Wisdom of the Body?

As a yoga instructor, I am forever harping on about listening to your body. My poor students are probably sick to death of this advice! But I do feel it is an important aspect of taking good care of yourself. Listening to your body means not pushing yourself too hard if you are tired, injured, or recovering from an illness. (Listening to your body might also mean taking the opportunity to push yourself HARDER when you feel fit and fantastic.) All too often, I hear about students who are taking ibuprofen or other pain relievers BEFORE class or a workout, in order to make it through without pain. I would never recommend this course of action. These drugs are dulling the sensations in your muscles and joints which are designed to protect your body. Pain is there for a reason. And sometimes your body is telling you to STOP! If you do not receive this message because you have numbed that pain, there is a much greater chance of injury due to overexertion or misuse.

But this is not really the point of my blog today!

Let's say you ARE listening to your body. And your body is saying, "I'm tired!" That is only Step One! Okay, you have received this message from your tired body, but what do you do next?

Well, here's where you have to use the wisdom of your MIND! Obviously, you have myriad options to respond to your body's message.

You could opt to snort some cocaine or pop a few amphetamines. This would instantly cure that annoying, tired feeling! But in the process, you might become addicted to illegal drugs, turn to prostitution in order to feed your habit, begin stealing money from your family and neighbors, then end up in jail with AIDS. Not the optimal solution.

You could instead turn to caffeinated drinks and eating more sugar. Both of these products will give you another instant boost in energy and focus. However, there are unwanted side effects. A sugar high is very short-lived and inevitably you will crash and need more. The empty calories will wreak havoc with your blood sugar, and the ensuing mood swings will not be very pretty. Never mind, you can just eat some more sugar! And too much caffeine will leave you jittery and depleted of minerals crucial to your electrolyte balance. Again, not optimal.

Other options? How about taking a nap? A quick, 20 minute power nap can be amazingly rejuvenating. Or arranging your schedule so you can go to bed an hour earlier? Instead of lifting your heaviest weights or running ten miles, you could cut back on your workout for the day. Maybe even skip it completely. Give your body some extra rest. Eat more nutritious foods and drink plenty of fluids. Make sure to take your vitamins. You might avoid getting sick or injuring yourself this way.

And what about cravings? When your body is craving sugar, or alcohol, or caffeine, is it really in the best interests of your body to give in to those cravings? Is it really sugar or alcohol that your body needs? The answer to that question is a simple no. Your body never NEEDS refined sugar or alcohol. You may LIKE it! You might CRAVE it, but this is another instance where the wisdom of the MIND can intervene for the good of the body. Should you NEVER eat a sweet treat or have a beer? That definitely depends on you, your health, your goals, your situation. If you are morbidly obese and diabetic, you might need to follow a different path than someone who is already sustaining a healthy weight and an active fitness program. If you are a recovering alcoholic, a single beer could lead back to a lifestyle and an addiction that you want to avoid.

Yes, the body does have a wisdom of its own, but how we interpret and respond to its messages ideally involves much more than just listening and knee-jerk reactions. Cravings for sugar often indicate a need for more protein! Not obvious at first glance, but protein tends to stabilize blood sugar while eating more sugary carbs will only lead to more cravings for carbs. Taking your body's messages seriously is always recommended. Just make sure you apply a large dose of careful THINKING before choosing your response.