Unexpected ways to better health

I talk with a lot of people on the daily about what it means to be healthy.

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The patients we support at Melbourne Functional Medicine often sheepishly admit to me they have an 'all or nothing' approach when it comes to their health. Offering up judgments like: "I've been bad this week", or "My health is a lost cause because I ate the chocolate" or, "I did no exercise this week... am I going to go to 'health jail?!".

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No. No. NO. If you ate the chocolate - nice, I hope you enjoyed it. What did you observe that it did to your body, digestion, skin, carb cravings? Now, let's explore what you did do during the week that was nourishing and celebrate that. Beyond food and getting to the gym, what else can we be doing to support the health of our mind and body? HINT: It's not all about eating well and doing 4 x F45 classes!

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Unexpected ways to better health

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There are so many things we can usually find that they did that put more deposits in the 'health bank account' - let's list a few that my patients have begun to recognise and celebrate over the last month:

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• Had a dance to their favourite album in the kitchen whilst making dinner
• Said no to the cake on offer at Friday morning tea
• Said "not right now" to that additional piece of work that was just not a "hell yes"
• Took a day off work for themselves
• Worked on a fun side hustle that lifted their spirits
• Made a decision that had been riding on their mind
• Caught a worry that had been ruminating in their mind and realised "they are not their thoughts"
• Ate lunch slowly instead of inhaling it
• Had a walk and coffee with an old friend
• Honoured the boundaries they had set around a toxic relationship
• Started playing basketball again for fun
• Had a screen free evening
• Walked barefoot in nature
• Woke 15 minutes early to journal
• Spent 5 mins lying on the floor before bed to stretch out their tight body after a day in the office chair
• Tried 4-7-8 breathing
• Slept in when they needed it
• Experimented with what a caffeine free week would feel like

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Health is not an all or nothing game and it is certainly not won or lost with healthy eating alone. It is a long game that is all about recognising all the many pillars of health: eating well, moving well, slowing down, re-charging, connecting with people, finding meaning, sleeping better and also having fun.

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Health is not an all or nothing game and it is certainly not won or lost with healthy eating alone.

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How does a health coach, coach?

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When we see health in this way we can start to dissolve the feelings of guilt that can trap us when one pillar (usually eating!) is a little wobbly. My role as a health coach is to help our patients remember all of the other pillars that are going well.

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Did you know the brain is naturally like Velcro to a negative experience or thought - it's a tool from the ancient survival mechanisms built into our brains from the start of evolution. So having a health coach in your corner helps gently lessen the strength of that Velcro and start to remember the other things you have done that are worth celebrating, yes they always exist. Even if it is only the self-awareness that when 'x' happens you tend to then do 'y'.

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Working with a health coach is like being able to have more honest and productive conversations with yourself. In a non-judgemental and productive way. It is helping you think and reflect more deeply than you otherwise could have done alone. And then collaborating to use those learnings to take action towards your health goals - one small step at a time.

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Working with a health coach is like being able to have more honest and productive conversations with yourself. In a non-judgemental and productive way.

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So next time, before your mind wants to entertain guilty thoughts about how unhealthy you have been, remember to think about the broader list of ways you have been putting nourishing deposits in that health bank account of yours.

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In good health,

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-Liv