I often hear people talking about how great I’m doing and every now and then when I’m talking with someone else who isn’t feeling their best I hear how it’s just not as easy for them. Well, let me fill you in on a little secret, feeling good takes awareness and commitment. It’s not always “easy” for me either. That is, if “easy” means that I never want to do the opposite of what I know I need to be doing to support my highest health. However, in other ways it is “easy” because it’s as simple as choice, and generally speaking, we all have the power to do exactly what we want. From that perspective, it is “easy” to make quality choices that are going to help me feel my best. Sure, when I feel ran down or straight up exhausted it’s tempting to reach for a quick (fleeing) fix, like sugar. And yes, it’s tempting to skip daily movement when I’m feeling great, busy with other obligations. Then I remind myself how shitty it is to feel bad. I intentionally think back to my past experiences; how I’ve been down that road before and I always end up worse off than I was before. I remind myself that lack of movement is a slippery slope when it comes to my health and that something, even a ten minute walk, is better than nothing. So, in the spirit of inspiration, here are my top five struggles and the price I pay to stay healthy through it all.

1) Movement. This is probably my biggest struggle (at least for now). Living in the mid-west often means cold, dreary winter days that make me want to snuggle under a blanket and stay inside. However, that’s not always best for me! If I truly need rest, I allow it. This past week is a great example. I had an episode a few days ago that threw me off my game. My body needed to recover, so I had to slow down and give it the time to do that. At the same time, I needed to do some movement to keep my blood pressure up. To support both, I allowed myself to sleep in and take naps while also making time for short walks in my neighborhood and gentle yoga at home. The fact is we all need daily movement that we enjoy, chronic condition or not! No, we may not always be in the mood or feel like doing it, but that’s exactly when we most need to make that conscious decision to get up and get moving.

2) Diet. While I don’t really struggle with sugar anymore, carb balancing can still be an issue for me, especially when eating out. It’s easy to fall into the “surely one extra slice of pizza or glass of wine will be fine” trap when I’m in the moment (and have been feeling great). Yet, it never fails, when I give in to those surface level desires I end up awake at 3:00 am with a racing heart and night sweats. Knowing this I remind myself to focus on what I really want, my soul level desires, so I can make informed, nourishing choices that support the life of vitality and joy I want to cultivate. So, whether carbs are your thing, or it’s something else you struggle with, you can support your highest health by simply being present and choosing the perspective that healthy is fun and sexy.

3) Intermittent Fasting (IF). This sort of goes with diet, but I think it’s big enough to deserve it’s own category. When I first heard about intermittent fasting I was stoked! However, once I got on board I began noticing symptoms of adrenal burnout and hormone imbalance (including feeling spun up, restlessness, inability to sleep, exhaustion, anxiety, drops in blood pressure, and dizziness). So, I started backing off the IF bandwagon and playing with different options to see what felt most supportive for me. It turned out I loved IF a few days a week, but any more than that, especially for a prolonged period, sent me back into a downward spiral. I chalked it up to dysautonomia, thinking my needs were, yet again, different than most, and implemented what worked for me. Not long after that I heard the podcast related to this Bulletproof article where I learned that most of what I was feeling was related to my sex, not dysautonomia, making the info relevant for all women out there, not just those with a chronic health condition. The carb cycling referenced here did wonders for my sleep and helped me stay on track! I’ve had great success with a small serving of sweet potatoes or raw honey as my nighttime carb. So why is this one a struggle? Well, I’m a person of habit which means it’s more comfortable for me to do the same damn thing every morning, whether it’s good for me or not. So, it’s taken work to allow my morning ritual to be a bit more fluent and less rigid from day to day. While I generally do the three day a week plan, if I’m feeling off or like I need more support I may not IF at all for a period of time. That means I have to tune in and be intrinsically accountable for my health each morning, dropping the judgment of what I should be doing.

4) Rest. This one can be a doozy. With my diet under control and supplements to help keep my body energized it can be easy to forget that I need rest. I’m not talking “get your eight to nine hours of sleep a night” rest (although that’s important). I’m talking about the kind of rest where I completely unplug, nap, read, do whatever I need to reboot and build reserves (most of us are operating on zero, right?). As a mom, partner, friend, and business owner this can be a real struggle. I always have something else on my to-do list, so taking the attitude of “who has time to rest?!” is sometimes tempting (and if I’m honest I must admit I have fallen prey to that attitude). However, life experience has shown me that rest is a fundamental need. It’s not a luxury or a meaningless desire, as we sometimes like to think. We must rest to hear spirit, connect with our own divinity, restore our health, and build meaningful relationships. Speaking of spirit, drifting in and out of sleep states on rest days is the perfect opportunity to get spiritual downloads and tap into your intuition. The more you practice meditation and take the time to rest the more you’ll notice your subconscious and the divinity in you. Another reason to take the time to rest! Plus, those big projects we all want to accomplish will flow more easily through a rested body and mind.

5) Hydration. For me, staying properly hydrated feels like a constant struggle. For one thing, I REALLY enjoy a drink sometimes. A nice glass of red can truly sex things up. A bubbly gluten free beer brings the fun. And if it’s luxury I’m after, my man is always up for making me a homemade cocktail. Even if I only have a few drinks a week it takes mindfulness to also stay properly hydrated.. even with my usual 100 ounces of water daily. So, how do I deal with it? For starters, part of my morning ritual consists of warm lemon water. So I start with 12 to 16 ounces of this water each morning and usually have around 6 to 8 ounces of room temp water while I’m making that. I’ve also pretty much made it a rule that I have to drink a 16 ounce glass of water between my first and second cup of Bulletproof Coffee each morning. It may sound rigid, but it’s honestly what my life has come to in this department, especially if I want to partake in the booze. Speaking of, I make a concerted effort to drink 8 to 16 ounces of water after each alcoholic drink I have. This can become a major pain in the ass, especially if I’m out on the town, but if I don’t do it I know I’ll pay the price the next day. Trust me, the dizziness, nausea, and exhaustion are not worth it. So, as with every other struggle I face, I just have to ask myself how I really want to feel and follow through with my commitment to that. Whatever your strategy, make a plan and stick with it. Hydration is key for spiritual connection, moving energy throughout our body, and excreting toxins. So, it’s important to stay on your game! And, when I get a little off track (because it does happen), trace minerals and electrolytes are a big help.

See, I struggle too. Regardless of how it may look on Instagram, I don’t always feel 100%. I’ve simply made a commitment to feeling my best, whatever that looks like on any given day (some are “better” than others). I’m not always in the mood to do the thing it takes to feel my best, but I’m always in the mood to feel good, so that’s what I remind myself of when I want to get lazy and slack up. I know that I need to do the work especially when I'm not in the mood to do the work, because that’s when my body is depending on me most. No, I don’t always get it right. Sometimes I am lazy and don’t follow through with my commitments. When this happens I feel it and that is what prompts me to get back on the wagon and do better next time. This is the price of health. This is the price of vitality and joy. Listening. Learning. Commitment. Evolution.

I’d love to hear your biggest struggles and how you overcome them. Please join the conversation by commenting on this post or reaching out to me on social media. As always, if you’d like one on one coaching or are interested in a speaking engagement reach out to me here. Peace!