The Mind - Body connection. Male perspective
As a guy, I noticed that the mind and body connection is something often very much overlooked….
Man or woman, we all have a “nutritional connection”, subconscious from mind, to body, and back again. That connection is our body telling us WHAT and WHEN we need food or water. It sounds pretty simple? Doesn’t it?!
But, it doesn’t end at food or water. It is deeper than that.
We can tap into understanding very specific needs and their “whys”.
When I first started learning about this, I was progressing quickly with my fitness journey. And with that learning process, I started to notice (mainly through error) that the body tells us quite a few things about our nutrition… often WAY before hunger even gets a look in.
As a quick example, have you ever noticed how certain foods at certain times taste differently??? Sure, you can be full and still manage to force a tasteless profiterole or 3 down your gob mindlessly. But you can also really enjoy salty food and by contrast, even mineral rich foods like kale.
Alright, he’s actually lost it?! WHO ON THIS EARTH CRAVES KALE?
It happens. You Just have to consciously notice it. And acknowledge it.
The body is telling you something. Switch off from the external noise, and take a minute to LISTEN.
To become in tune with your body.
The body can tell you if it needs sugar, fat or protein. Or it can be for a more specific ingredient like cumin, turmeric or lime. Each and every taste we encounter has a connection to a need in the body, and a purpose for YOU to pay attention to. For example, dehydration can make our bodies crave water dense vegetables, or lack of sleep can make us crave more complex carbs.
Every craving has a meaning. If we give time to understanding it.
Unfortunately, some time ago, we got distracted. And by distracted, I mean, by comparison to our ancestors. Evolutionary, we have evolved to a point where our brains struggle to keep up with the distractions. Instant gratification and constant mind use. Rarely do we ever just, SIT. With our thoughts.
Personally I’m a sucker for distraction, I need it like a crack addict needs crack.
Whereas our ancestors would know when to rest.
They’d know when to eat.
They’d know when to drink.
Nothing was mindless. In the same way we do things mindlessly now.
Granted, they didn’t have the same full on work and life culture that exists today, but the roots of the mind/body connection ARE STILL THERE.
They have just become so far removed from our general day to day life, that we need to take a bit of time to be able to tap into that knowledge.
That knowledge that is innately wired into our psyche.
Taking the time, doesn’t have to be time consuming. Not in this sense.
Ask yourself: “How do you feel today?”
Fully HD ready externally, and dark and cold inside? Maybe a bit icky? Brain fog, stomach discomfort, knee pain, tooth ache or no ability to concentrate on this text, despite it probably being the most revolutionary thing you’ll EVER read?!
The answers are signs. All delivered loud and clear to you, live.
Notifications from before the time of apps and iphones (not Samsung, everyone knows samsungs are shit. So we don’t talk about them)….
What’s interesting to me, is that specifically to men these signs are almost always below our minimum external focus. This is true of women too, but generally throughout a man’s life they have no, or very few moments of a need to reconnect. Those moments of reflection feel less important than work, or mates, or partners.
So we switch off to that connection.
That early warning system or that BLATENT beacon going off in our bodies. Acutely, to our detriment.
We haven’t gone into details of the “whys” the “hows” and the “heres”.
As the author, I see no need to.
BECAUSE ONLY YOU KNOW.
You just have to pay attention to it.
And that’s my point to highlight.
That once we notice, the connection strengthens, by very definition.
And I’m highlighting it because it is a major aspect of the Hence approach to nutrition. Greens stack is built with this in mind.
It’s built to help that connection, strengthen the body and mind, and support the precursors to the distracted pandemic and by positively interrupting the cycle.
Each product and partner product has this as a prerequisite. Does it fit into this feedback loop? Would it work effectively alongside the good work we are doing elsewhere?
Now, if you’ve read this far, a) we appreciate it, massively but b) you’re In the “you get it” or “you want to get it” frame of mind. But where to start?
For me, this is a passion, it’s a lifestyle and it’s part of my purpose.
And listening to my body has become as deeply engrained in my day to day life as breathing.
LISTEN TO IT. Next time anything halls in your body. It could be any sensation. BIG OR SMALL.
Take the time to stop. Delay the distraction.
What do I need?
Don’t necessarily expect it straight away. Hunger is a challenge for most people, but are you hungry?
ACTUALLY HUNGRY?
Because if you take a minute to listen to that hunger, your body can tell you exactly what it needs.
What it requires.
Imagine yourself a few years from now knowing when your magnesium levels are low.
Or you need ACV because you’ve been grazing and sleeping badly?
To be able to specifically pinpoint your body’s requirements and fuelling and feeding yourself for maximum output. Delivering results. Taking your mind and body to the next level.
Wow. Pretty cool hey?
We just need to take our mind and body connection back to its grass roots.
And, there’s no time like the present…..