I believe that we all want to be healthy, if we could, if only we knew the right formula. The media that we see today penetrates us with messages about how to be “healthy”- just follow this new fad diet, just take these prescriptions and you will feel better. From these messages, it often seems that we are adjustable machines where if we just eat the right product, drink the right shake, manage our carb intake, etc. then the machine will be adjusted correctly. We are actually far from that- we are beautiful, individual beings that thrive with nourishment from all facets in our life. With clients, in addition to food, I focus on career, finances, creativity, finances, joy, social life, cooking, physical activity, home environment, relationships and spirituality as critical health areas.
We all deserve nourishing, healthy, right-for-us food. Yes, this can be step number one in changing your health. Often having an anti-inflammatory food plan can be the first step that is controllable, tangible and will make the most immediate difference. I am a million percent passionate about helping people know what to eat, create a plan to eat that way and implement it. Food is what first made me passionate about health, where I originally focused for myself and is what I love helping clients change for both the short-term and long-term.
It is important for me to help everyone learn that once you understand what you should be eating, it is equally important to see your entire life as nutrition- to look at all inputs in your life as an area that is either nourishing you or depleting you. Yes, your relationships DO affect your health as much as food, your highly toxic job DOES hurt your health more than a bowl of ice-cream, your lack of joy because there’s no time for fun IS potentially the most damaging, etc. etc. etc. Your lifestyle IS affecting what you eat, your lifestyle IS affecting how your body processes food, your lifestyle IS affecting your overall health.
If we plan the ideal perfect kale salad for your lunch, but you scarf it down in 3 minutes while in a stressful work meeting, the nourishment is completely different than if you insist on a calm 30 minutes away from your desk to eat the salad in peace. We can plan the perfect home cooked meal, but if you have a strained relationship with your partner, it is easy to come home and eat a pint of ice cream instead. We might force ourselves to go to that 2 hour workout class inside a dark gym that we hate just because it burns a lot of calories- rather than taking a walk outside in the sunshine.
I encourage you to do your best to eat foods that are fully nourishing but also to start looking at your life inputs and see what is nourishing or depleting. Life is constantly changing so it is an ongoing process of evaluating the health of all life areas. It’s important to not make it a game of perfectionism in having all inputs perfect. Instead, it is about having awareness and acknowledgement of how these areas are affecting our health. Awareness, acknowledgement and acceptance of this is a foundation to launch you into changing your health.
Much love,
Woodbury
Majorca, Spain:
Tamarindo, Costa Rica:
Playa Mendoza, Colombia:
Arecibo, Puerto Rico:
Playa Hermosa, Nicaragua:
Andorra, Andorra:
Kew Gardens, London, England:
Coronado, San Diego, CA, USA:
Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA, USA:
Crowne Point, San Diego, CA, USA:
Carmel Valley, San Diego, CA, USA:
Hancock, NH, USA:
Carmel Valley, San Diego, CA, USA:
Tamarindo, Costa Rica:
Playa Mendoza, Colombia:
Playa Mendoza, Colombia:
Julian, California, USA:
