The Power of Renewal
What I love about the body is that it is always working. Working to digest our meals, use up glucose, burn body fat, and heal wounds. It’s a wonder and a mystery. Imagine a cut on the hand. We cover it up with a Band Aid and it clears up on its own. Really humbles us to the wisdom of our bodies working behind the scenes to make sure things work properly. We, in our conscious state, have a choice to either muck it up or help it along.
In normal conditions, the body is a beautiful example of great optimism. It keeps on righting itself even in the face of adversity. The body is like a river; a constant flow in the direction of health and healing. Again, our choice, do we work against that flow or do we float in concert with the current?
It is exactly the same for weight loss. Some of us experience the prospect of weight loss as a lonely, arduous, uphill battle. We imagine our unwanted weight sitting there, dormant, just goading us to try to get rid of it. But, really, the physiological process of losing weight is going on all the time. Our fat is a living, ever-changing, organ-like substance. Fat cells being created AND being broken down all the time. It is a delicate balance and we can tip the scales in the right direction if we want to.
If we choose whole, natural foods in the right quantity rather than eat sugar, processed foods, refined flour products, and chemicals, we can be that helpful partner in this ongoing, fat burning flow. We aren’t alone pushing this boulder up a hill. We do this weight loss thing in partnership with the automatic, on-going functioning of our physiology.
Do you recall that feeling of having “momentum”? You get a couple of solid weeks in, you start to see pounds drop on the scale, and you feel like you’ve got that classic feeling of “momentum.” Well, that is you flowing down the river of weight loss.
Sounds simple enough, right? Well, the physiological process of weight loss can be simple. Admittedly, though, the part we play in the process isn’t easy. The challenge – the uphill battle, the not-so-easy part – really lies in our ability to stay devoted, to maintain our faith that good things will happen.
by Dr. Seuss.
but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.”
Yes, we will invariably mess up. It may be in small ways or in big. We can be derailed for a few hours, a few months, or even a few years. Despite the duration of that sojourn, the good news is that we have a chance for renewal instantaneously. We don’t have to wait until “tomorrow” or “Monday.” It can be NOW. And it is critical to remember that all is not lost…ever. That automatic physiological functioning thing? It’s still happening in perpetual motion. We just need to jump back in the flow with our next best choice.
And here is the really good news. This opportunity for renewal, these chances to start again? There is a never-ending supply of chances flowing and swirling around us in abundance. Each moment that goes by is yet another gift, another moment to start again. There is no better source of hope and strength.
I have a small bit of advice, though. Since this source of hope is invisible, it can be helpful to give the idea a physical form or manifest the idea in some type of ritualistic practice. May it be a ring on your finger, a charm on your necklace, a mantra pasted to your fridge, or a friend with passion in their eyes and a willingness to remind you daily of the hope that exists.
Whenever we adopt a healthy eating routine, we all battle the natural inclination to fall away and be consumed by discouragement. Many nutrition advice-givers and diet book authors like to lure in audiences by promising to make what is challenging seem “easy.” They are just trying to save those who have lost their way. I understand. But I can say from years of toiling that there is no way to dodge the work. It demands vigilance and devotion. All worthy things in life require the same.
However, I am here to profess loudly that the existence of ever-lasting renewal coupled with my body’s natural inclination towards health and healing propels me and sustains me through all missteps and sojourns. These are the life forces that are ever present that we can tap into, be a part of, and remain humble to. Weight loss is not a process we do, so much as a process we participate in.
And as Dr. Seuss promises,
“And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”
Nicolaus Bloom earned a certification as an Integrative Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City in 2017. He coaches individual clients and groups through weight loss and unwanted eating concerns by incorporating deeply practical and spiritual solutions. For more information, visit: www.nicolausbloom.com or contact Nicolaus at: nicolausbloom@gmail.com or (207) 749-5952.
ELM™ | Maine
