Like so many other “typical” women out there, I have a tendency to over analyze just about anything and everything.
Lately, with each new Facebook or Instagram post that doesn’t involve vegetables or a recipe, there’s a negative voice in the back of my head saying to me, “Abbey, why are you posting this? This is not focused on your target market. This post is not going to reach those that need your health coaching services. What does this have to do with weight loss, fitness or health??”
Whether or not this is a question that’s ever entered your mind when viewing my latest social media post, I’m here to give an answer.
First and foremost, I post pictures of me hanging out with friends or a donut that was consumed moments after posting in honor of National Donut Day because that’s the real me. I am so far from perfect, I don’t want people thinking that all I ever do is eat organic broccoli and farm raised chicken. Of course, I do do those things, but that’s not 100% of who I am. I am a no nonsense girl and I like to keep it real. There was a time about a year ago that I contemplated creating a third (yes, third) Instagram account simply for my family, friends, non-health coach or non-photographer followers. But then I realized, that’s crap! If you follow me for wellness advice, I want you to see it all. I want you to see that even us health pros eat donuts and drink alcohol from time to time, too.
Okay, so what’s the deal with all the sunset pics? Or the day I went to the salon to get highlights? Or my friends baby?
Well I ask you this, when was the last time you had a wellness goal (let’s just go with weight loss as it is the most common) where you were doing everything you knew to do to make sure it was achieved and yet, the weight just would NOT come off? You worked out 5X/week. You ate more veggies than you ever had in your life. Yet weigh-in after weigh-in, your scale would not budge. Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps food and fitness are not the only two components to weight loss?
At The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, we were taught about Primary Foods. If you’ve never heard of such a thing, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? Primary Foods would be what lands on your plate, right? WRONG! The food that physically goes in your mouth is actually Secondary Foods! “Food”, by the technical definition, is not the only thing in life that feeds us!
Primary Foods include things like: Finances, relationships, social life, spirituality, physical activity, etc.
Primary Foods are what nourish you beyond the plate in front of you. Though you may eat a veggie packed protein shake every morning for breakfast, local chicken on a bed of organic kale for lunch and grilled veggies for dinner- if you are stuck in a job that you hate, or an abusive relationship, or struggling to find if God has a place in your life after years of being involved in church, you will likely have a difficult time achieving the healthiest version of this person you want to be.
For me, I’ve never known this to be more true than in this last year living in Austin, TX. After four years of living in NYC, one of the coolest cities in the U.S. I finally stopped listening to the voices in my head telling me that NYC was where I needed to be (this place that I thought made me look cooler to the outside) and I followed my heart out of the Big Apple and into a place a little weirder…. While my life today is still far from perfect or exactly where I want it to be, I am considerably happier with almost every aspect of my life. Not only that, but I have not ONCE gotten sick whereas in New York I was getting sick at least once per month. I was eating plenty of veggies and organic lean meats in NYC but I wasn’t nourishing my primary plate!
So, the next time you see me on Instagram posting anotherrrrr picture of the gorgeous Austin Sunset (or sunrise) know that in that moment, the belly of my primary foods is bursting at my seams as if it were Thanksgiving.
If you’re interested in taking a quick “test” to find out what areas of your Primary Foods need the most work, try THIS exercise. Feel free to leave your results in the comments or you can email me privately: abbey@achievinghealthy.com