Be Wise With What You Do, Our Bodies and Minds Adjust To Anything

My fav toothbrush that started out as torture

About a year ago, my family migrated from motorized toothbrushes to the "Cadillac" of toothbrushes you see in the photo.  This migration was painful. I remember vividly, me demonstrating for the kids how "easy" it was to use.

Tears were flowing down my face as I brushed with it the first time and tried to keep a smile. The super powered intensity of the toothbrush was painful. It did not feel good at all and was nothing like the toothbrushes we'd just discarded.  I can remember the horrified looks on the faces of my then 11 year old daughter and then 7 year old son.  They could not believe I was still insisting they try the toothbrush that was making me cry. Literally.

But I did insist and now as I look back I am glad I did it. We have all had improved dental check-ups at our last visits and I am attributing the improvement to the new toothbrush and habits surrounding brushing it has created in all of us.  This memory got me to thinking about how my teeth adjusted, rather quickly to the toothbrush with consistent use.  Almost one month removed from my Whole30 diet, I am still reacting to foods and food choices differently than I had before the drastic change in diet. Thinking about the toothbrush and the diet lately,  made me realize how important it is that we are wise in what we do.

Our bodies and minds adjust to anything we do to them.

Marinate in that for a moment.

So....

Destructive self-talk, you mind can adjust to that.
No physical activity to an otherwise healthy body, your body can adjust to that.
Consistent non-use of your best talents, your mind can adjust to that.
Junk food with little to no nutritional value, your body can adjust to that.

This concept was one of my biggest eye opening thoughts during my Whole30 diet. I was certain, I could not live without sugar but alas I did. I was sure I needed corn, bread, lentils, you-fill-in-the-blank, yet I made it without all those things for 30 straight days. I had a few core beliefs about my life that I did not believe I could or should let go of as they had served me well, but I did let them go.

It was not easy and I still have to actively practice letting them go but my mind is adjusting to a new thought pattern, new and better core beliefs to focus on. In the same way that brushing my teeth every day with the super powered toothbrush started out as a painful and tough experience but gave way to a pleasant and thorough cleaning of my teeth. Forcing myself to think differently is tough but getting easier every single day I do it. And just like I can see the results of the adjustment to the painful brushing in my pearly whites every day, I am also seeing the transformation of my life and work by my new focus and beliefs. Plus, it gets easier - it does not hurt to brush my teeth with the super powered brush anymore. In fact, after about 2 months, we didn't even notice a difference. I am banking on that same result from my change in thinking over time. It is still very new to me - about 30 days or so.  It looks a little something like this for me...





Being laser focused on your desires, your mind can adjust to that.
Giving your body the physical activity it craves, your body can adjust to that.
Surrounding yourself with supportive people who lift you up, your mind can adjust to that.
Eating a balanced diet of food with high nutritional value, your body can adjust to that.

GUYS - we must be intentional with our minds and our bodies. If we don't specifically think about and control what we put into our minds and bodies, they just adjust to whatever we do to them. Make whatever you do worth the adjustment your body and mind will make to accommodate it.

What This Body Needs More Of....

My two kids doing something I love - SLEEP!

So one full week into my Coach-To-5K training program for the Sunset 5K to kick off the Summer Sunset Festival in Lake in the Hills, Labor Day weekend, I've had an epiphany!

Knocking on the door of 40 years old, having spent the last year with no athletic activity that I'd love to blame on the radial nerve problem in my right arm vs. my own apathy towards my body  - this training program has shed light on something I thought I had under control.

When you exercise more - what do you need more? What does YOUR BODY crave?

For some, it's more nutrition.

Their body needs to eat more and/or better. Someone I know eats almost DOUBLE what they normally eat when they are training for a race (my daughter Emma).

Their body needs more water. The more they workout, the more they need to replenish.

For me, it's SLEEP.

What? This from the woman who intends and is pretty successful at getting at LEAST 7 hours of sleep a day.

Yeah, every run this past week revealed to me the deep need to go back to my body's wiring and get that 8 or more hours of sleep a day.

Now it will be ANOTHER post to figure out how I do that with all my roles - wife, mom to two active kids, full-time marketer/part-time village official AND entrepreneur building a new company.

But I am so glad that my relationship with my body is so much closer that I can immediately sense something I might have missed in the past. As recent past as last year.

You see the issue with my radial nerve in my right arm has brought me in closer relationship with my body.   Therapy, surgery, therapy again and one year later with little improvement has tuned me in to this miracle I walk around in everyday. And IT has spoken.

So don't be surprise if you "see" or "hear" me dozing more like the two cute kids in the photo above.

Sleep is what this body needs more of...and because I love my body and value our relationship. I'm obliging.

Do you know what your body is asking of you?

Are you in tune with your "miracle"?