Our "Why"
Ray with my son Gillen’s puppies - Cash and Sky
What drives you?
Why do you make a healthy choice?
We know the right thing to do. Right?
We know that eating more fruits and vegetables, eating less meat (and of higher quality,) drinking more water, and moving more is what it takes to feel good, live longer and greatly up our chances of warding off chronic disease. For a lot of us, there may be more specifics to discover. We may learn that our body can't tolerate dairy or gluten or that restorative exercise is what we need more than aerobic (or vice-versa.) But in general, we know what to do. So why don't we?
Why shouldn't I eat that cookie, or have that next glass of wine, or take another day off exercising? My shoulds have usually been based on not wanting to feel lousy, or (back when I was a whole lot bigger) not wanting to get fat. Some were based on the shoulds of other people - like my mom, or Jackie Crosnberg, my ballet teacher. Just the word "should" makes me want to push back. My "why shouldn't I" had the real power. Or, I would do something to make someone happy and once that satisfaction wore off, I was right back to the old habit.
So why is it different now? Why do I have healthy habits that happen automatically, my hand (with a few exceptions) reaching for the kale salad in the fridge the way it used to automatically reach for the peppermint ice cream? It's a few things:
I feel good, all the time. I no longer want to feel lousy, the way I did for so much of my life. I didn't know I had any power over my headaches and lack of energy.
I have a partner who inspires me with his great routines.
I am aware of the long game. I know why I want to be around for a while. I want to play with all of the puppies, and the future grandbabies, and I want to have lots of adventures with my man - adventures that could entail climbing steep hills and skiing down others.
I want to have clarity, be of service and have a sense of humor, all of which seem to disappear when I am feeling lousy
It's not always there, this awareness of my why. I made gf chocolate chip cookies for the third time since quarantine began, this weekend. But for the most part, my inner driver is sending me in a much more exciting direction than ever before.
How about you? What is your why?
If you want to talk about your “should”s or your lack of clarity around your health, I am here to listen.
Love,
Madeline
www.lovemadeline.com
