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WHAT ARE YOUR CHOICES?

Health coaches. Nutritionists. Dieticians. Fitness Trainers. Even doctors and nurses. Everyone can give you advice. They can tell you the basic principles of health and wellness. They can even tell you very specific things you need to be doing – or NOT doing – in order to improve your health.

But at the end of the day, it comes down to your personal choices.

I posted last week on Substack a little bit about the Social Determinants of Health. Things like Social and Cultural influences; Education; Financial Stability; Health Care Access; and Environmental factors.

Those must all be taken into account when you’re talking about health and wellness. A doctor can tell you that to improve your blood pressure, or boost your energy levels, it would be good for you to exercise more.

Awesome.

But what if you’re a mom with a full-time job, three kids, a spouse, aging parents, money is tight, you don’t live or work near a gym, and you don’t really have access to a safe walking space. Your time and energy are going in a LOT of different directions.

Does this mean it’s impossible for you to exercise?

No.

It means your personal choices are going to matter even more. This is not a slam. This is not a criticism. I’m not trying to say you’re not prioritizing your time right.

In fact, I think a lot of health professionals forget that as busy moms, we spend a lot of our time in survival mode for various reasons. We’re just trying to get through the day, maybe even the hour, with our sanity intact.

Or we’ve gotten so entrenched in our routines and habits, because they are what has kept us going up to this point, that we don’t even know HOW to start making changes.

We don’t always have the resources or the support.

The VALID reasons are endless. Not excuses….obstacles and barriers on your path.

And don’t get me started on comparisons!

Comparing ourselves to other moms; people we know; or worse, people we DON’T KNOW on social media telling us how EASY it is for them to run five miles a day, drink kale and green apple smoothies every morning to cleanse their systems, do yoga four times a week and strength training for three, all while meal prepping, maintaining a perfectly clean house, and whatever else they’re doing.

I’m happy for you, “Nancy”. You’ve reached a personal level of wellness that many other moms may aspire to, and that’s something to be proud of.

But if “Nancy” is wielding her wellness journey like a weapon against other moms, that’s a hard no. Or if you’re COMPARING your journey to “Nancy’s”, that’s ANOTHER hard no.

You are not in “Nancy’s” shoes or living her life, just like she’s not living yours.

You have your own unique and wonderful qualities, and discovering the keys to YOUR health and wellness are for your benefit.

That’s what I mean by personal choices. If the doctor wants you moving more, or eating healthier, your choice might be to only get a chicken sandwich and a glass of water instead of fries and a soda, too, if your family is going through a drive-thru after a soccer game because everyone is starving. It might mean walking back and forth a few times at the soccer field to get more steps into your day.

It’s about doing what you can manage, your personal choices, not what you THINK other people want or what you SHOULD be doing.

Finding your own way is amazing when you’re faced with obstacles to your health and wellness. Those Social Determinants are lurking and throwing up barriers in ways you probably never thought about before. But those small choices can have large impact when you stack them over time!

www.thehiddenpoweroffood.com


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