How often have you started a new workout routine or eating regimen, only to abandon it a few days or weeks later? Or perhaps you wanted to reduce stress in your life, and start a yoga, painting, or meditation practice… and then something comes up that disrupts your routine, and you go back to Stressful Sally?
Change is tough, my friend. And at the same time, we make it a lot harder on ourselves than it needs to be. One of the reasons change is so hard is that we make changes with our top, logical brains and forget to address the deeper, subconscious parts.
This is especially true in our wellness journeys. So often, we will try out the new workout, decide to eat better, or work on reducing stress and we think it’s just about choosing the RIGHT program or doing the RIGHT meditation that will make the difference. We’ll start making changes, but we really haven’t spent the time looking at what’s going on in our subconscious or addressing how we treat our bodies in our minds. This is a crucial step in making positive changes to our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. And it’s often the one step that gets missed.
I recently started listening to the audiobook “When You’re Ready, This is How You Heal” by Brianna Wiest… and WHOA, if you’ve never read this woman’s writings, get on it now. She is a powerhouse of practical advice, and she delivers it like your best friend would over a cup of coffee. One of the sections inspired me to write a post and apply it to our holistic wellness journeys.
So, here is my take on Brianna Wiest’s essay called, “13 Most Potent Shifts You Can Take to Get Back on Track.” No matter how far you’ve strayed from your health and wellness path, I want you to know that you can always re-align your actions to get you back on the road to feeling centered, energized, and lively.
Here are the 13 Shifts from Brianna's book, and I'll go into more detail about how they can be applied to your wellness journey and boost your healthy habits below. You can click on a section to read about it or go through the whole article.
Your most vibrant life is waiting for you, friend.
Number 1. "Stop waiting for the perfect circumstances”
Let me know how many of these you’ve said before:
“Oh I’ll start that new program on Monday, next week, next month, January 1…”
“I’ll get that gym membership when I have more money.”
“I’ll take that vacation when things slow down at work”
“I’ll start going to that meditation and yoga class when I have more time after the kids start school.”
“I’ll quit smoking when I’m not so stressed out at home”
“I’ll eat better after my in-laws go home from their visit”
I believe there’s a reason that Brianna put this shift first… because, well, it’s a DOOSEY. Being completely honest with myself… I know I’ve used this excuse A LOT. The cold hard truth is that there is NEVER going to be the best time for you to start. If you keep waiting for the stars to align for you to take better care of yourself, you’re going to be waiting for the rest of your life.
Your mind likes predictable things, because predictability and habits conserve the most energy. Making changes requires a significant amount of focus, and refocus, and focus again. Changes to improve your wellbeing require you to bring intentional thought into many of your daily activities, and your brain is going to pitch a fit at first about having to work so hard. Waiting for the best, most perfect time to start or to get back on track in your health is one way your brain avoids all that work. It’s a sneaky thought that can be defended easily… but it’s not going to get you where you want to go in your health.
The best time to start is RIGHT FREAKING NOW. Because even if you can only walk for 10 minutes a day, that will help you get closer to your goal than waiting until you can walk an hour when the kids go back to school next month. You can choose more veggies on your plate this very next meal. You can sit down for 5 minutes and close your eyes and breathe right this second.
Don’t let your brain trick you out of taking those steps to a more vibrant you.
Number 2. “Stop confusing your maximum output with your maximum potential”
This is the quintessential “less is more” approach to your health. Brianna says, “Do less but better.” You could have all the journals and trackers and machines and recipes and fancy gadgets and supplements and hacks… and still not make any progress in feeling better. When it comes to change, making small, consistent (and often very boring) changes that stick will always get you further than a bunch of far-out, faddish, confusing actions.
Pick ONE change and really go for it. Get so freaking good at drinking 8oz of water before you get out of bed in the morning that it becomes second nature, and you don’t even think about it anymore. Get really good at filling half your plate with vegetables, so that it becomes automatic. See where I'm going with this?
I hate to break it to you Sis, but you do not get a gold star for doing all the fancy things. Nor is it going to get you any closer to feeling your best. A vibrant, healthier life is born from small, not-so-glamorous CONSISTENT habits.
Drink more water.
Eat more vegetables and less sugar.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep.
Get outside in nature.
Move your body every day.
Rest during your menstrual phase.
Do activities that light up your spirit.
Meditate and journal.
Laugh with others.
Speak to your body with love.
I promise, if you are doing all of these things consistently, you are going to feel better.
Number 3. “Stop spending your peak hours on things you don’t care about”
You have certain hours of the day when you are the most energized, most creative, and most inspired. While these times of day can vary from person to person, they often line up with your circadian rhythm. It also may vary from week to week as you pass through each phase of your menstrual cycle.
One of the worst things you can do for your motivation is force yourself to do a HIIT workout when you are dog-tired or make yourself sit in meditation when you are super energized and want to move your body. Often, we’ll follow the advice of some fitness guru telling us to work out at some arbitrary time of the day because it boosts our metabolism or whatever… but really, it would be better to find out when YOUR best time to work out is for YOU.
How do you know when your peak times are to be creative, work out, or meditate? Get a little curious and be a detective of your day! The Cycles Journal was a game changer for me because it allowed me to investigate when I was naturally energetic or creative throughout my cycle. You can make notes in a journal about how you feel morning, afternoon, or evening. Do you feel energized? Sleepy? Creative?
Once you figure out your peak times, then you can try putting those activities in those time slots. Go for a jog in the morning when you feel most energized. Do a creative activity in the evening when you feel most inspired.
You are the creator of your life, Hun. Take that power back and create your day in a way that works WITH you and your health, not against it.
Number 4. “Stop only seeing your life through other people’s lives”
In the age of social media, it’s all too easy for us to compare our wellness journeys to other people’s journeys. Everyone is on their own path, and while it’s great to feel inspired by others, we can easily slip into the “I’m not good enough” hamster wheel of self-loathing and comparison.
Our friends and family can also be well-meaning with their suggestions and input about our health, and they can always share their own journeys with you. But if their opinions are triggering feelings of inadequacy that derail your wellness efforts, then some boundaries may be needed.
I also want to point out that your wellness habits should be THE PRIORITY in your life, even above the roles you play as a partner, parent, employee, friend, or business owner. A lot of women don’t like to hear that, but if we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we cannot show up as our most vibrant, kind, patient, creative, and centered selves for others.
For far too long, women have been told that everyone and everything else should be taken care of before us… and that story has led us down a very dangerous and damaging path. Women are twice as likely to experience anxiety as men, 80% of people who are diagnosed with autoimmune conditions are women, 44% of adult women in the United States have some sort of cardiovascular disease, and over 90% of women experience PMS.
We must change this story, and it starts with you and me putting our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health first.
Number 5. “Stop believing that timing is everything”
This piggybacks off the first course correction: there isn’t really a perfect time to start making changes. Because let’s face it: there is ALWAYS something that comes up in our busy lives. Of course, there may be BETTER times to start a new workout routine… like, I wouldn’t start a new BODi class when I have the flu. But, often these “best timing” thoughts keep us from starting. Ever.
When I’m struggling with starting, I come back to my WHY. Why do I want to improve my health? What matters most to ME? When I started making changes a year ago to my personal health, my why was twofold: I wanted to feel energized so I can show up as my most exuberant and loving person in my life with my kid and partner and mission, AND I wanted to feel strong and have more endurance so I can ride my motorcycle every day during my annual trip.
Notice how I said nothing about my why being “I want to lose 20 pounds, so I look good.” I don’t want to downplay aesthetics in wellness because it does play a role, but is that strong enough? Keep asking yourself: what REALLY keeps you motivated? What is so important to you that you’ll keep at it when stuff gets tough? Keep asking why until you feel the light inside your body.
Then, you must take actions that get you heading in the right direction, towards your WHY. Since my why is focused on energy, flexibility, and endurance, I do activities that help me in those areas. It’s a slow race, but it’s paying off. I’m glad I didn’t wait for the perfect time to start… I just STARTED.
Number 6. “Stop changing course so often”
Whoooooweee this is a big one in wellness. I struggled with this one for a LONG time. Making changes to improve your health TAKES TIME… A LOT OF TIME. Way more than we might want. In this culture of quick fixes! and slim down fast! marketing, it's easy to get sucked into the hype. When you make changes to support your well-being, it takes time for your body to respond. When we focus just on the scale, we get disheartened if we don’t see changes in a week or two.
Let’s face it: in this 3D reality that we live in, time stretches out the creation process. I believe that we chose to come to the planet to experience the journey between thought and reality because there are skills our souls develop along that journey: Like patience, perseverance, service, and a deeper understanding of Self. Our wellness journeys are no different.
Bodies change from the inside out…. That’s one of the reasons I use the tagline “Health Blooms Within” because it starts inside you. It starts in your cells. In your organs. In your brain. In your heart. The cushy stuff that we see on the outside? Yea, that’s usually the last thing to change.
There is no magic pill. You have to do the work. -- Autumn Calabrese
In order to make true, lasting change, you have to stay the course with your routine. You must give it time… like months or even years. If you find yourself hopping from one fad to another, ask yourself this question honestly, “Am I just resisting the work here?” As BODi Super Trainer Autumn Calabrese says, “There is no magic pill. You have to do the work.”
Give your body the time she needs to adopt the changes.
Number 7. “Stop thinking you are so out of the ordinary”
You are an amazing, unique, incredible person… and paradoxically, you are completely and utterly ordinary. The things you struggle with in your health are the same things other people struggle with. Sometimes we swing too far on either side of this idea that we are so unique.
On one side, we can think that we are an exception to the rules… that inflammatory foods don’t affect us, that we don’t need sleep, that we don’t need to rest, that we don’t need movement... but your body is essentially the same as everyone else’s, it just may show its effects in different ways. The “I’m an exception” line of thinking only keeps us from taking care of our bodies and isolates us from making connections with others.
Other times, we think we are the only one who experiences THIS health condition or THIS specific struggle, and we isolate ourselves from community and the human experience. Sure, maybe you have X, Y, and Z health struggles, but I guarantee you that even if someone is going through a different set of challenges, they FEEL similar things. The human experience is just that: it’s human. And if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you are human. The “I’m the only one” thought keeps us from connecting with other people in a real genuine way.
Number 8. “Stop thinking short term”
Living a well, vibrant life is a long game, Sister. We have to take a step back and see this journey for what it is: a JOURNEY. I hate to break it to you, but there is no destination where you are perfectly healthy, vibrant, and well in every aspect of your health. Every day is an opportunity for us to take a step towards what a Vibrant Life looks like for us. Just because you can’t lose 20 pounds by next Tuesday doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go for that walk or drink more water TODAY. The short-sightedness in our wellness is only keeping us from taking these baby steps that actually would make a difference in the long run.
You finish a marathon by putting one foot in front of the other. And your body deserves care each and every day. By taking action – even just one healthy action – every day, you take a step towards Vibrancy and Health.
I do see the value of having signposts along our journey, they give us a direction to head. That’s why developing a WHY in your health journey is so important because it gives you a direction to focus your actions. If you want to complete a half-marathon with your sister to raise money for breast cancer, your daily actions are going to look very different than if you want to restore your menstrual cycles so you can get pregnant with PCOS.
Wellness is the long game, baby. The more we remember that, the less pressure we put on ourselves. The more grace we can give our bodies as they shift and change. The more love we can pour into our minds as they grow and shift with our new routines.
Number 9. “Stop assuming you know best”
This is a tough one for many people, myself included. I’ve been called a “know-it-all” a few hundred times in my life lol. The day I took a big slice of humble pie in how to care for my body was the day things started to change for me. The truth was: that I didn’t know how to care for myself. I’m STILL learning what my body needs to feel her best every day. The best gift I ever gave myself was curiosity and a student mind-set.
Do you know who is my best teacher? My own body. Adopting Cycle Mindfulness and tracking my energy throughout my cycle opened my eyes to so many things. I learned how important it is for me to move in ways that I enjoy. I learned that going 4 days without my self-care routine is a recipe for a Cranky Kori. I learned that I don’t bring my most patient self when I get less than 7.5 hours of sleep. I learned that I needed to level up my stress management skills and that my cycles are really sensitive to increased stress. I learned all these things by getting curious, journaling every day in my Cycles Journal, and learning ways to care for my body with PCOS.
Take some time to answer these questions: What do you think your body can teach you about your health? How can you adopt a more curious attitude?
I also had to find outside professionals to teach me the tools I need to feel my most vibrant self. I tracked down books and professionals who have dedicated their lives to studying and supporting women with PCOS. I started reading books that helped me create better habits. I listen to podcasts that feed my spirit and creativity. I know the value of a coach and hire them when I can. There are people out there that can help you feel your best. When you start bringing them into your world, magic happens.
Number 10. “Stop underestimating the power of inner work”
THIS. I’ve been waiting for this one. I’m going to say this again, “Health Blooms Within.” Changing how you move your body or what you eat is great… but it's only going to get you so far. You’ve GOT to start addressing how you speak about your body and how you treat her.
Your body is here, with you, from the moment you take your first breath until you exhale for the last time. It is the closest relationship you will have throughout your entire life. And your body, she exists for YOU. She’s here because your soul decided it wanted to grow and experience life on this magical and challenging planet. Your body is your Soul’s Mate. She lives for YOU.
Your body exists so your soul can expierience this life. Your body is your Soul's Mate. She lives for YOU.
Unfortunately, we tend to take that relationship for granted. We say horrible things to her, we feed her things that hurt her, we push her past her limits, and we keep her caged on a couch when she wants to move and be free. The moment we start thinking about our bodies as the most precious person to us, everything changes.
I can’t tell you how many times I thought that my body hated me. I thought she hated me when I would be doubled over with period cramps. I thought she hated me when I almost got kicked out of the Navy for being overweight. I thought she hated me when I couldn’t get pregnant without medical help. I thought she hated me when I had to buy bigger clothes after the pandemic. And because I thought she hated me; I said awful things to her. And I didn’t feed her well or give her the rest she needed.
Personifying my body and treating her as my most precious lover changed so much for me. I still have to remind myself every day, and the more I bring that thought to the forefront, the better choices I make for my body and my Future Self. I’m not perfect, and I forget sometimes. And that’s ok, because my body and I, we’re in this for LIFE. She’s my ride-or-die bitch, my soulmate, my lover, and my friend. We keep working on this relationship every day.
Spend some time reflecting on how you view your body. Is she a stranger? An enemy? Do you think of her as a precious newborn that needs your care, love, and devotion, or do you see her as the bane of your existence? I promise, that if you start working on this relationship, there will be a cascade of changes that flow into your life and health.
Number 11. “Stop playing down your dreams”
Sister, I know there is a dream inside your heart. A version of you that is just begging to be born. No matter what you want to experience, it is going to require you to be the most healthy, strong, and vibrant you can be.
You want to be a CEO of a multi-million dollar company? Yep, you’re going to need to have energy and flexibility on and off the yoga mat. You want to be the most fantastic SAHM you can be? You’re DEFINITELY going to need endurance and a calm nervous system. You want to be an artist or a writer? You’re going to need a clear mind and body for your soul to communicate through.
Your dreams matter, babe. Brianna says in this section of the book, “You thinking something is possible means it is possible, and you have it within you to bring it to life.” That version of you, she is already living inside your soul, inside your heart. And the world deserves to have that version of you. You deserve to bring her to life.
Your dreams rely on your well-being, no matter what they are. Even if your health challenge is a chronic condition, you can always make changes that will improve your vitality. When you focus on your health and make wellness and joy a priority in your life, you give fuel to the pursuit of your dreams. You create routines that support you when you grow. You feel energized and refreshed, ready to put the work in to bring your dreams to life.
Number 12. “Stop avoiding your discomfort”
Another one of those cold hard truths: improving your wellness is uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable. Things might suck for a while as you adapt to the new way of living. Staying where you are might SOUND comfortable, but I promise you, that comfort will catch up to you in the form of chronic disease, back pain, autoimmune disease, or a myriad of other less-than-ideal side effects of living a life of ignoring your wellness.
I get that this sounds punchy (I’m in my luteal phase so I’m a bit spicy right now), but I promise you that I’m saying it to me just as much as I’m saying it to you. As a matter of fact, this whole article is written TO ME because I need to hear these things, too. We all do.
Living a Well, Vibrant Life is tough sometimes. The way things are in our society… the deck of wellness is stacked against us. Everything from the standard American diet to how we were raised, to habits we’ve developed to cope with stress, to our hustle culture and constant need to be entertained… it’s a rough world out there. It's uncomfortable to go against the grain and take care of yourself. It’s a downright act of rebellion if you are a woman, to be honest.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Because it's in the discomfort that true growth happens.
Number 13. “Stop thinking the worst possible outcome is you making a wrong choice”
So often we get frozen in decisions on how to care for our health. On the surface, it looks like we are stuck because there are so many choices out there. But if we dig a little deeper, we’ll find that we don’t make a decision because we are afraid that what we choose “won’t work” or that we’ll pick the wrong path.
I faced this challenge when I started changing my diet to support my PCOS body. I read several books on supporting PCOS, and they all had different protocols and approaches. I was frozen for several weeks and didn’t make ANY changes because I was afraid that if I picked the “wrong” approach, it wouldn’t work for me. When I realized that my mind was playing tricks on me, I released that fear and just picked one to start. And what would you know? My body started responding to the protocol and after 4 months, I lost 16lbs, felt LOADS more energy, and stopped having daily headaches.
Quit splitting hairs about whether you should start this or that workout routine, or whether you should change your food first or your sleep. Dude, just pick ONE and start. You are going to get WAY more information by taking action than you ever will by sitting there contemplating it. If you are making a positive change for your health, and you clear it with your healthcare provider, then it’s NEVER the wrong choice. Because even if that path isn’t effective in the way you expected that knowledge is still information on your journey.
It took Thomas Edison 10,000 tries to create the light bulb. He said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” It might take you a few tries to find out what works for you, too. This is the part of the wellness journey that requires perseverance and dedication. And like I said in Number 6, you’ve got to stay the course long enough for it to work. Working out for 1 day is NOT going to make changes. Stick with a routine for 3-6 months before deciding that it “doesn’t work.” Of course, listen to your body, don’t hurt yourself, but give your body a chance to adapt.
Conclusion
I know this was a long one today, so thank you for reading until the end. I hope these 13 Wellness Path Corrections were helpful to you, I know they were to me.
Spend some time journaling today. Ask yourself: Which one do you feel you struggle with the most? How can you change that thought? What action can you take to move you closer to your Most Vibrant Self?
And if you feel like you need some 1:1 support, don't hesitate to book a free wellness consultation with me. We'll come up with a custom plan to help you tackle that biggest wellness challenge and get you back on track.
Share in the comments, which path correction are you stopping today?
Remember, you are SO worthy of your most vibrant life.
Love,
💋Kori Rae
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