Finding health and vibrancy boils down to basic math. Before a consultation, I am already aware of the foods and practices that I will recommend the client add in, but it is through the health history that I can make suggestions as to the foods and practices that need to be taken away. I've always dabbled a bit in minimalism, so the 'taking away' part is exciting to me. Discarding foods and habits that are no longer serving us (or are even harming us) is the bodily equivalent of decluttering your house. I remember hearing once that dis-owning an item gives your brain the same hit of dopamine that you receive when buying an item. To me, that is powerful. It's the same reward, but it doesn't cost a thing and it opens up a spot in your home. Win-win. Now, I'm not saying that chasing hits of dopamine is the correct path to balance and happiness. Simply, I think that there is a correlation that we can apply to the decisions we make when we are trying to improve our health by changing harmful, ingrained habits. When you embark on your wellness journey, you can view your body as a home that you are decluttering, cleaning, and organizing. The easiest and most practical first step is removal. Examine which parts of your routine and diet that you need to discard. Focus on simplifying and purifying. The resulting clarity will lead you to the foods and practices to add back in. Just like a clean sweep of your external living environment, an intentional decision to improve your internal environment can and should be just as exciting.
Emily Achin is a Health Coach in Lexington, Virginia