As most of you know, we’ve been having a rough go of it as of late. Cancer has struck our’ near and dear to us’, no less that four times over the same amount of months; two besties, my beloved dog and a 13 year old grand niece….all gone too soon.Chiquita RIP Little Love
While there are conversations to be had around that fact; how Keto and clean eating gave us months of extra time with our pup. How my dearest girlfriend confessed to me in the eleventh hour that she wished she had went Keto with me, way back when I started. (She thought the lifestyle would have saved her or at least bought her more quality time with her family.) About how cancer is fueled by sugar and starches and when we received our pups diagnosis, both holistic vet and conventional immediately advised we make certain not to feed her ANY grains, sugars or starches. (leaves to question if we should be eating them at all!?!)
However, today’s blog post is not about cancer and loss directly. It’s about keeping your head in the game when your life is in turmoil. About knowing how to calm your inner self and why we should even try.
Mental health? Yes!! It’s a big part of Keto.
So now you know, dear reader, why there haven’t been many blog updates or YouTube videos uploaded. We have been and still are in disaster recovery mode. I look back over the past months, at the times when darling Sidekick Geoff offered support,
“Of course you’re feeling low and stressed out, Bobbi! You’re at this second, watching three of your best friends (pup is included here) and your niece suffer and wilt away in front of your very eyes’
It was hard getting my head around the thought that my ‘feelings’ were completely normal to feel at that time in my life, because it didn’t feel normal in any way. So in reality, stressing over the validity of my feelings were just adding more stress to what I was already dealing with.sad, head down
Let’s talk about stress!
So, why is stress a bad thing? Why should we avoid it? Does it really have a negative impact on our lives?
Stress has been accredited to many health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, just to name a few. These are also things that we try to change for the better with the help of ketogenic living. So, there has to be a connection, right?
Cortisol
Did you know that when you are stressed, your body responds by releasing a hormone called cortisol? In a happy world where our body is functioning normally, cortisol can help control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation, and assist with memory formulation. It has a controlling effect on salt and water balance and helps control blood pressure. All good things right? Cortisol is also responsible for storage of visceral fat, the dangerous stuff that our body tucks deep inside our tummy.
So for our weight loss purposes, the more we stress the more we hold onto weight. The more we hold onto weight, the more we stress out. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle.Cortisol
What can we do to improve?
Be kind to yourself.
We don’t afford ourselves the same courtesy we offer our friends and family. We look at them with love and respect, while our eyes are often filled with self loathing and despair. Repeat after me ; I am good enough. Now stand in front of the nitro and say it again. I AM good enough. Do it everyday. I know it feels silly, but it’s a part of building self love you ARE good enough and you ARE WORTH it!
Laws of attraction/mind over matter
Working to keep your mind in the right place is a biggie. It’s so easy to go through life with a ‘oh woe is me’ attitude. The world is truly a different place depending on your own outlook; is the glass is half empty, instead of being half full? The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…unless you focus hard on watering your own grass. Look for that silver lining, put your best foot first and don’t let that water glass get to the half full mark. The glass IS refillable and it’s on your shoulders to keep it topped up. Positive energy attracts positive energy. The more you laugh and smile, the more you invite smiling and laughing into your life. Sure, things will still go wrong. But learning to look at the sunny side of life means an easier recovery after you fall . Every. Single. Time.
Regular exercise
Exercise is not necessary to lose weight. If you’re eating a well balanced ketogenic diet, you will lose weight. And while you can’t out exercise a bad diet, our bodies were meant to MOVE! Keeping the joints moving is good for your body. Exercise not only tones your body, it’s also a great stress relief. Whether you bat a few balls, toss the pigskin around, or bust a few yoga moves,it’s not only good for the body islets also good for the soul. Exercise releases endorphins, (happy chemicals) in your body, relieves anxiety and also can help to boost your self confidence. It’s a win win!
Laughter
Laughter really is the best medicine. We could learn from children here. Studies show that happy children laugh up to 400 times a day, while adults are often as low as 15 times daily. Laughter not only signals your body that your having a good time, it lowers the amount of stress hormones in your body. It connects us with others and helps to improve social interactions. Using the same laws of attraction? The more we laugh the more we attract laughter and therefore happy people
Relaxation techniques
Yoga is not only good for the body, it’s also good for the mind. Learning to quiet your mind and harness your own mental power is huge in the world of health. Learn to compartmentalize and place your troubles in a mental box. Only allow yourself a limited window to deal with these internal worries, wile other times positively reaffirming-
-I am worthy
-I am in control of the mental atmosphere I create. Thoughts can be changed and the positive thoughts I choose are helping me heal.
-I am a friend to my body. I forgive my body and treat it with the same loving kindness I would like to receive.
-I am doing everything I can to help my body be well as quickly as possible.
Focus on love. Focus on joy. Focus on positive attitude, gratitude, passion, and life. Your emotions during this time are so important.
Social gatherings
Surround yourself with positive people. People who will lift you up, empowered you and leave you with good happy feeling. Drama and turmoil is a real sucker of energy and positivity, it’s sooo important to protect your mental well being. Never sit down at a table where you will be the topic of conversation when you get up.
Demand respect
Lastly, get used to demanding respect for yourself. Not only while at those special gatherings, but also in your own head. Far too often we convince ourselves that we don’t deserve happiness or success, when in fact the opposite is true. Yes, we deserve good things. Yes, we deserve the best.
Don’t take your head space for granted.
While you’re working on improving the physical aspects through ketogenics, take the time to work on your outlook and mental stance. Every step you can take towards great mental health is a great thing for you and your whole body!
That’s it for this time! Thanks for joining me for another East Coast Keto Life Lesson. There’s still a lot to learn and we’re glad you’re along for the ride!
Keep Keto-ing with one foot in front of the other. Keto seconds lead to keto moments, Keto moments lead to keto days. Keto days will take you on a successful keto journey life time. We’ll meet you THERE!!
