Episode #57: How to Start and Maintain a Gratitude Practice

11/28/19 • 17 min

Happy Thanksgiving! Even if it's just a regular Thursday for you, I hope all is well. And whether you celebrate or not, I hope we can all embrace the spirit of maintaining an ongoing gratitude practice and learning to giving thanks.

Thank You Listeners!

If you're listening today - thank you. Whether you're a current client, a friend, or someone I haven't met {yet}, I value your presence! I have so much gratitude for each and every person who listens, shares, and reaches out to connect.

Also, I believe that the more women prioritize themselves and their self-care, the better the world will be. Thank you for every act of love you've shown yourself today, this year, and in your lifetime. It all matters!

And if you'd like to give the show a little love, I would be so grateful if you left a review on Apple podcasts. Or, take a screen shot and share the show on social media channels! (Tag me @caitlinballhealth if you do!) I truly want to help as many women as possible get this message, and every share matters!

Favorite Thanksgiving Gratitude Traditions

In my family, we go around the table and have each person share what they're thankful for. It is SO much fun every year.

The past few years I've celebrated with friends in Switzerland (instead of family), and it was fun to get a different perspective on what people outside my family share.

Want to hear my dinner table preview?

The opportunity to live abroad and meet so many amazing people is a huge part of my list. I know that experience helped shape me into the woman I am today.

In addition, I'm really grateful to be back in the states! Being surrounded by family and friends has been a huge boost in support.

I'm so grateful for this business I've created, the clients who have entrusted me to be part of their journeys. Also, super thankful for this podcast, which gives me a platform to spread the message of food freedom and body confidence all over the world. (Plus, I've connected with amazing women throughout the interview process, which has been incredible!)

This stage of parenting is a huge joy for me as well. Getting to do that alongside my amazing husband is a huge source of inspiration and encouragement too.

Your Gratitude Practice

Your turn! Are you actually practicing gratitude?

You've probably heard that you should...but implementing is another story for many of us!

There are lots of options, and I'd like to share a few with you that might work. My first experience with intentionally thinking about gratitude was connected to Oprah! She encouraged listeners to write down three things they were grateful for every day. I know that works for some people (and it's a great idea!), but for whatever reason, it didn't "stick" for me.

Thankfully, the concept did though! Since then I have found something that works for me. In fact, it works so well I've stuck to it for over 2 years now!

I found a 365 day journal in a little shop, and every night before bed I write down what I was grateful for that day. I'm currently using a one-line-a-day journal that's designed to last for 5 years! I'm really excited about being able to look back on previous years as I note the current day's gratitude.

I practice gratitude because...

It reminds me how much good there is in the world!

Practicing gratitude helps me to more quickly notice the good around me. When great things happen during the day, I often make a mental note that I want to journal it. That little mental note helps me really SEE the good things, even when they are kind of small and would be so easy to miss.

I have my clients practice gratitude because I want them to see those good things too. (Even in the midst of all the bummer stuff!) We also focus specifically on body gratitude. Often we are so busy criticizing our bodies that we forget all the good stuff about them. Having a gratitude practice helps us gain perspective!

Ideas for Your Gratitude Practice

1. The point is that YOU like your gratitude practice. Just because someone else does something (and loves it), doesn't mean it will work for you! Try a dedicated journal, a single line journal, an app on your phone, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

It is so empowering to realize that no matter how bad your day was, you CAN find good things about it.

2. Choose one time every day to dedicate to "gratitude time". Maybe it's the moment you wake up, on your commute, or right before bed. Pick a time that will allow gratitude to become a regular part of your day, and make it an ongoing habit.

3. Try morning journaling, and see if that will help your gratitude practice. Especially if you already journal, it's really easy to add a gratitude practice in with just a few extra minutes. This doesn't tend to work for me, but some people love it! (And remember...it only works if it f...

Thank You Listeners!

Favorite Thanksgiving Gratitude Traditions

In my family, we go around the table and have each person share what they're thankful for. It is SO much fun every year.

The past few years I've celebrated with friends in Switzerland (instead of family), and it was fun to get a different perspective on what people outside my family share.

Want to hear my dinner table preview?

The opportunity to live abroad and meet so many amazing people is a huge part of my list. I know that experience helped shape me into the woman I am today.

In addition, I'm really grateful to be back in the states! Being surrounded by family and friends has been a huge boost in support.

This stage of parenting is a huge joy for me as well. Getting to do that alongside my amazing husband is a huge source of inspiration and encouragement too.

Your Gratitude Practice

Your turn! Are you actually practicing gratitude?

You've probably heard that you should...but implementing is another story for many of us!

Thankfully, the concept did though! Since then I have found something that works for me. In fact, it works so well I've stuck to it for over 2 years now!

I practice gratitude because...

It reminds me how much good there is in the world!

Ideas for Your Gratitude Practice

It is so empowering to realize that no matter how bad your day was, you CAN find good things about it.

Previous Episode

Episode #56: The Negative Effects of Over-Exercising with Kersten Kimura

Kersten has so much passion for self-care and body love! During our interview, she shared vital information about what over-exercising can do to your health and self-image. As a personal trainer and previous over-trainer herself, Kersten understands the pressures that can cause you to push your body beyond its limits in the name of weight loss.

At the age of 21, Kersten joined Weight Watchers and dove headfirst into her weight loss journey. She also started working out heavily. From her own routines in the gym, to joining Crossfit, she pushed herself hard.

10 years later, she visited an acupuncturist who expressed concern about the fact that she hadn't had a period for a decade. She realized that her extreme work out programs, coupled with restrictive diets, had had a profound impact on her body.

Many of Kersten's clients initially reach out to her because they've lost their periods as well. The physical key is often to eat more and exercise less, but the real work is connected to mindset. By helping her clients consider their behaviors and self-image, she's able to help them release arbitrary food rules and begin to love themselves.

Releasing these old beliefs is a vital part of learning to break free from unhealthy patterns, like over-exercising or creating rigid food "rules".

At the end of 2016, Kersten started the healing process. She wasn't excited to start gaining weight (which she had realized she needed to do), but she was excited to finally rest. She could feel that her body was getting burned out, and the ability to simply walk, instead of run, was a relief.

Going from being the fittest person in the room, to releasing that role was hard. She had to adjust to listening to her body, and to allowing herself to rest. Sometimes that meant yoga instead of a hard workout, and sometimes that meant staying home and relaxing on the couch.

Having been a long-distance runner, Kersten had struggled with sleep for some time. Her running routines had caused her body to release too much cortisol. All those extra stress hormones had been sleep difficult. A fun side-effect of easing back on her over-exercising habits was the ability to finally sleep well. (Now, she shares that taking naps is one of her favorite forms of self-care!)

Kersten realized that working out and training others, while also putting on weight and scaling back on her own personal fitness routines, was a new challenge. She had to accept that her body may look different, but that that was a good thing! The physical changes she was experiencing were signs that she was healing, not that she was failing.

Rather than focusing on the weight, Kersten found positive things to focus on.

Her hair got thicker, she calmed down, and she started sleeping better.

Instead of obsessing over workouts or food restrictions, she started to celebrate the fact that she could go out for frozen yogurt and actually have fun doing it! She didn't need to limit herself to once a week, or low fat only.

In her current routine, Kersten is able to honor her needs. She can choose to do some form of eating or movement, and not to do others. Rather than forcing herself to constantly pursue intense physical routines, she could trust her intution.

One of her big take aways: Your intuition is really nice to you. When you actually check in with yourself and listen, you'll find that your body will you. Whether that means running sprints or doing yoga, there is a time and place for every form of movement.

Kersten also realized that she had created a lot of rules around food. For instance, she wouldn't allow herself to eat before working out. She would push her body hard, and then drink huge amounts of water and coffee.

Even when she was eating "normal" amounts of food, she would create rules around when and how much. She also realized that she would do mini-workouts between meals, creating a sense of "earning" her meals or calorie counts.

This connected back to her Weight Watcher days. She remembered vividly the 21 points she was allowed to eat each day, and the exercises you could do "earn" points. Rather than eating the extra points, she would try to store them up in order to lose more weight more quickly.

Even at what was considered a healthy BMI, Kersten lost her period.

Compared against a standard measure, Kersten was perfectly healthy. Her body told a different story though. Losing her period, not sleeping well, and pushing her body to its breaking point was not serving her well. Even if the medical establishment wasn't concerned about her weight (since she was considered medically "healthy"), Kersten understood that for her body, the numbers weren't a good measurement of health.

She got some amazing advice from her chiropractor during this time as well. During her appointment...

Next Episode

Ep. #58: How Intuitive Eating Makes Me a Better Mom

It's my birthday week! Since we probably can't get together for cake, maybe you could send a few stars my way? I'd be honored to receive a review on the podcast, because I would love to know that more women are receiving the gift of intuitive eating!

Thoughts on My Own Mom

Usually November is a really hard month for me, but this year hasn't been quite as difficult as usual. I think that has a lot to do with being so much closer to my family.

As some of you know, my mom passed away from breast cancer on my birthday, 13 years ago. As hard as that was, it was a miracle that she was able to be there for my 21st birthday. We celebrated with a party in the hospital, a memory I'll always cherish.

This year, my dad and brother will be taking me out on my actual birthday, I have a massage booked, we have fun dinner plans, and I'm feeling excited. (Pro Tip: When you want something to happen, ask for it! Don't hope the people in your life will read your mind.)

Intuitive Eating as a Mother

I know that intuitive eating has truly made me a better mother. (I'm not saying women who diet are not good mothers, so don't hear that! My mom dieted, and she was amazing.)This episode is really just me talking about my personal journey. It's a chance for me to share how the intuitive eating mindset has enhanced my own motherhood experience.

Here are the top five ways intuitive eating has impacted my parenting:

1. I'm better at going with the flow.

This isn't the easiest for me, and I am definitely still a planner. However, intuitive eating has made it much easier for me to go with the "food flow". I don't need to measure my portions, "only" eat at certain places, or stress over exactly when I'll get my meals. That is wonderful!

Recently my son woke up and wanted to make waffles. I was able to enjoy the process of cooking those and eating them together. It was fun, playful, and free. Back in my dieting days that would have never worked, because Tuesday would have been a "good day" and I wouldn't have been wiling to "cheat", even though my son wanted to spend time with me and enjoy a tasty waffle.

I recently had a client tell me her daughter baked her a cake. Not that long ago she would have been incredibly stressed, and maybe even turned the cake down! Now, however, she was able to appreciate her daughter's efforts and eat the cake, savoring every moment.

2. I love eating with my son!

I know many women who won't eat meals with their kids, or who only eat small portions of something different than the family is eating. My son and I eat breakfast and dinner together every day, and lunch together on the weekends. That is special time to me, and it's so wonderful. (He is a toddler, so that does come with it's own complications!) I love that our meals together are enjoyable and fun, and I'm not running calorie counts or "rules" through my mind the whole time.

3. Intuitive eating causes me to take care of myself first and foremost.

This is a hard one, and it took me a while to get into this rhythm. A huge part of intuitive eating is practicing self-care. And a huge part of being the best parent you can be? Self-care! Now, my routine as a mom doesn't look like my routine as a childless woman (no more leisurely morning journal time!). But I find ways to implement journaling, gratitude, movement, and work in ways that work alongside and within my parenting journey.

4. I practice gratitude more frequently.

My intuitive eating journey has really instilled a sense of true gratitude and thankfulness in my life. And the more I find to be grateful for, the more thankful I feel. Even when things are hard and stressful, or the days feel long and my patience feels short, coming back to a place of gratitude and self-love can change my whole day.

5. No diet culture!

Intuitive eating has given me the clarity and courage to understand that I don't want dieting in our home. We don't restrict food, and we don't purchase diet foods. I'm also very conscious about not talking about losing weight. I don't criticize my body, or give others body-related compliments.

More Fun, Less Stress

By bringing intuitive eating into my parenting journey, I'm able to stress less and enjoy more.

I've found that intuitive eating has really helped me intuitively determine my needs in all areas of my life. As I learn to notice my needs, I've also learned to communicate them. And guess what? When I started verbalizing my needs, I realized that the only one really judging those needs was...me. By recognizing my needs and sharing them with people who could help me meet them, I am able to parent with so much more peace and joy.

We are all born intuitive eaters. We can trust our bodies, and we can teach our children to trust their bodies as well. Intuitive eating has enabled me to share something really beautiful wi...