“Bringing healthy back”… by Belinda Reid

While she may have left us behind for the sunshine and a fantastic opportunity up in QLD, the talented Naturopath Belinda Reid is still sharing her wealth of knowledge and inspiration with the world. And we’re so happy to share her latest article with you all to help inspire some Modern Day Self Care into your life. Read on for her great insight and tips!….

Original Post from Belindas Blog at https://www.belindareid.com.au/blog

Some of you lovely folk may have noticed I’ve been ramping up my fitness over the last few months. I haven’t been able to run 5km since 2012, and yet every new year I would write it down as one of the goals I wanted to achieve for that year.

‘I want to run 5km, doing 5 minute k’s’

Every year I wrote this…… for 7 years and this year was no different!

I love to run, it gives me a feeling of freedom, strength, fierceness and a peacefulness no other body movement does.

I have missed it

I craved it

My intuition knows what’s up and kept nudging to remind me how damn good it feels when I run

The rhythmic pounding of my feet

The pulsing tunes blasting in my headphones

Breathing that starts out ragged but eventually tunes into the pounding of my feet

Background thoughts turned down

Intuition dialled all the way up

Nothing stills my mind the way running does.

Lemme back up a bit;

a year ago you could safely say I was hitting a new rock bottom.

My anxiety was so bad I had near constant chest pain that often left me breathless,

I could barely walk 5km’s let alone run them

I began to wonder if the constant fatigue and heaviness I felt was my new ‘normal’.

I was consuming  enough nervous system calming herbs to kill a small bear to help numb out the background noise of my thoughts.

The anxiety was wreaking havoc with my digestive system – bloating, sluggish digestion and gut pain that landed me in emergency and completely destroyed my long awaited and highly anticipated camping trip, to say I was crushed was an understatement.

The final straw was the night I had the most epic of meltdowns on the phone to my Dad (sorry Brucey!) and went to bed howling in heartache and inexplicable pain.

‘Dear Universe, tell me what to do and I’ll do it”

I began to take off hiking most weekends and carving out the 3 hours for myself purely to move my body and still my mind started to weave its magic. My anxiety started to abate, the brain fog began shifting and my joy of cooking returned.

A fabulous new job opportunity interstate fell into my lap and I gratefully grabbed it with both hands.

This was the fresh start my intuition had been nudging me towards: rebuilding myself.

I made the solemn commitment to myself that once I moved, my own wellbeing was now my Number 1 priority. The time had come to adjust my own oxygen mask before assisting others.

Does this sound familiar to you?

As females, we give when our own cup is empty, we say yes when our body is screaming no, we are schooled from a young age to assists others first so that our own self-care and boundaries are non-existent. We are taught that self-care is self-indulgent, but guess what?

If women are barely functioning, the world is certainly not a pretty place.

What does self-care look like?

– Food Prep –  every single weekend. No junk food. No excuses. Just get it done

– Staple Supplements:

* B group vitamins

* Magnesium powder

* CoQ10  

These 3 nutrients are the major players in supporting our mitochondrial function…..say whaaaaat? Our body is made up of trillions of cells, each cell contains an organelle called the mitochondria, these bad boys are where energy is produced, the cells battery. It makes sense that when running low on these nutrients our cells run out of battery and we start losing our mojo.

– Body Movement – shake that booty! Whatever kind of movement floats your boat – go do that! If you haven’t exercised in a while start off slowly and work your way up as your strength builds.

– Essential Oils – bergamot, rose, wild orange, patchouli and Whisper blend – singles or in a combo – these oils anchor you into your body, promote self-love, encourage self-acceptance and self-confidence.

– Nature Nurture –  escaping the city whenever possible and hitting the beach, forest, hiking trails or simply tree hugging in a local park

– Soul Food – meditation and journaling. There is no way around processing feelings, you gotta go through it and face the demons or life lesson before you can pop out the other side.

Following these simple self-care strategies every single day has paid off. Some days my effort was definitely lack lustre, however, it doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be done.

3 weeks ago I received the rather loud message from my intuition that I was ready to start running again!

I’ve been gradually building strength, distance and lung capacity.

This morning I ran 3kms.

And totally fist pumped for the last 20 metres….. Mostly I was stoked that I didn’t vomit!

The human body is truly a marvellous thing. We can treat it like a garbage dump for years and the second you change some habits, it will begin to rebuild and heal.

Self-care is synonymous  with health, it’s not always easy, it’s certainly not all bubble baths and foot massages. It’s actually more about creating habits and showing up for yourself every single day, especially when you don’t feel like it.

In a world that continues to tell us we are not enough, it is your job to stand up for your cute self and say,

‘Yes, I fucking am enough and I am goddamn worth it’.

It’s never too late to start over.

All my love,

Bee

Read more from Behinda at https://www.belindareid.com.au/blog