There are things that make a mother's heart "smile". Things that make us feel like we're doing a great job as a mom and that all is right with the world.
Like most moms, my list includes things like listening to my kids in the midst of major belly laughter, cuddling with them, watching them sleep, 'catching' them play together in some great imaginary world, reading together, listening to them pray, going for a walk with them, peaceful moments of sweetness, watching them run and jump and play, holding hands with them, really big hugs, giving them the freedom to really be kids, witnessing them learn a new skill or a new piece of knowledge, spending quality family time together... the list goes on forever!
Sure, motherhood has its share of less-than-rosy moments, too, but overall we are so blessed to be moms.
I notice that one of the things that really makes my heart smile occurs when I see "it" all come together. When I can see the principles that I've been teaching in practice and writing about for so many years, the principles of Health and Wellness that I believe so strongly in, come to fruition in my own children, it's a feeling of fulfillment that's hard to match.
When it comes to creating optimal health and happiness, I use "The Wellness Formula" as a guide. The Wellness Formula simply states that in order to achieve a state of Wellness, we must make lifestyle choices that are pure and sufficient (meeting our body's innate genetic requirements for health), while simultaneously reducing or eliminating toxic and deficient lifestyle choices. We need to make these healthier choices consistently over an extended period of time in order to create optimal health and happiness.
"Lifestyle" can be broken down into 3 main components: how we move, how we eat and how we think. These categories encompass every component of our lives: how much and how often we move, what type of movement we do, what we eat, how we eat, the quality and quantity of our food, what supplements we take, our stress levels and our response to stress, life balance, sleep patterns, what we're feeding our brains, our belief systems, our emotions, our outlook on life, our spiritual connection... everything!
In each of these areas health and balance are created when we add purity and sufficiency, and limit toxicity and deficiency.
It's not about being perfect, it's about making better choices more often. We have a mantra in our family, "Fill up with Health FIRST." This means, make sure you give your body, mind and soul what it needs everyday... do that consistently. You don't have to say "never" to the toxic and deficient things, just say "yes" to them less often, and always choose pure and sufficient things first.
In the case of my kids, I love it when I see them eating and enjoying pure and sufficient foods, or when I see them moving their bodies with sheer power, energy and joy, or when I notice shared moments of perfect happiness and connection with them. I know that in these moments, they're meeting the needs of their bodies and hearts. I know it's the best chance they have to create optimal health and balance.
Since I'm so passionate about Wellness-based nutrition, some of my heart's biggest "smiles" happen when I prepare an ultra healthy, delicious meal for my family, loaded with fresh, clean foods. There's something about the entire process, the entire scene, that resonates deeply with me and makes me feel like I'm doing something really important for them. When I take the time to prepare a healthy meal, set a nice table for my family (nothing fancy, trust me!), and we all sit down together, pray, share great conversation and everyone enjoys the great food... ahhhh... fulfillment!
(You and I both know that this scene doesn't happen every single meal! C'mon, we ARE a real family, too! I just do my best to create this setting for the majority of our meals each week.)
It doesn't even have to be an entire meal that elicits this response in me. I feel the same thing in the mornings when I start their day with a heaping plate of fruit. They usually have 4 -6 different fresh fruits on their plate each breakfast. I still get a kick out of it each and every morning - how happy they are with their plate of fruit and how quickly they gobble it up! I follow it up with a serving of protein shortly after. A little thing like that gives me the satisfaction of knowing we're meeting their nutritional needs right from the get-go each day.
Who knows what toxicity and deficiency they'll encounter as their day goes on... as their life goes on! For now, my heart is smiling and fulfilled when I see their overall health and happiness being created one meal at a time, one moment at a time.