Tune into your body. ✨ Wellness starts with the intention to thrive. [and a gut-health recipe guide]
This may be the most important first step in your health and wellness journey.
Your ‘go-to’ newsletter for holistic self + health improvement to unleash your inner superwoman (or man)! It’s like a health coach in your pocket!
And a hello to you on this lovely day!
I believe wholeheartedly that the journey to better health begins in the mind.
Before implementing lifestyle changes, setting fitness goals, or altering the food you eat, the most important first step is to set an intention to thrive.
What does it mean to set an intention to thrive?
💚 This means making a heartfelt commitment to pursue overall well-being and vitality. Setting an intention plants the seeds that will blossom into sustainable healthy habits over time. I like to write my intention down and keep it someplace I can see it daily. This might sound silly, but I have a small pretty picture frame that I keep my current intention in. It sits on my nightstand, so I see it every single day.
Isolated goals like losing ten pounds or cooking more homemade meals are admirable. But often, the motivation behind these goals is external… to fit into an old pair of jeans or to save money. When the motivation is fleeting or superficial, you might find yourself falling back into unhealthy patterns once you hit your target weight or get too busy to meal prep.
The key is to anchor your health goals to an intrinsic intention to become your best self.
An intention to thrive is broad and flexible. It can certainly encompass losing weight, but it also includes things such as reducing stress, getting better sleep, developing meaningful relationships, engaging in fulfilling work, and other pillars of well-being.
With thriving as your North Star 💫, you have a license to follow your curiosity around wellness to where it leads you. I love this part!
Over time, one small positive change leads naturally to others until you look back and see you’ve cultivated an entirely new lifestyle aligned with feeling healthy and energized. When you feel this way, anything feels possible.
There is no endpoint to reaching your peak vitality - this is a lifelong adventure (and it should not feel hard). As you master various aspects of well-being, you raise the bar and discover new areas to thrive in. Even myself, as a seasoned wellness enthusiast and health coach… I am learning new things constantly. I pivot as needed to support my overall intention to thrive in my health and wellness.
For example, I am 49 and going through peri-menopause. This means I am pivoting slightly in how I eat and move. I am adding things like flax and brazil nuts to my diet to support my hormones. I have added more strength training and walking to my fitness routine to support the changes in my body composition. This is a time when we women may start to gain some weight and muscle mass will start to decline. What worked for us a year or two ago, might not work anymore. Energy levels may decline. It’s important to pay attention to getting enough nutrients to support energy.
My overall goal to thrive is not necessarily around how I look. My body is not an ornament - it is for living. I want my life to be full of energy and longevity. When I focus on that, the other things, such as how my body looks or if I care how my body looks, will fall into place.
My current intention to thrive is this: “I intend to cultivate energy through mind work and focusing on energy-supporting nutrients”.
Progress ebbs and flows, so remembering that the process as fluid allows more self-compassion. I have been experiencing this a lot over the last year. But, you become free to tune into biofeedback and tweak your approach based on your feelings rather than rigid external metrics. This is FREEDOM.
Healthy choices become acts of self-love when made from a place of uplifting yourself.
Well-being can be intuitive and even joyful. Thriving at whatever you need at this time in your life emerges organically when you water the seed of intention.
Need some examples of intentions to thrive to inspire you?
Mind
I intend to cultivate more calm and reduce daily stress.
I intend to be present and engaged in each moment.
I intend to build mental strength and emotional flexibility.
Body
I intend to move my body in ways that feel good and support my health.
I intend to nourish myself with whole, vibrant foods.
I intend to honor my body's need for rest and recovery.
Spirit
I intend to deepen my sense of purpose and meaning.
I intend to nurture my connection to something larger than myself (this could be nature, spirituality, community, etc.)
I intend to embrace joy and cultivate gratitude.
Now on to Mind•Body•Balance recommendations and the gut health recipes guide 👇
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Grow Healthier + Happier to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.