6 Things that Changed My Perspective on Health

Taking care of myself became such a luxury. Something that I truly looked forward to rather than seeing it as an obligation. I was a better mom when I was moving my body, nourishing it with the right foods (and enough food), and prioritizing mindfulness just as much as I prioritized the doing of things. Taking care of myself was not something that was checked off a list each day, it was a daily ritual, and one that I loved. 

A few things that changed…

Finding Joy in Movement

Pregnancy is wild. For a long time I really pushed myself even when my body said no, but pregnancy changed that. A couple of years before getting pregnant I found reformer Pilates and absolutely loved it for many reasons. The mind body connection, the gentleness on my joints while still providing such a good workout, I was obsessed. When I got pregnant, Pilates was one of the few things that still felt amazing up until a few days before giving birth, and aided in a quick physical recovery. While the physical benefits were amazing, I still think that having movement that I actually enjoyed doing was why my body responded to it the way it did. It’s something I did (and still do) look forward to each day, far beyond pregnancy.

Whole Foods Focus

As a previous fad dieter and macro tracker, this one was a big one for me. I shifted my focus from the macros and calories in food to simply just eating whole foods and I felt like a secret had been exposed to me, ha! I almost immediately felt less puffy (yes, during pregnancy), I returned to my natural body weight in the months after giving birth without dieting or obsessively exercising, and I had more energy to do the things that I love. Eating whole foods and being cautious of any additives has been life changing. 

Walking More

I used to love running and would run regularly. HIIT workouts were my go to and if I wasn’t dripping sweat by the end of a workout, I hadn’t worked hard enough. Similar to eating whole foods, more gentle movements were the secret to transformation with me. After much research (and much more on this later), I learned the negative impact of high intensity exercises on our nervous system. Not to say all high intensity is bad, but over-exercising can have the opposite effect than what you are after, and for me, that was the case. My body responded really well to walking more than running, more Pilates than HIIT training, and simply listening to my body and trusting it to know what I needed. 

Rest

When I was in college, I would stay up until the early hours of the morning studying and then wake up a few hours later, take pre-workout, and hit the gym. Oh if I only knew then what I know now. Giving your body enough rest is KEY to seeing transformation in your body, your productivity, your mental health, hormone regulation, and so many other things. Getting enough sleep and resting more throughout the week has made maybe the largest impact on my overall health.

Limiting Alcohol

I love a glass of wine. I’ve never had a drinking problem or think that I’ve consistently over drank, but it takes one time of waking up with a newborn after having a couple glasses of wine to shift your entire perspective. When I stopped drinking wine on a regular basis, I realized how much more clear my mind was, how much more energy I had, my mood was more stable, and many other benefits that I didn’t even know I was in control of. I’ll still enjoy a glass of wine on occasion, but it’s just that, a special occasion. 

Meditation

Meditation started out as a survival tactic during postpartum, but it soon became a standard practice that I incorporated into my day. Waking up with some quiet moments and focusing on my breath sets the stage for my entire day, and makes it habitual to take those same deep breathes and quiet moments when stressful situations arise, because let's be honest, they will. 

It took being pregnant and becoming a new mom for me to make many of these shifts, but that was the catalyst in my own life. I strongly suggest you take a couple of these things and try them on, as I believe many of them are foundational to our health. Not just during pregnancy, not just postpartum, but throughout a lifetime.