My birthday was a few weeks ago.
I’m still basking in the glow of soul-nourishing time spent with friends, eating great food, and taking much-needed naps after a particularly busy month.
And as I write this, I’m blissed out by one of those glorious Seattle spring days when the sky is big and blue, the cherry blossoms look like cotton candy, Lake Washington is sparkling in the sunlight, and Mount Rainier is out in all her glory.
Life is pretty darn good, but there’s a but…
I turned 42 this year; and for the first time in a while, I feel disconnected from my body… like I no longer know what to do, what to eat, and how to exercise to feel the way I want to feel.
Maybe you can relate?
It didn’t happen overnight. It started two years ago when I turned 40 and noticed that things were, um, shifting.
There were little bulges in places that used to be toned and smooth. It’s like all of a sudden, gravity kicked in and started dragging me down with it. (If you’re over 40, I KNOW you know what I’m talkin’ about, sister. 😉
I couldn’t eat as much chocolate or almond butter – a particular temptation of mine – as I used to without seeing my weight creep up.
That was okay… expected, even.
What threw me for a loop was this feeling of disconnection from my body. It’s like I’m driving a car that I’ve driven for decades, only now, the controls don’t respond like they used to.
And for someone who prides herself on having mastery over all things food and fitness, you can imagine how odd it all feels.
So at the beginning of 2014, I wrote this in my goals: “Find ease, strength, and sexy confidence in my body again.” (And control…because it really all comes down to that, doesn’t it? Feeling in control of your body.)
Here’s the thing, though: Even I don’t have a magical solution to regain control of my body.
But I do know – in a way that I didn’t understand a few years ago – that tuning in and listening to it (my body, I mean) is the way to figure it out.
And sure enough, I’m beginning to feel better…more in tune, more connected, more in control again.
The same goes for you if you’re feeling a little out of control lately…of your body, of your food choices, of your exercise habit (or lack of one).
If you just…
Notice.
Write it down.
Experiment.
Repeat.
…you’ll get results pretty darn fast (faster than from any diet book, that’s for sure). You’ll have more energy, lose weight, feel motivated, and feel like you again.
Notice how you feel when you eat oatmeal vs. eggs…when you sleep for six hours vs. eight…when you move your body with yoga vs. dance vs. running.
Write down what happens when you skip breakfast or lunch…when you eat dark leafy greens every day for a week…when you swap out soda for water.
Experiment with food…movement…taking time to breathe…until you find the best choices for your body at this time in your life.
Repeat when you feel off-balance or out of control again.
Because off-balance and out of control is part of life. But when you have the tools to get back on track quickly, well, you win…every time. 🙂
P.S. If you’re interested in learning how to use these tools in your life, join me for a complimentary 30-minute Power Session – by phone or Skype. Thirty minutes of my laser focus on what’s getting in the way of your reaching your health goals and two to three things you can do now to start moving in the right direction. Power(ful) doesn’t even begin to describe how you’ll feel when we’re done. Click here to grab your spot.
