Have you ever wondered why some people maintain a healthy, organic, and balanced diet, yet struggle to lose the extra weight they desire to shed?
Or why some physically active individuals, frequent gym-goers for years, still have a protruding belly and see little to no change in their physique or energy levels?
Or why some other people, despite regularly practicing relaxation techniques and yoga, continue to struggle with high stress levels?
These questions could go on, as there seems to be a missing piece in all these scenarios and many other wellness endeavors.
And of course, this missing piece isn’t the same for everyone - nature is far from monotonous!
Embarking on a genuine journey of wellness begins with a consistent effort to identify our unique areas for improvement - after all, we are all unique. This is why generic formulas, programs, or ready-made solutions rarely work for everyone.
While there are some general aspects or ‘rules’ to keep in mind, each person seeking their true wellness must chart their own course, confront their own challenges, and proceed at their own pace.
Wellness isn’t something we stumble upon hastily, to be implemented after reading a brief article (or even a lengthy one like this!), or to be achieved in a matter of weeks…
It’s true that changes can start yielding results relatively quickly, but it’s the persistence, discipline, and consistency that will drive long-term, transformative results. Sometimes, it takes time to discover what works for us, and room for trial and error should always be anticipated.
The quest for wellness is a lifelong adventure, a journey to be relished every day - and patience is crucial.
But, where does one begin? How does one identify their own path and start traversing it?
Consider these 5 ESSENTIAL elements consistently and pose these questions to yourself, in kindness and with honesty:
1. NUTRITION
It won’t come as a surprise that food is the first one to tackle.
Each of us finds ourselves in front of our pot of food every day, and each bite has transformative potential, having the power to change our stress and immune responses.
Questions:
Is this fuel really working for me, today?
Is this fuel appropriate for the work I need to get done today?
Did I make a good choice for my body and mind, or just for my gustative papilla?
Will this fuel assist me well throughout my day, giving me enough energy and supporting my brain chemistry, mood and health?
(Related article: 3h Rule of Nutrition)
2. PHYSICAL TRAINING
Many questions here , too!
Training has the potential to shift our mood, decrease pain and inflammation, support our heart, reinforce discipline, make us stronger, help us get lean, decrease stress, increase our confidence and bring us pure joy… these are just a few of the benefits.
Questions:
...But how much training is enough, how hard should I go and when, what kind of training is actually good for me and is it adapted well to my day, today?
Shall I have the same training routine every week?
Shall I participate in the same group classes at the gym?
When is it right to go easier and when shall I push my limits?
How much cardio is right, and how much resistance training?
What about stability, flexibility, impact?
What training do I need today to help my hormones balance?
Should women and men train in the same way? (...A definite NO to that, especially after 40yo!!)
…In short, do I know how to choose the right, healthy training for myself, in function of my daily energy (and hormonal journey)?
3. RELAXATION
When talking about relaxation, we can tackle so many different aspects: from stretching to (self)massage, from maintaining a correct posture to breathing properly and finding a quiet moment for ourselves, every day.
Relaxing effectively has countless benefits, from decreasing cortisol levels to muscle relaxation, and from calming our minds to… making our wrinkles fade away!
Questions:
Do I find the time to relax often enough, with so many things on my agenda?
And how can I make sure I relax effectively, no matter the surprises of each day?
4. TRAINING THE MIND
Our mind-flows, so subtle and powerful, that they tend to conduct us through each day.
They are strong and delicate at the same time, easy to be influenced by everything, from bad dreams, to not enough good fats in our diet, and responding quickly to stress and hormone misbalances.
Adjusting our mental patterns, and working at the roots of all the issues, is priceless work.
Questions:
Do I concentrate easily?
Is my mind agitated?
Am I invaded by thoughts all the time?
How can I make them stop?
Should I even attempt to stop them? Shall I ignore them, shall I just watch them… what would help me find peace?
What techniques shall I use to increase my mental discipline, balance, awareness and consciousness, smoothly, every day?
If I’ve practiced some techniques for a while, what results have I seen, over time?
5. SKILLS… FOR A BETTER LIFE
We have so much power over our reactions and yet we do not realize that random stress, bad food, too much or not enough food intake, fatigue, multitasking and so on can change a day’s energy in just a few minutes.
Someone who steps on a traffic rule and puts us in danger for one moment in the morning may simply change our mood, our hormonal balance and brain chemistry - and only trained equanimity and awareness about how we actually feel and react from that moment on can make the day better (for us and for the ones around us!).
And we are all exposed to countless irritable or dangerous things, every day; things that so many times we just can’t change, and that don’t depend on us.
The reaction, however, is entirely in our hands.
Questions:
Am I patient enough? How tolerant am I? Do I judge quickly?
How well do I communicate with others at work, in my family, with friends?
How do I react in a conflict situation?
Am I emphatic enough?
Do I plan, structure and anticipate well how I spend my time?
Do I feel good about these aspects?
...Now, each of these 5 life essentials is like a tiny wheel that helps us advance every day, and requires time for introspection and openness to change: time that sometimes we feel that we don’t have, and openness that most times we must work on.
The missing link, for most people, is that these 5 essentials always work together.
None should be ignored.
If one is neglected, the others will be impacted, creating a form of stress in our bodies.
They are interacting, every day, at all times: they talk to each other and influence each other, continuously looking for balance.
Our food choices change our brain chemistry, and so does our training.
Our hormones influence our mood and drives.
Our patience and empathy influence our level of stress, which reflects on the connections with the others around us, which in turn influences our energy, mood and ...cravings.
Our relaxation state changes our breathing and that can change our mind focus, as well as our hormonal balance.
And it goes on and on... because the missing link is not the same for all of us.
Each wheel must be turned, each day.
And... every day is different and will bring us different aspects to consider!
This is another aspect that sometimes we're just not ready to accept: today is different than yesterday, we need to accept reality and wisely adjust our game.
There is however a prize for this daily effort, beyond our own growth and even beyond becoming of better support in everything we get involved!
Taking the time to check in with ourselves daily on each of the 5 essentials is likely to be less expensive in terms of time and energy, than the consequences that stress may have in long term on our energy, health, work, relationships, shape... and even wallets.
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Fit Women after 40 offers integrated coaching on the 5 wellbeing essentials adjusted to women hormonal transitions, allowing each lady to advance in her rhythm, on her own personal discovery path.
The coaching puts together the subtle links of the 5 components above (nutrition, physical training, relaxation, meditation and life skills) allowing easier connections and "aha" moments, bringing changes in the overall wellbeing with even minimalistic, bio-hacking changes.
Mihaela Ostafe
Coach, Nutritionist & Wellbeing Adviser
Women's approach for achieving better health, optimal shape, strength and hormonal balance