Do you need more Joy? Money? Love?

While food is critical for health, balance & happiness, there are other areas of our life that often go overlooked that are also essential forms of nourishment. Joshua Rosenthal, Founder & Director of The Institute of Integrative Nutrition (where I trained), coined the terms ‘primary’ & ‘secondary’ foods. You may initially think that food would be considered a ‘primary’ food as did I, but according to Joshua, food that we put on our plate is actually secondary. Healthy relationships, regular physical movement, a fulfilling career, and a form of spiritual practice (prayer, meditation, breathing etc.) are all forms of primary foods, and when we aren’t balanced in one of these areas, we tend to overindulge in our secondary foods – actual food.

If we aren’t getting the ‘primary’ food we need, eating all the actual food in the world won’t satisfy our hunger. Do you remember a time when you were so high on life that food was an afterthought? Playing outside as a child not a care in the world, never thinking about your next meal, your first boyfriend, working on an exciting project at work, etc.…food was an afterthought.

Our bodies are intelligent and when we give it what it needs, it will usually perform optimally. However, we are often not giving it what it needs and it sends us messages. These messages take on many different forms: cravings, weight gain, anger, low-esteem, and the list goes on.

Relationships: We have many different relationships throughout our life, but it is important to cultivate relationships that are healthy and support our individual needs, wants, and desires. Today, we are leading overly isolated lives thanks to modern technology. Most centenarians (people 100 years or older) interviewed all value their relationships with family member and friends and consider it a vital part of their lives. Healthy relationships provide support and sense of purpose and belonging. We are all starving to be heard, and crave human touch and interaction. We can, and often do get along without this support but in time, we will crave that connection to feel satisfied.

Physical Movement: Our bodies thrive on movement, the challenge is to find something you enjoy doing and build that activity into your routine and lifestyle. But do what you enjoy, if you don’t enjoy going to the gym, you’re not likely to go there if it’s a chore. Find out what it is that you enjoy and make it FUN. Different forms of exercise will give you different types of energy and satisfaction.

Career: For many people, their career defines them, their identity, and their self-confidence. We spend a great deal of time at our workplace, yet how many people actually enjoy what it is they do? Many feel powerless to change their job situation. Finding what you love to do is essential to living a healthy balanced life. But it’s not always feasible to change careers. In that case you must find a way to improve your current job situation. Sometimes it only takes a few minor adjustments to make a huge improvement. Feeling happy and productive in the place that you spend so many hours is important to your sense of well-being.

Spirituality: This can take any form, such as breathing, meditation, or prayer. It is unique to the unique individual. Whatever it is that you choose, the goal is to quiet the busy mind, relax the body, and bring awareness and peace to you. This is an area that I need to improve on.

Try this Circle of Life exercise, created by Joshua Rosenthal. It will help you discover which ‘primary’ foods may need some attention in order for you to create more balance in your life.

The circle has twelve sections. Place a dot on the line for each section to designate how satisfied you are with that aspect of your life. A dot placed towards the center of the circle indicates dissatisfaction, while a dot placed towards the periphery indicates happiness. When you have placed a dot on each line, connect the dots to see your Circle of Life. The instructions are explained in detail in the article.

Once you have completed this exercise hopefully you will have a clear vision of any areas that my need your attention. It’s quite an eye-opener!!

I suggest doing the same exercise every few months to see if your circle has become more balanced.

“I believe that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social well-being.” Dr. Frank Lipman

Thanks for reading, and keep well!

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