This is an amazing time to be in business for oneself! As more women are opening up to the possibilities available by bringing their own unique gifts to the world, more is available to the rest of us. We hire coaches, attend motivational seminars and embrace our own growth, knowing that our business won’t grow farther than we do. We work grueling hours, calling people, blogging, posting on social media, networking and doing follow up.
What about health? Many of us are driven to bring our service to the world and push through fatigue, hunger, headaches or other maladies. The saying “The greatest wealth is health” (Virgil, 50 BC) describes how important health really is. We certainly don’t want to sacrifice health to be successful.
How can you tell if the status of your health is getting in the way of your business?
- You have to start every day with a big, strong cup of coffee. This clears the cobwebs out and gives you the energy that you need to get moving. Did you know that caffeine essentially overrides the adrenal glands so that they get tired and aren’t able to support you when encountering stress in your life? A wake-up call to the strength of this addiction is the necessity of foregoing coffee when scheduled for a fasting blood test. Yikes!
- You experience brain fog. This happens to women at menopause, but also happens as a result of eating foods that don’t agree with us. I used to notice this primarily as an inability to find the words that I wanted in conversations and I ended up sounding inarticulate and unprepared. Others may just have trouble thinking things through. Giving up a few different foods and adding them back to the diet one at a time (elimination diet) can help identify what is causing this.
- You often wake up in the middle of the night. 2 AM is the perfect time to start rehashing all the items on the to-do list and consider options, dreams or even fears. Whatever the reason, losing sleep has a big impact on energy and performance the next day. It is almost impossible to “catch up on sleep”! Try avoiding any technology for at least one hour before you head to bed to see if that helps.
- You get drowsy in the middle of the afternoon. You run to the coffee-maker or grab something starchy or sugary to keep you going. Or maybe you just want to take a nap. You get lots done in the morning, but your energy flags in the afternoon. This is rampant today and can be caused by sleep deprivation, food sensitivities or metabolic imbalances.
- You feel bloated after eating, or maybe a few hours later. You may actually just feel like you put on a bunch of weight suddenly. When feeling this way, it is impossible to ignore the sensation and you can’t really put your attention fully on what project you are working on. Dairy or gluten intolerances are two very common sensitivities that can wreak havoc with the digestive system.
You are probably reading this, thinking, “This is all normal, isn’t it? Of course I am sluggish in the afternoon, isn’t everyone? Isn’t it normal to feel bloated after eating?” Well, no, they aren’t normal. These are all signs that your health is going awry. If your health isn’t what it can be, you can’t truly focus and create the best in your business life. And the good news is that it won’t take a Herculean effort to take control of the state of your health.
If you want to know more about how to use food as medicine, contact me at coco@cleanlivingcoach.com or come visit my booth at the SUCCESS Summit on May 18th in Dallas. When you stop by my booth, you will get the opportunity to take my “Feast on This, Not That” quiz. I promise you, the answers will shock you!
Guest Writer – Coco O’Donnell
Coco O’Donnell has worked as a coach, pharmacist and in the pharmaceutical industry for the bulk of her professional career. She now teaches women how to pump up their health in easy-to-implement ways, without relying on fads or trendy recommendations. Her clients are amazed and motivated to make easy changes that reap huge health rewards and renewed vitality.