We put our minds and bodies through a lot and they carry us as well as they can.
However, as with any beast of burden, if we want them to function at their best, they must be well nourished.
Think of nourishment as the best possible fuel you could give yourself – one which not only makes you run, but makes you glow while you’re at it. Ultimately this depends on the quality of two things: nutrition and rest.
Looking after your nutrition doesn’t mean dieting. This isn’t about restricting your intake, (unless you want or need to). You can still eat as much as you always do: just make sure that you are eating the best version of whatever you want to eat. Nourishment is about responding to and indulging the senses, and topping up on nutrients. When we do this, we generally have more energy and focus, our moods are more stable and we sleep better.
There are several ways you can maximize your nutrition:
If you have the option of buying directly from a farmers’ market rather than a supermarket, the produce will always be fresher, tastier and packed with more nutrients. Fruit and vegetables ripen on the branch or in the earth, rather than being harvested early and maturing in a shipping container, and animal products are generally from free-range, organic farms, where the animals have had better diets themselves. Although farmers’ markets can often be more expensive than a supermarket for some items, a lot of the time they can be cheaper, especially if you are able to buy items individually rather than in multi-packs (as you often have to in the supermarket). There is also a lot of joy to be found in discovering new seasonal varieties, with their own unique colours, smells and tastes.
Cravings are incredibly important when it comes to nourishment. You must trust them! This is your body’s way of telling you what it needs – although sometimes this might be encoded. For example, craving chocolate might be a sign that your body needs magnesium or iron (many women crave chocolate just before or during their periods, as the body relies on these nutrients during the first week of a cycle); or craving sugary, salty and fatty foods often means our bodies need more energy, either to fight stress or to combat sheer exhaustion. If this is the case, instead of reaching for the ice cream, try to have a few early nights, or practise meditation to manage your stress levels.
There will always be a story behind your cravings. Next time you have a really strong craving for something, try to decode it by googling what the main nutrient is in that food. If it’s a constant craving, then make sure you are regularly eating foods that are rich in that nutrient, or consider taking a daily supplement. If taking supplements, always check first with your doctor that it is safe for you to do so.
Do you always go into a slump after eating meat? Or does coffee give you a headache, but you just can’t resist it because you see it as a treat and it symbolizes taking a break? So many of us consume things daily which actually don’t make us feel good at all, but we don’t notice it because we aren’t really paying attention to common patterns. Find out what gets you going versus what brings on the bloat by keeping a food diary for a couple of weeks. Chart energy levels, bloat levels, gassiness levels, sense of impending doom/ optimism levels – you might be surprised by what this reveals!
Time spent sleeping is one of the most important parts of the day, but it can often be a source of great anxiety if you suffer from insomnia. So many factors affect our ability to sleep – and its quality once we’re there. Incorporating some of the following elements into your bed-time ritual should help to improve your chances of a good sleep:
BREATHING. To get into a deep sleep, our brains need as much oxygen as they can get. Breathing through your nose, rather than your mouth, is one way to increase your oxygen intake. To get things going, take a few very deep inhalations through your nose once you’ve switched the lights out. To maximize the amount of oxygen getting into the blood stream – and bring down the amount of CO2 –breathe in for three counts, hold for three, and breathe out for six (remember 3-3-6). This is also a good exercise to do if you wake in the night and struggle to get back to sleep.
RELAXING YOUR MUSCLES. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how much tension you carry in your muscles, even in bed. Focus on really sinking every bone in your body into the mattress. Relax your face, your forehead, your jaw, your shoulders… You’ll be closer to sleep within a few minutes.
SLEEP SUPPLEMENTS. Several nutrients are responsible for helping us sleep, and a deficiency in any of them will put you out of kilter. The main culprits are vitamin D, magnesium and calcium (your body needs both vitamin D and magnesium to absorb calcium, which produces melatonin and induces sleep). Herbally, valerian is commonly found in night-time teas and is usually effective, though it can leave you with a headache the next day. Sage is much cleaner and usually has no hangover. Make a tea with some fresh sage leaves, or take it in pill form just before switching the lights out. As always with supplements, discuss with a doctor whether they are safe for you to take – this might include requesting a blood test to see if you are deficient in anything.
ESSENTIAL OILS. The scent of certain plants has a calming effect on our nervous systems, so adding a few drops to your pillow or inhaling some from a tissue just before sleep can help you relax. Lavender is most commonly associated with bed-time, though you might prefer something else. Pay a trip to your local health food store and spend some time smelling a few different scents – buy the one you fall in love with.
FLYING PIGS. Finally – and slightly bizarrely – if you regularly struggle to switch your thoughts off and slip into a dreaming state, starting the dream consciously is an effective way of carrying your mind off to the land of nod.
If you’re going round-and-round in circles thinking about work politics, imagine a few pigs flying through the office. It sounds mad, but by introducing something surreal, you are carrying your conscious thoughts towards the unconscious, and it’s surprising how quickly your mind will cross over.
If waiting until night time for that sense of rest feels too far away, surrounding yourself with water is brilliant for both your head and your heart. As water tends to absorb our senses, visually and aurally, whether we are sitting by a lake, underneath a shower or soaking in a tub, it means that less stimulus is coming at us. As we focus on less externally, our minds can be more focused internally, which in turn results in our heart rates dropping and a sense of calm and clarity coming over us. Apparently, this is the reason why so many people have ‘eureka’ moments while in the bath or shower – their minds can focus on the problem they need to chew over.
Indulge yourself with a bath, but make it a really great one. Some of the following products could help with this:
• MAGNESIUM FLAKES. 100% magnesium. Fantastic for aching muscles, skin conditions like eczema, and helping the body and brain go into a state of deep relaxation.
• DEAD SEA SALTS. A real salt, with a mix of sodium chloride, magnesium, calcium, sulphur, bromide, zinc and potassium
• ESSENTIAL OILS. Eucalyptus, frankincense and lavender are some of the most soothing. Add a few drops to running water.
• SHAMPOOS, CONDITIONERS, BODY WASH. Think about investing in some really luxurious bath products that you only use every so often, when you really need a treat.
REMEMBER:
Nourishment is essential, not surplus. Don’t feel guilty for looking after yourself.