Mind + Body stability = Health.
I was a young woman / mom during the time period where
being a size 0 was a thing.
- 0 -
What were we thinking?
Even when I was modelling and working on my feet double shifts as a nurses aid & an
aerobic instructor I was never a 0.
It was a fad, this unattainable goal set for us.
We saw it everywhere, in magazines, on TV...
I ran.
I ran and existed off of potato chips , lettuce and when I was
with friends, champagne & black tea .
( sounds bougie... but I had some wealthy friends )
And back before I was a mom I was a standard size 8 which
would be a 4 now.
( Most people have no idea that sizes were changed )
From the time I was 21 ( when I was pregnant with my first daughter) to
the beginning of 2000
I toggled between eating *normal* and an unintentional fasting diet.
Skipping meals and running..sometimes a lot - 5 miles a day, before a season
so I could fit into costumes.
( corsets are unforgiving )
Interesting thought....
I grew children having knowledge of what I put in them, grew them.
But I never applied that to myself.
They ate baby food made from my garden...whole, nutrient rich foods.
They ran outside in the sunshine and drank from the hose.
They were very healthy children- I was blessed.
Fast forward:
My family changed back ( big time) to healing foods in 2012 and from' there
I am vastly different in my approach to health, healing & food.
I have learned and adapted, tried new items but in the end
realised that eating like my grandparents was best for my family.
No chemicals, no fast food, just simple nutrient dense foods.
That plus a common sense approach to movement,
I still fast.
But it is part of a whole process of ketosis and how my body heals.
My body is a system, sleep, movement, sunlight and nutrient are
all part of that simple system installed in me at birth.
In the summer I eat salads and seafood , sandwiches, ice cream
and milkshakes- cold foods
In the fall I begin to crave satisfying meals more.
Soups, stews and roasts.- hot foods.
I would have to say that my body (based upon standard consistent testing)
is healthier now than I was back 25 pounds lighter with knee sleeves on
while running up to 5 miles a day & certainly healthier
than when my spine was getting steroid injections &
I was taking all sorts of off label meds to ease the pain,
trying to avoid pain meds.
I look at those photos ( when I was 30 or so) and my heart breaks.
I was just trying to be the best mom I could at the time.
I listened to surgeons ( who know only to cut) and doctors who
knew only to prescribe.
Deciding to go rogue and take my health into my own hands actually
saved my life in many more ways than one.
I no longer have migraines brought on by undernourishment.
I have consistent energy.
I repair fast.
My knees still give me crankiness, but I have to admit I was always
hard on them and still are.
Lifting feed bags/ laundry , walking up 2 flights of stairs multiple times a day,
using a hard Jeep clutch make them angry some days.
I now use recovery days to aid in healing.
Oh....what are recovery days?
I did not know until recently either-
I just thought life was one big sprint!
Not just for elite athletes, recovery days are days after
strenuous pulls happen on your body.
A day of walking, of using a hard clutch, of no sleep....
all affect your health in the days afterward.
Having a plan for a recovery day where I do things
slower and easier has been life changing.
I no longer reach for the Tylenol.
I use ice at first and then gentle stretches and walking.
I move on to using weights to gently build muscle.
I have a team of people to help...not doctors that prescribe
Rx, but massage therapists & physicians who are undoing all the lies
I was taught about healing.
The mind + body connection is so real.
I no longer have to push past pain to exist.
What a concept!
Ironic that back when I was shooting for that 0, I was never at rest,
always in pain ( shinsplints are real) and life was harder.
I am no longer even shooting for an 8.
I drape my healthy body in clothes that fit.
I look for fabrics that are soft and giving....
I love pockets and I adore cute handmade accessories.
My shoes are sensible.
( if I really think on it...kind of like when I was 6)
Living is learning.
I am happy that I have learned this lesson.
After a ton of rain, we are drying out in humid weather.
My gardens are in full swing...nothing better than eating what you produce!
Also, nothing better than building dinosaur diners .
This week has been a splendid one so far.
I hope that you all are having a good week. I know, frizz hair days but I am
not taking any for granted.
Been hanging out with Lucy & the flocks down by the mill pond.
The air off of the water is less humid surprisingly.
I will think on these Summer days in the icy winter.
XOXO
Raven
🐦⬛
