5 reasons we don't trust 'our gut'

June 23, 2016 | by kate | 0 comments

As a scientist, mother, health coach and passionate health advocate my mission is to help keep you or anyone else who is keen to learn more, inspired on their personal journey of growth and wellness with choices that;

become ‘second nature’.
prevent costly doctors and specialist appointments now and in the future.
before we know it have become just a (very enjoyable) way of life’ and we can trust, knowing we are deeply nourished and no longer harbour fear for our future health.

Deep down, we all understand this and that this important knowledge is best learnt in our homes and at our tables, passed on by our mothers and primary caregivers. As it always has been and as we, as mothers, instinctively do. I believe, we have a lot of this knowledge already, but at times it feels ‘smothered’ or non existent with ALL that we have going on, physically, mentally and emotionally. However, deep down, our inner knowing, our intuition is a compass ready to guide us through the busyness, frustration, overwhelm and tiredness and return us once and for all to a place of innate happiness and vitality. When you get that ‘gut feel’ trust it.

Prevention is better than the cure.

I make it sound easy. It’s not. It’s hard to do and for good reason.

Here are 5 reasons why (and it's not what you think)... plus my favourite actions to stay on course.

5 reasons we've lost our inner compass.

We are overwhelmed. With all the information at our fingertips that we are bombarded with daily it makes it confusing to know just what to do.
We are time poor. We work - out of home and in our homes and simply don't have time.
The real knowledge (wisdom) has been diluted and lost over the generations.
Buried in messages of convenience / junk food companies and corporate greed accompanied by a social conditioning or a belief that others can 'fix it', rather than taking ownership of our own livelihoods.
We feel isolated or even judged. When we begin to make new choices that feel right but differ to the ones our extended family and friends are making, whether its real or not, we can feel frustrated, uncomfortable, stressed and disillusioned.
We have lost community. Community that gives us connection, confidence and knowledge. A connection brought together within a 'village', or 'tribe' with elders, who knowingly gave guidance with the wisdom (knowledge) and tradition of their ancestors.

This can make life seem hard. But we do have choices.

9 favourite actions to 'trust your gut', save time and energy.

These actions or choices also create good energy, free up my time and will allow you to feel and trust your inner compass, your intuition and make life more fun. Perhaps one or two things will resonate and help you too;

Don't worry or think about food. It becomes second nature. Simply, keep to foods in their most simple, whole and natural form i.e. if it hasn't been picked, pulled, plucked or caught then generally don't eat it.
When I don't have to think so much about food, it frees my time and my mind!
Do a big shop on the weekend. This fills the fridge and pantry with essentials for the week ahead. I have ours topped up once a week with an organic veggie home delivery from 'the organic collective'. I love having a full fridge ready for the week ahead (although I wish it lasted longer)!
Rotate favourite meals regularly. I share three of our newest favourites in kitchen medicine below, the best ever shepherds pie, lemon and coconut macaroons and a persian love cake with a modern twist.
Thinking of food in this way, takes a lot of the guess work out of it and the time and energy that we can spend (or waste).
Exercise the 'no' muscle. I do this by saying 'no... thank you' to anything that drains my energy and time.
Energy is precious and it's better for everyone when I retain it and keep overwhelm at bay.
Put yourself first as much as possible. Even writing that and declaring it openly still brings up feelings of guilt. Why? It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.
When I put myself first and value my time and who I am, it puts me more in control of my day. It fuels me, gives me energy and creates confidence.
Surround yourself with energisers not vampires. You know those people that when you finish a conversation or a chat you walk away feeling lighter and brighter than before you met them. It's those people and those activities. Spend time with them and doing that.
Spend time outside everyday. Either walking to school with the kids, walking the dog, an exercise class or cycling to the shop. Move. Outside. So much goodness in this.
Get up. Early. I usually try to get up half an hour or an hour earlier than everyone else in the house. This time is sacred to me. I use it to meditate, read, exercise, whatever I feel like doing.
My day goes SO much better when I've started it with this time to myself. If you haven't tried this one yet, give it a go. Just make sure you go to bed early the night before. That's the key to a good day.
Learn. Continually. Either with courses, coaches, neighbours, community, mentors, mistakes, books and blogs and of course children. I LOVE learning and lucky for me... my hubby is incredibly patient.

I'ts taken me a long time to get to this. It doesn't happen overnight and you may already be doing a lot of them, or not. Choose one or two that really resonate and start adding them into your life-style!

Now I'd love to hear your thoughts. What works for you?