Tapping Into Body Wisdom

“The moment you change your perception, is the moment you rewrite the chemistry of your body.”
Dr. Bruce Lipton

This is a quote by one of my favorite authors, Dr. Bruce Lipton. His great book “The Biology of Belief” provides us with a powerful message about tapping into our consciousness.

All of us are gifted with an innate body wisdom that we just need to connect with. This wisdom is a deep intelligence which has continued to evolve through our many years of evolution. Listening to our body wisdom kept us safe, helped us to forage for food, and many other important actions in life.

Fast forward to today and our fast paced lifestyle, where most people hardly pay any attention what so ever to their body sensations, and this has made it all too easy to forget that our body is in fact constantly speaking to us in many different ways all the time.

Learning to tap into your own body wisdom is a very powerful tool that can help you discern what your body actually wants or needs.

We Have Been Confused By Our Culture’s Current Messages

Unfortunately we live in a time where culture has confused us as to what is right or wrong to eat.

We have been brainwashed that we need to look a certain way or weigh a certain amount.

Not to mention that we are surrounded by highly addictive food. These highly processed foods which are mainly full of sugar, salt and crunch, (don’t forget the crunch!), make it very difficult for us to tune in to what our bodies actually want.

Our first challenge around food is to learn how to begin to sense the true feeling of being hungry. And secondly, we need to understand what it feels like to be full.

If we can begin to recognize these two important aspects of bodily intelligence then we will be much more capable of maintaining a healthy weight.

You May Not Really Be Hungry For Food

When you can truly listen to the natural cues from your body you may be surprised to find that you are not actually hungry at all.

All too often we use food to comfort us when we are bored or upset or we will even reward ourselves with food.

Once we can recognize when we are truly hungry for food, it dramatically shifts our connection with what and how we eat. We can then begin to associate that we are craving for is actually other things which are missing in our lives. We begin to see that food has just become the substitute for what is really missing.

From here we can begin to fulfill ourselves with what it is we really need to nourish ourselves at a deeper level.

So Where Do We Begin?

In order to start listening to our own body, we need to slow down and connect.

The simplest way that we can do this is by taking some long, slow, deep breaths. Allow yourself to breathe into your body, to become quiet and centered. From this place you can begin the process of tuning in, to sense and listen and feel what your body is speaking to you at this time.

Maybe you are truly hungry for food, and then you can ask yourself, what does my body really want right now?

Perhaps you are not hungry for food, but a nice walk may be in order, or a chat with your best friend, or maybe spending some time with your lover. All these are very healthy activities that are nourishing on different levels to our souls.

These other activities will satisfy a different kind of hunger inside.

What About Treats?

Yes, I know we all like to treat ourselves now and then. But even treats can be made healthier. Firstly you need to ask yourself is this just a craving you have or is it a genuine desire for something sweet and pleasurable.

You should not deny yourself of that craving, but even then there may be other activities that can also provide you with that pleasure, rather than just turning to food.

So it all comes back to tuning in to yourself and asking the question, “What do I truly want right now?”

Once you become accustomed to this you may be surprised at how often you have turned to food, when there was something much more nourishing that was required to satisfy those cravings!

How Do I Stop The Bad Habits?

Well, the easiest way is to not even have the processed junk food around you. You need to recognize that food addiction is real, the companies who make these processed foods know this and it is why the grocery shelves are full of them.

Your challenge is to begin to replace them with healthier substitutes that will still fulfill your cravings.

Be prepared that there may be a withdrawal period for you during this transition, especially if you have been eating a lot of processed foods.

But eventually you can rewire your taste buds and will no longer crave the processed products but will instead crave healthier options.

I know that is hard to believe, but it really is true! Your brain will adjust and your cravings will cease.

Support Is Always Helpful

Once you have made the decision to change your food habits you will need to get all that you are addicted to out of your house so you are not tempted to eat it.

You should also ask for the support of others living at home with you. Perhaps do this with a partner or loved one, or at least have a compliance buddy that you can reach out to in times of need.

Food is Medicine

You will learn that every food you put into your mouth has its own powerful biochemical message for your body. Remember the saying, you are what you eat? By becoming aware of what you are eating on a daily basis, you truly can heal yourself.

“Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food” – Hippocrates

Food offers us so much in the form of comfort, pleasure and reward.

Food is Love. And as the quote above states, food is truly medicine.

Don’t Allow Yourself To Be Manipulated

Allow yourself to tune into your intuition, the one that will tell you when a food is not serving you well. This same intuition will tell you that you are being manipulated, whether by TV ads, magazine or internet articles.

Allow your intuition to teach you how to live your own truth.

Remember that this is a continuous journey as you begin to tap into your own personal intuition and be able to understand the messages that come from your own body.

You need to take time to truly listen. A huge piece of the awakening process for you can come from the food you choose to eat or not to eat.

Lastly, be kind to yourself. Trust that you will make mistakes because after all, you are only human. And humans do make mistakes all the time. Just remember to slow down, breathe and take this journey one step at a time.

You can do it!

I would love to help you transform your relationship with food, body and health and empower you to achieve a balanced life of health, purpose and vitality!

Your Nourishing Nutritionist,

Lynne Bowsher

Nourishment for body, mind and spirit