk in the door do you feel at ease? Is it free of clutter? Do you feel cozy and safe?
If not, what small changes would make your home space more inviting, relaxing and a safe place to unwind, cook meals and enjoy free time?
Your spirituality, whether religious based or a connection to the universe or any greater good, can play a role in your peace of mind and in your wellbeing. Your body is the most precious vehicle that carries your mind and soul through this beautiful journey we call life.
Careers can make or break us--not just financially, but spiritually and physically as well. When we have a career where everything is going smoothly, we’re making a difference, we have control and we’re successful financially it makes it easier on us to take time to nurture our body, mind and spirit. When we’re in a career where we feel stuck, struggling for control or a voice or we’re not feeling financially secure can make it difficult to take time to nurture ourselves….but, this is when we may need it even more. If you feel any of these, what is one thing you can do to take some control of your time to nurture yourself with healthy activities?
Relationships with family, friends and coworkers can help us in our quest for better health and wellness or can create obstacles. Asking for help so that you can take a small amount of time for yourself or getting your friend or loved one to participate along with you in healthy habits can be relationship building. If you're struggling in a relationship how can you carve out time to really care for yourself? A book I read years ago,
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman helped me understand how humans relate to each other. One important thing I learned a long time ago is that no one person can be everything to another. Finding friendship and happiness with different people contributes to our life and other relationships as well. Think of the last time you connected with a close friend. How wonderful did that feel?
How do you nurture your creativity and homelife? Do you enjoy home cooking, caring for plants or a garden, practicing a musical instrument or singing, drawing, painting, redesigning a room? Any of these activities can nurture our spirit and help us feel calm and at peace in our environment. What’s a creative activity you enjoy? How does it make you feel when you take time and allow yourself to enjoy this activity? How does it feed your spirit?
Getting in touch with how these parts of our life make us feel can help us in our journey of true health and wellness. I call these aspects of our life our Primary Food* The food on our plate is our Secondary Food. When our Primary Food is in a more balanced place, our secondary food becomes more about nutrition and fueling our body. It becomes easier to follow healthier habits and attain the health, and wellness we desire.
In my 6 Pillars of Wellness 12-Week Program, my One-on-One Holistic Coaching and my Accountability Coaching we incorporate ways to help you work through these Primary Foods as well as our other Pillars of Wellness. Email me at mariarigo@boundlessbalance.com to set up a Free 15-minute Discovery Call to see if I'm the right fit to help you on your health and wellness journey.
*Primary Food and Secondary Food- Integrative Institute for Nutrition.