Your body is trying to talk to you.
Here's how to understand what it's saying.
Yep - that’s right. Your body is trying to get your attention. No matter how old you are, woke you are, snatch-waist you are... your body would love for you to start learning its language and listen for a sec.
Let’s get right into the meat of this, shall we?
Your body cannot use words to communicate with you, so it uses symptoms, instead.
If you’re not accustomed to “listening” and recognizing these symptoms, you may be rolling your eyes at this request to start doing so. I get it - I do. We are constantly flooded with pleas on Instagram & TikTok to start doing this one thing so that (overnight, they say) your skin is clearer, house is cleaner, kids are happier, mother-in-law is less triggering, ass is slaying, meal prep is exciting, wrinkles are dying, etc.
This process of starting to understand your body’s needs does not require daily journal entries, nutrient tracking, or app purchases. Nor does it require lighting palo santo and creating a meditation nook à la Lee from America in 2017 - the listening will quickly become second nature throughout your day.
Okay, so why do I need to start understanding what my body is trying to tell me?
Great question. This is single-handedly the most important first step in the healing process. For me, after more than ten years of stubborn headaches, brain fog, and mood swings, it was not until I started noticing the dozens of choices I made on autopilot I made each day that I was finally able to move the needle and start feeling better.
You might not even feel like you have symptoms you need to heal from. That’s okay, too! “Symptoms” don’t have to be complex in the diagnostic medical context we may be used to; your biggest symptoms could be something like recurring constipation, breakouts every cycle, or feeling exhausted every afternoon around 3pm. Our culture normalizes feeling like shite so much that you may have tuned out the feedback your body has been giving you for the past three, five, or fifteen years. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone!
From my personal and professional experience working with 1:1 nutrition clients with the same task, this is the best way to learn what your body needs to thrive.
Let’s start here:
Spend just one day (you got this - just one day) noticing your routine, habits, and what you’re putting in your mouth. It may help to pay attention to the following questions in particular:
Did you eat meals? If so, how many?
Did you sit down while you ate?
How much time did you spend on social media? Check the actual time in your phone settings!
How did you feel (mentally) throughout the day? Depressed? Apathetic? Anxious?
Did you move your body? If so, in what way(s)?
Did you have a bowel movement? If so, what was it on the Bristol Stool Chart (fun I know - ideally, they’ll be a #3 or #4)
How many hours did you sleep?
How did you feel upon waking?
After running through these questions, identify what jumps out at you as a bigger problem area. Did you sleep 3 hours? Did you graze on snacks all day instead of having 3 meals? Was this the 3rd day in a row without a bowel movement? Let’s unpack that.
Here’s the thing.
Each of your responses to the questions above offers information (critical information!) about you and your body’s bio-individual needs. “Bio-individual”, meaning what you need is not necessarily what Gwyneth Paltrow needs. Same goes for your mom, best friend, husband, and dog (though the latter should be obvious?).
Once you complete the 2-step exercise above, you can use that information as your current baseline with a bit of wiggle room. Maybe your sleep isn’t always that bad, and maybe your BMs were weird that day because of the Indian food you had last night…. but be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that it wasn’t “a normal day in your life” - because it was! There’s always something throwing us off of our routine, whether it’s a kid getting sick or a particularly busy day of meetings. Our “normal” includes the daily, weekly, and monthly ebbs and flows in circumstance and stress.
So, guess what? This general awareness of your current baseline is the communication between you and your body. This is the language that your body needs you to pay attention to — nothing more.
More often than not, this act of listening to your body reveals you may be burdened by more symptoms than you expected. Though it may seem within our society’s realm of normal, feeling pissed off and groggy most days is not physiologically normal — it is your body trying to show you that it needs more support in certain areas (most likely sleep hygiene, stress management, digestive health, and blood sugar regulation to get started).
If it helps you to understand what symptoms you’re struggling with, the most common symptoms in the clients I work with include stubborn low energy in mornings and afternoons, mood swings, painful periods, lack of periods, stubborn weight gain, unexplained infertility, bloating, depression, and anxiety.
What do you do about it?
Start small and foundational. In my personal and professional experience, it’s the small choices we make again and again that effect the most change in our health.
A small note about the word “health”: I think we’ve medicalized this word to the point that it now means something more like “free of any disease markers”. It doesn’t feel personal anymore to me - like it’s removed of anything relating to how I’m really doing. In reality, health is just that - how you feel. Though, maybe that requires some listening to what your body is trying to tell you. We’ve become so used to gauging health by a series of outdated and limiting diagnostic tests that we can’t even tell if we feel healthy anymore. You don’t have to put up with feeling subpar just because your doc gives you a thumbs up after your 7-minute appointment, mkay? Moving on…
Regardless of what symptoms are popping up for you, start with the following three foundational health-promoting habits:
Stay *properly* hydrated. Feeling thirsty is one of the later signs of dehydration. Early signs of dehydration include yawning, loss of focus, and irritability. You’re welcome!
Filters matter. Check your city’s water here if you’re doubting whether you need a water filter.
Aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces every day.
Sip, don’t chug. Keep a large glass or water bottle on you so that you can drink water consistently through the day.
Add a small pinch of sea salt to your water every time you fill up or invest in some great electrolytes such as LMNT. (Great for athletes, pregnancy, and postpartum, too)
Eat three meals daily. Include protein, fat, and carbs in every meal. This is quite literally how we feed our cells, tissues, and organs. You will not thrive if you don’t eat enough. And yes, nutrient deficiencies contribute to weight gain, too.
Move your body in some way daily. A fantastic place to start is with three 10-minute walks after each meal, as this also is wonderful for digestion and blood sugar support.
More exercise is not necessarily better. I’ve worked with plenty of women who are overdoing it with HIIT and cardio, especially during the luteal and menstrual phase. If you’re big on cardio but you’re not sleeping well, have thinning hair, and are afraid to eat big meals…. this could be a good opportunity for you to listen to what your body is trying to tell you.
If you have these three foundations down pat, that’s excellent! If you’re struggling to decipher what your symptoms mean and wanting to work with someone to learn how best to support your body’s needs, let’s chat. I have a few client openings this spring!
Best part about this whole listening-to-what-your-body-is-saying magic? It’s free!