OUR BLOG

I had a problem. I was losing weight.

I know. I know. It’s a problem a lot of you would love to have. And I get that I should expect absolutely no sympathy from you. Understood.

But, as a competitive athlete with a very small percentage of body fat, who needs to keep my muscle mass intact, I really can’t afford to do anything that causes me to draw from my reserves.

So, what was I doing? A raw food reset cleanse to get rid of any accumulated junk in my system. It included a lot of juices, smoothies, and raw vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.

Sounds good … and it was. Except for a nagging headache I experienced for the first three days, I felt great.

The problem was that I was losing weight, and before long my body was crying out for more protein.

You can see the dilemma coming, can’t you?

I’m someone who sticks to the program and does things by the book. I started on this cleanse, and I’m gonna see it through with no “cheating.” And despite getting the message loud and clear that something had to change, according to “the book,” it wasn’t time to add in that protein.

So, I fought the desire to do so. Like fighting against a bodily need is ever gonna work.

Willpower. Nothing is more overrated.

After increasing my calorie intake some and adding some vegetable protein powder to my smoothies, which was allowed on the program, my weight stabilized briefly. Then, it started dropping again.

The voice got louder. “Enough of this!”

I added some cooked protein back into the mix, and voila. My energy level soared and I felt fantastic. My body was so HAPPY!

So, what does all this have to do with anything? And what does it have to do with you?

Well, do we not take on things in our lives that push us to our limits?

When our bodies say, “No more,” do we always listen?

Or do we ignore the voice and keep on pushing the envelope … not getting enough sleep, not getting enough relaxation and recreation, not eating right, consistently putting too much on the schedule, overloading our to do lists … going so far as to continue doing things we hate doing just because we think we must?

Do we not promise to strike a better balance starting tomorrow … or whenever that super important project that’s killing us is completed … regardless of the signs that all is not well?

I confess. I have.

That’s a good way to make yourself sick.

We talk about the body being a temple … and it is. It’s an unspeakably magnificent creation, perfect beyond our comprehension. And yet, we abuse it so readily and so mindlessly. .. as if we can get another one if we wear this one out. We can’t.

Honor it.

It speaks to us. It is wise.

Listen to it … and do what it says.

Warmest Regards,
Barbara

P.S. Take a moment right now to put one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach and ask your body what it needs. It’ll tell you. All you have to do is ask … and listen.

Let me know what you hear.

Meet Denise: Denise Hedges is a Business Development Coach and Speaker Coach for small business owners who want to be more comfortable, confident, and successful with their sales and marketing efforts. She specializes in helping them use speaking as a way to dramatically improve their results!

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