Self-care is such an underestimated part of managing our health (and ultimately our body composition!).
It's very difficult for us to be attuned to our mind and body if we are chronically stressed out, sleep deprived, eating sporadically, etc.
For example:
Intense stress can actually cause our hunger signals to shut down due to an increase cortisol levels and our fight or flight biological response - and then make us RAVENOUS (and create a breeding ground for overeating) once the stress has passed.
Lack of sleep can screw with our appetite - making our body crave more food in search for false "energy" (when really all it needs is sleep).
Clearly communicating our needs and setting boundaries with others allow us to feel confident in our lives and our decisions - instead of turning to food to give us a false sense of control.
Eating healthy REAL foods nourishes our body with the nutrients to keep our vital organs functioning properly.
Drinking enough water gives every cell in our body what it needs to function properly.
As much as some of these can seem like commodities some days - they are all basic needs which need to be addressed daily in order to ensure a healthy relationship with food and our body.
Below is a short survey I normally give to my Intuitive Eating clients to get a good idea of their self-care habits, however I've posted it here for you to be able to gauge your own self-care habits. Remember, this is NOT pass or fail.
It's simply a great place to start to assess your relationship with food and/or yourself (as they go hand-in-hand!) or if you just want to do some introspection...so download it, save it, print it out - and take it every so often to see how well you are taking care of YOU!
Yours in Health,
