Mental Well-Being

I know that taking a 21-day organizing challenge may seem unrelated to this blog, but I really do think it is relevant. I advocate healing through not only diet, but lifestyle. Uncluttering our physical spaces automatically clears up some mental space. We naturally feel better when our houses are in order. I have to admit that organization isn't one of my strong points. I feel good when I'm organized and I am constantly trying. But I have a ways to go. I've always known if I broke it down into manageable pieces, I could make much more progress. And this challenge does just that, along with giving me specific instructions to follow. I am excited about it! But not so excited to show you my before and after photos. Please don't lose respect for me. My diet is one of my strong points. My organization skills, not so much :-) Thanks, Katie at momHow, for the inspiration!



Day #1 - Junk drawers

Before:

After:













Oh my goodness, I feel so much better! See you tomorrow for Challenge #2 - Cleaning off the computer desk-top. This will be a much faster project for me!

Exercise - the natural mood lifter!

After months of telling ourselves we really needed to start incorporating consistent exercise back into our lives (after the whirlwind of having 4 children in less than 5 years), my husband and I finally did it this fall! We were both into exercise when we were single and really enjoyed it and couldn't believe we had let it fall out of our lives for so long. My goals for exercising included gaining strength and toning, (let's face it - after having 4 babies and losing almost 100 lbs, there is a lot of toning to be done :-) but I also knew that it would do wonders for my emotional health as well. It is now 3 months later and I have found that, yes, it is wonderful and beneficial to start to feel physically stronger and more toned. But an even bigger value for me has been the emotional health benefit. Now, if I go more than 2 days without exercising I literally start to spiral downward mood-wise. It's almost as if the light starts to dim a bit. So if you're feeling down, along with changing your diet, exercise is a super important component to help you gain back your mental/emotional energy and vitality.

Joshua Rosenthal, the founder of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, suggests that there are other areas, besides food, that need to be in place for optimal physical and emotional health. He calls them primary and secondary foods. Secondary food is the literal food that we eat. But then there are 4 primary foods. They are relationships, spirituality, exercise, and career. One's diet might be the picture of health, but they might not be experiencing optimal health if one of their primary foods is off-balance or lacking. As a health counselor, I will help people explore their diets, but also as important, we will explore these other areas that may need strengthening in order to achieve the desired outcome.