When you pay attention to what your body needs, you send yourself the message that you are precious and deserve to be cherished. Many of us love that idea but we still don't live it.
I am here for this and for the Ottolenghi patties. I don't want to be that woman either, but since I hit middle age, my body hits me with a killer headache if I touch alcohol, coffee, or sugar, or mess with my sleep. Would love to hear from people who were non-exercisers who have managed to build exercise into their schedules in a sustainable and low cost way - this is what I find the most challenging.
I'm new to it, but I bought a Rebounder- Mini Trampoline, (why won't they just call it that? I think so they can charge more money for it and call it some new and fancy name) off Amazon for $78 bucks. I've been told that 10 minutes on it is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. So score there! There are tons of 10 minute beginner routines on YouTube. I've been doing some from a gal called "Earth and Owl". Besides fulfilling a childhood fantasy, as my parents would never let me on a trampoline, it's actually pretty cool. My mental health provider also recommended jump rope. Paid 5 bucks for jump rope- way hard to jump rope though! Everyone who is good at it makes it look easy! I can only jump 13 times before I get tangled with the rope but I'm working on it. I was told 10 minutes of jumping rope is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. And I was told I could do a minute or 2 at a time and work up to the 10 minutes. :) Just thought I would share : )
I work in mental health and some of the fundamental questions we ask our patients are: are you sleeping? are you exercsing? are you eating? what are you eating? are you doing drugs of any sort? And so often there is a disconnect for our patients and for all of us, as you have pointed out, when the answers to these questions are way off in comparison to how they feeling. Like a complete disconnect. Even though I work in this realm, I ignore my body all the time! It's like I want to deny that I am human, that I need sleep, that I do get tired, that "my social battery" (as my brother likes to call it) runs out, I need more water, I need to eat regularly (though I have that dialed in more now being in food recovery). I want to believe I am the Energizer Bunny, that I can do all things for all people at all times. That is not being the best friend, wife, co-worker, lover, daughter or even the best friend to myself at all. That is short changing myself in the worst possible way. Thank you for this. How can I remember this when I need it? How can I remember to listen instead of ignore? It is a practice, it is a slow learning process. It is a joy to be more aware and to be learning and evolving. Especially on Substack with like minded people, writers and readers alike. Truly a blessing.
”We think of it as indulgent and luxurious to do whatever we like, but it’s the opposite. When we ignore outcomes, we ignore our own hearts and minds.”
So true. Reading this after eating expensive pizza with a big glass of red wine and then a ZYN - a ”treat” after a crazy stressful day at work. Now feeling restless and angsty🫠
As an 83 year old former Educator and Episcopal Deacon - lots of this rang true … and I have already re-done my 6 garden trugs with healthy veggies - herbs - etc … enjoying this new adventure … love your writing .. esp the snark when it slips in ! Keep on challenging-encouraging us
Saving this one for the next time I'm ignoring my body. Also please share good easy healthy recipes & tips. We need more tips from people who are more realistic about it. IMO making it as easy as possible is half the battle, and a lot of the wellness/food influencers make it way too aesthetic and complicated which then makes you want to quit cuz who has time for that?? When really anything healthier is better than nothing. Got 5 minutes to go on a walk? Better than nothing. 5 minutes here and there add up throughout the day/week/month/year.
I also feel like tuning into your body is such a gift if you can. This practice is why I basically stopped drinking. I noticed my anxiety would be up and my sleep would be off for a full week with a drink or 2. So for me what's the point?? I have to really think the drink is worth that now, maybe a few times a year for the right occasion it is, but it's not on a weekly or even monthly basis for me.
Okay, so with the caveat that I don't like the weight loss stuff... coach John Noel on instagram has an ongoing series where he talks about "it's not cooking, It's just mixing stuff" to basically find ways to use convenience foods to have a healthier diet... also, the nutrition tea here on substack is great to unpack your ideas about health and nutrition!!
Oh thank you for both recs, I'm going to check both out! The it's not cooking it's just mixing stuff series sounds really good. That's my style of cooking.
I have been lifting weights and eating well for the past 6 months and everything you said rings true. I used to feed myself like I was a human trash can and I believed that exercise was for annoying people with eating disorders. I feel like I have a steadiness and confidence that I always admired in other people but never thought would be attainable for me. Thanks for writing about this!!
I found this out the last few days, when my body finally refused to do more after weeks of trying to be selfless (part of this driven by guilt and fear) and help others, but sacrificing myself physically (completely unnecessarily). Dizzy spells, headache, zero stamina, disturbing dreams and bouts of crying & basic decisions felt like mountains. D:
Yes! I am excited for more of your recipes and exercise inspiration and what works for you! It is such an inspiration!
As a child of the 90s, it took a long time for me to unlearn the diet culture of my adolescence (WW, snackwells sugar free everything, chemical frozen meals) and only during the pandemic did I really start to love cooking real food. Smitten kitchen (deb Perelman), NYT cooking app, Alison Roman Home Movies- these suddenly made cooking and baking joyous. They’re not all healthy but they’re all made with delicious seasonal fruits and veggies— and to the shock of my 16 year old self measuring out pretzels and baby carrots— eating this way along with working out regularly did NOT cause me to gain weight! The opposite, if anything 🤗
So funny, I just wrote about this yesterday. That it took me until my fifties to begin paying attention to what my body wants and then actually giving my body that thing. Which isn't really that surprising given that we live in a culture that teaches us from the get-go to ignore our bodies and what they need.
Everyone thinks they need more self control but what we need is more self connection. We are not monsters that need to be controlled. Our body is always telling us what it needs to thrive, we just need to listen.
I am here for this and for the Ottolenghi patties. I don't want to be that woman either, but since I hit middle age, my body hits me with a killer headache if I touch alcohol, coffee, or sugar, or mess with my sleep. Would love to hear from people who were non-exercisers who have managed to build exercise into their schedules in a sustainable and low cost way - this is what I find the most challenging.
I'm new to it, but I bought a Rebounder- Mini Trampoline, (why won't they just call it that? I think so they can charge more money for it and call it some new and fancy name) off Amazon for $78 bucks. I've been told that 10 minutes on it is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. So score there! There are tons of 10 minute beginner routines on YouTube. I've been doing some from a gal called "Earth and Owl". Besides fulfilling a childhood fantasy, as my parents would never let me on a trampoline, it's actually pretty cool. My mental health provider also recommended jump rope. Paid 5 bucks for jump rope- way hard to jump rope though! Everyone who is good at it makes it look easy! I can only jump 13 times before I get tangled with the rope but I'm working on it. I was told 10 minutes of jumping rope is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. And I was told I could do a minute or 2 at a time and work up to the 10 minutes. :) Just thought I would share : )
I work in mental health and some of the fundamental questions we ask our patients are: are you sleeping? are you exercsing? are you eating? what are you eating? are you doing drugs of any sort? And so often there is a disconnect for our patients and for all of us, as you have pointed out, when the answers to these questions are way off in comparison to how they feeling. Like a complete disconnect. Even though I work in this realm, I ignore my body all the time! It's like I want to deny that I am human, that I need sleep, that I do get tired, that "my social battery" (as my brother likes to call it) runs out, I need more water, I need to eat regularly (though I have that dialed in more now being in food recovery). I want to believe I am the Energizer Bunny, that I can do all things for all people at all times. That is not being the best friend, wife, co-worker, lover, daughter or even the best friend to myself at all. That is short changing myself in the worst possible way. Thank you for this. How can I remember this when I need it? How can I remember to listen instead of ignore? It is a practice, it is a slow learning process. It is a joy to be more aware and to be learning and evolving. Especially on Substack with like minded people, writers and readers alike. Truly a blessing.
I kind of needed this today. Thank you!
”We think of it as indulgent and luxurious to do whatever we like, but it’s the opposite. When we ignore outcomes, we ignore our own hearts and minds.”
So true. Reading this after eating expensive pizza with a big glass of red wine and then a ZYN - a ”treat” after a crazy stressful day at work. Now feeling restless and angsty🫠
As an 83 year old former Educator and Episcopal Deacon - lots of this rang true … and I have already re-done my 6 garden trugs with healthy veggies - herbs - etc … enjoying this new adventure … love your writing .. esp the snark when it slips in ! Keep on challenging-encouraging us
Deb Blackwood - Charlotte NC
Saving this one for the next time I'm ignoring my body. Also please share good easy healthy recipes & tips. We need more tips from people who are more realistic about it. IMO making it as easy as possible is half the battle, and a lot of the wellness/food influencers make it way too aesthetic and complicated which then makes you want to quit cuz who has time for that?? When really anything healthier is better than nothing. Got 5 minutes to go on a walk? Better than nothing. 5 minutes here and there add up throughout the day/week/month/year.
I also feel like tuning into your body is such a gift if you can. This practice is why I basically stopped drinking. I noticed my anxiety would be up and my sleep would be off for a full week with a drink or 2. So for me what's the point?? I have to really think the drink is worth that now, maybe a few times a year for the right occasion it is, but it's not on a weekly or even monthly basis for me.
Okay, so with the caveat that I don't like the weight loss stuff... coach John Noel on instagram has an ongoing series where he talks about "it's not cooking, It's just mixing stuff" to basically find ways to use convenience foods to have a healthier diet... also, the nutrition tea here on substack is great to unpack your ideas about health and nutrition!!
Oh thank you for both recs, I'm going to check both out! The it's not cooking it's just mixing stuff series sounds really good. That's my style of cooking.
I have been lifting weights and eating well for the past 6 months and everything you said rings true. I used to feed myself like I was a human trash can and I believed that exercise was for annoying people with eating disorders. I feel like I have a steadiness and confidence that I always admired in other people but never thought would be attainable for me. Thanks for writing about this!!
Heather! You wrote this one for me today!! I feel ZINGED to my core and ready to drink some fresh mint tea and take a damn good walk. Thank you <3
“Your mind IS your body. And when your body is undernourished and dehydrated and weak and overworked or underworked, your mind is also suffering.“
I found this out the last few days, when my body finally refused to do more after weeks of trying to be selfless (part of this driven by guilt and fear) and help others, but sacrificing myself physically (completely unnecessarily). Dizzy spells, headache, zero stamina, disturbing dreams and bouts of crying & basic decisions felt like mountains. D:
Yes! I am excited for more of your recipes and exercise inspiration and what works for you! It is such an inspiration!
As a child of the 90s, it took a long time for me to unlearn the diet culture of my adolescence (WW, snackwells sugar free everything, chemical frozen meals) and only during the pandemic did I really start to love cooking real food. Smitten kitchen (deb Perelman), NYT cooking app, Alison Roman Home Movies- these suddenly made cooking and baking joyous. They’re not all healthy but they’re all made with delicious seasonal fruits and veggies— and to the shock of my 16 year old self measuring out pretzels and baby carrots— eating this way along with working out regularly did NOT cause me to gain weight! The opposite, if anything 🤗
So funny, I just wrote about this yesterday. That it took me until my fifties to begin paying attention to what my body wants and then actually giving my body that thing. Which isn't really that surprising given that we live in a culture that teaches us from the get-go to ignore our bodies and what they need.
Yes and also tells us to prioritize what OTHER people want from our bodies 😡
Also sadly very true.
Absolutely adore this post. Our bodies need tending to, and they only really get our attention when we are in deep pain or deep pleasure.
Everyone thinks they need more self control but what we need is more self connection. We are not monsters that need to be controlled. Our body is always telling us what it needs to thrive, we just need to listen.
Beautifully expressed!
This is evergreen, Polly.
The thing I struggle with the most is that I have a 60 hour work week. Imbalance from the get go :{
YES!!!
See, the Garmin was right when it told you that you needed 3 recovery days 😜
Seriously. I’m starting to listen to it! What now?!!