That voice is important and deserves to be heard.

As I sit here writing this, I’m taking a moment to shift my focus to all of you who may be reading these words. Those who are patients of mine & those of you I’ve connected with in some way by email.  And I wish all of you a year filled with happiness & health.

As I focus more intently, I feel the emotion that goes along with this.  That emotion is one of caring.  My heart says, “I feel that you matter.”  Along with that goes enormous gratitude that you have enabled me to do the work I love.

In doing that work, I’ve learned that listening to those small, inner voices is the beginning of a shift.

Yes, just listening.  In a culture filled with doing, focused on goals, that encourages us to make new year’s resolutions, simply listening is a rebellious act.

I believe that just by listening things in our lives begin to change.  When we listen, we begin the process of checking inwardly.  And when we check inwardly, we can learn more about ourselves moment to moment, and we begin to hear the subtleties that are easy to miss.

When it comes to healing, those subtleties are important because they help us discern what works well enough, what we need to act on & what we’re willing to do to move forward.

We’ve been conditioned to make new year’s resolutions, but according to a Forbes poll, only 6% of these resolutions are in place after 12 months, with less than 75% of them lasting more than 6 months.

No surprise that this same poll found that 66% of new year’s resolutions have to do with food.

So we make resolutions even though they are not a particularly good tool for making change.

We can take another approach.

• What if we started listening more deeply. 
• What if we started acknowledging what changes we are and are not willing to make. 
• What if we began to discern what is truly important to us, rather than what we think we should do. 
• What if we honestly accessed how much time & energy we’re willing to put into achieving a particular goal.

I find this to be true when it comes to what we eat.  Simply taking stock of what we’re eating can lead to change.  Simply asking ourselves, “Does this fulfill an important need?” — whether nutritional, pleasurable or emotional, is incredibly important.

I’ll be honest.  Making changes around food is incredibly difficult.  There is no one size fits all plan.  Unless you’re a food & health nerd like me, you may not have the information or tools to eat healthy. 

Food generally gives us immediate comfort.  Losing weight, lowering blood pressure & cholesterol, reducing inflammation….these things all take time.

What’s also true is that 2 weeks of healthy eating can make you feel fabulous.  In 3 months, you most likely would take off 5-10 pounds, lower your blood pressure & cholesterol & be free from pain.  At this point, your new healthier changes become habits & you may find that you have changed your relationship to food.

If you feel overwhelmed and are not sure where to begin or if you’re trying to tune in & listen, but aren’t getting clear signals, I’m here to help.

I’m offering 3 ways to help you listen to what you’re body needs when it comes to food.

      “New Year’s Food Reset” — Sunday at Serenity Yoga

      Individual Nutritional Counseling — Ongoing, online

      Yummy Healthy Food Group — Beginning in February, online
 
My approach to healthier eating is to provide some basic information & offer ways to incorporate this info into your life. 

Here’s what Cheryl Sawyer shared,

• “Thank you so much for running the Yummy, Healthy Food Group. I learned a lot over the course of three months, which really flew by!!  I loved all of the topics you covered and the notes you provided, which are really nice to have and fall back on. I also appreciated the “yummy” recipes you shared with us. My family and I loved the Cauliflower & Almond Soup. It is clearly obvious how much time and effort you put into this group and it was very much appreciated!!  Your wealth of knowledge is evident!!” 

Take a moment right now to listen to what your body is telling you.  Tap into the inner wisdom that you have. 

I’m here to help you in this process.  Whether it’s by encouraging you in this email to slow down & check in, or it’s doing a deeper dive into exploring & shifting your relationship to food & your health.

With you on the journey…
Bonnie
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