We often associate “Sustainable Living” to the environment, but have you ever considered how it can relate to our health and wellbeing?

Is the way you treat your body sustainable?

Luckily throughout my life, and through my pregnancies I have been quite “healthy”, so I thought. In other words, I haven’t had many complications. So I have continued doing what I do, and not thinking much about it.

I have been unwell, on and off for about 3 months now, and today I was thinking, “This is the only body I have. If I want it to become a well oiled machine, what would I need to do?”

As I thought about nutrition, hydration, and exercise I was shocked to realise that the very thing that I encourage my children to do – in order for them to be healthy and happy – I had stopped doing myself!

Without thinking about it, I had developed some habits that were not doing my body any favours:

• I was good at getting my children to eat a healthy high fibre breakfast to start their day on a good note, but sometimes I forgot to eat breakfast.

• I was good at giving my children water or milk to drink, but I forgot to pour me a glass when I ate, or re-hydrate myself during the day.

• I was good at including vegetables with my children’s meals and plenty of fruit in their lunch boxes and snacks, but I forgot to prepare a salad or eat plenty of fruit throughout the day.
  

• I was good at getting my children to go to bed at their bed time because I knew they would become grumpy and irritable in the morning, but I forgot that if I had a late night it can actually make me grumpy and irritable too.

With so many things to do and remember, sometimes taking care of ourselves physically can get dropped off our to do list. When there doesn’t seem to be an immediate detrimental effect, we continue the behaviour that isn’t “sustainable” for our bodies.

On The Oprah Winfrey’s Show: “What is your body trying to tell you”, Dr. Northrup says your health depends on what’s going on with your mind, body and soul, and your symptoms are actually your soul’s way of bringing deeper issues to your attention. “You’re in labor with yourself because everything that no longer serves your highest purpose and your optimal health starts to go away and your body gives you signals’—Hey, you’ve been putting too much stuff under the carpet emotionally, nutritionally, not exercising … putting everyone else first. The kids, the husband, the job, whatever,’” Dr. Northrup says. “And your soul is saying, ‘What about me? What about me?’ And your body will start getting symptoms to hit you over the head with till you wake up.”

I went to the doctor again today, and I will be doing more tests, but one of the things that the doctor did tell me I needed to do was get more water into me and eat more fibre (fruits and veg!). So simple! Yet it is something that I have not placed a high enough priority on lately.

I think the learning I am going to take away with me from this experience is, “I am not putting a high enough priority on my health.”

I hope that by sharing this, you won’t need a wake up call like I did, before you start thinking  about how you can make changes in your lifestyle to make your health and wellbeing more sustainable.

Much love~!

Good reads:

Oprah – What is your body trying to tell you? Gives lots of advice about lifestyle, nutrition, taking care of your body and yourself (yay for discovery dates!)

My Pyramid: One size doesn’t fit all. MyPyramid offers personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help you plan/ assess your food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

About.com: Highest fiber vegetables, fruits and foods (funny, I just noticed that in NZ we spell “fibre” differently from Americans “fiber”)