Listening to my body

Sep 22, 2014

Yesterday, I was up early and due to a busy schedule I knew it was going to be challenging to incorporate proper diet and exercise into my day.  I was surprised how well I did and I was even more surprised that I didn't fall too far into my usual habit of eating a ton of carbs to keep going.  I think part of my success was due to developing the habit of listening to my body.  I've been exercising everyday so my body is sore (especially my feet) but it feels better (except my feet).  It feels more energized --- less sluggish.  Another thing I've noticed is because I've ramped up my protein, I've been less hungry. In fact, so much so that I am not obsessing on eating -- rather I'm thinking about other things I can do to fill my time during the day.  I am also sleeping better.  I know that is due, in part, to exercising but also I am making sleep an important part of my day.  Last night, I got home very late and because I had not had access to the Internet, I had to check my work related emails and respond to them before bed.  Guess what I did to help me stay awake? You got it.  I ate.  Not a lot, but I ate.  Hence, when my body says, "Bedtime!" it's time to go to bed. 

One more thing that's interesting about all this, is that I have made listening to my body a priority.  I think this is part of self love and care.  The strain my body went through when I was morbidly obese, and how much better it felt when I got 100lbs of weight off of it, is something I need to keep remembering.  Even if my mind sometimes strays toward entitlement, like "I deserve this cookie," or "One more won't hurt," my body prefers to rest from processing food all the time and would like to do it's job in keeping me healthy and alive by also exercising and getting proper rest.  The more I listen to my body the less I worry about appearance of it and more on taking care of it. 
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