If you’ve been following along and reading the last few newsletters, you’ll know that I recently came out of a fast. Specifically, a DIY fasting mimicking diet (FMD) where I eat a very specific menu over five days for healing and longevity.
Normally the results are great during the fast but coming out of it has not consistently been successful. The reason? I simply go back to exactly how I used to live my life without making any changes or even small tweaks to my daily habits.
This time is different. I attribute this change - or heightened awareness and therefore integration - to simply having done these fasts enough times to gather and glean even more benefit out of them. (And, I can be a slow learner when the resistance is strong.) 😁
Coming out of this most recent fast, I was inspired to shift some of my regular habits. After all, for something in our life to change, something in our life must change! Namely, our actions.
I’ve been mindful without being extremist. I’ve honored the promises I made to myself while extending grace when the day looked a bit different because life happens. I adopted a mindset of experimentation and fun while staying focused on healthier habits in general.
By ‘healthier’ I mean healthier daily habits for me. The only person I’m competing with and comparing myself to is me, myself, and I.
With three core tweaks to my daily routine, I’ve been feeling more aligned and integrated with my true self and who I want to be. I’m proud of my progress so far and the greatest benefit is that I’m happier, I feel more centered, and I’m certain I’m on a path to greatness if I keep this up.
Let’s dive in…
#1. Sweat: My new eau de parfum 🪷
Every week I look forward to (and fear) a very early morning ‘yogalates’ class in a heated room with over 30 people. Half of them are half my age (which I love) and it’s led by Wei - a beautiful Mom who has the strength, flexibility, and control of a Cirque du Soleil acrobat.
Though there’s much to fear about this weekly event, it’s critical to my wellbeing. There’s something about sweating it out - profusely - that offers an incredible detox.
I learned this many years ago during my single days. I would regularly go to hot yoga and notice how amazing I felt after class. My muscles were warmed up, stretched out, and I’d come out of the steamy room feeling like I just got a facial and a full body massage!
It wasn’t necessarily the heat that did it for me though. It was specifically getting sweaty that released toxins - and bad energy - that really needed to be released. It didn’t just make my body feel better, much more importantly, it helped to stabilize my mental health.
Without this detox, I got intensely irritable. Depressed. But with it, I felt lighter, more centered, and stronger, and I was better armed to deal with the BS that was seemingly around every corner.
These days, coupled with my weekly yogalates class, almost every day, I take a 30-minute power walk. My new trainer is the very powerful 65-pound puppy, Ruby!
#2. Honoring our Nature ✨
As I've been experimenting with deepening my connection with my mind and body, I'm reminded of the never-ending power of our nature.
When we honor nature, we honor ourselves. Meaning when I take care of my body, my body takes care of me.
I’ve been better nurturing my brain and body by:
Getting outside and breathing in fresh, clean morning air
Switching my content consumption from mindless scrolling on social media to filling my mind and soul with thought-provoking knowledge
Honoring my hunger drive by nourishing it with plenty of calories in the morning and midday while eating light dinners a few hours before bed so my body can work on recovery, rest, and rejuvenation instead of using its energy digesting food
Still enjoying treats like a couple of chocolate chip cookies here and there, and pizza and wine with friends. (Because life is not about deprivation if we can help it!)
Tipping the scales towards even more whole plant foods - like beans - instead of processed foods. This has changed my microbiome and gut health in profound ways
Speaking of, if you haven’t made these beans yet, please do!
#3. The 80% Rule
When we hear a doctor advise us to eat a “balanced” diet, what does that mean exactly?!
(Chances are, most of them don’t know how to explicitly describe what works which is why we need to educate ourselves.)
Centenarians and credible health experts advise us to stop eating when we’re about 80% full.
From my fasting experiences, I’ve learned how to stop eating before I’m so full I have to loosen my pants. Instead, I enjoy my food and feel grateful for the satiety and energy it offers. (I still overdo it some days but this is part of an organic flow of living.)
Feeling 80% full means I no longer feel hungry. At that point, I can definitely eat more but it’s exactly in that moment where I can make the conscious decision to stop eating for now. (I remind myself I can always eat more in 5 more minutes if I want to.)
Training our gut and brain to continually be satiated at the 80% mark will lead to more controlled eating behaviors (and better allow our bodies to shed any extra body weight too).
No complicated “diets”, just eating what I prefer to eat (which is plants) and honoring the stomach neurons that tell my brain, I’m good. This simple principle has made a significant impact so far.
By not overindulging, I've found that I savor each bite, and it's helped me shed some extra pounds. Shockingly, more than any other post-fasts. This is what it means to have a “balanced” diet or better put: a way of eating and living that makes me happy and healthy. Making choices that make me feel good inside and out. No deprivation, just a simple shift in perspective and practicing a new habit with grace.
We cannot control the wind but we can adjust the sails.
Focus on what you can control.
Here's to sweating whether it’s from hot yoga, power walking, or deep-cleaning your home! (That’s a real hack btw - move your body to get out of a mental funk.)
Cheers to whole plant foods that offer us our optimal nutrition profile and the 80% rule that brings harmony to eating and nourishment.
If this seems overwhelming, start with something so tiny and simple that you’d bet $500 you’ll take that action this upcoming week.
Eg. I will take one bite of a carrot this week.
Eg. I will choose one song that gets my body movin’ and groovin'. (Bonus points for actually busting a move to it!)
Embrace the sweat, honor nature, and find your own balance in eating. I'm here to guide you along the way with pride and humility since each of us is on a journey.
Together, we'll not only increase our chances of staying on track toward greatness, but we’ll also rediscover the joy of living in harmony with ourselves and the world around us.
Next week, I’ll share my simple tracking system to guide me (objectively) along the way.
Until then, I’m cheering us on,
J xx
Love this!