Authentic Self Care

So I have been studying nutrition for a while now and a significant part of my training focuses on primary foods. Primary foods are the foods that you don't eat. They are your relationships, spirituality, career, exercise and whatever else it may be that feeds your emotional self. What amazes me is how important and connected these primary foods are to your secondary foods, or the foods you actually put into your mouth. Each day I realize for myself how my lack of primary foods affects the decisions I make about the foods I eat. Keep in mind that primary foods are very personal and will be different for each of us. While one person may exercise 7 days a week and run marathons several times a year, for many of us this is not the solution to meet our needs in caring for ourselves. It is important to accept ourselves for who we are and realize it is okay. Set goals that are attainable for you. Maybe this means walking every day for 20 minutes and breathing in fresh air. It could be picking up a good book for 30 minutes a day to recharge and have some alone time. Lately I have been pushing myself to achieve things that aren't nourishing myself, although my brain seems to think I need to do them to be happy. My struggle with being perfect leads me to set goals and care for myself in ways that aren't what I truly need. Balance becomes impossible. When you think about yourself and what it to means to be happy you always need to remember to be true to yourself. Self care is just as important as eating nutritious foods. I like to tell clients that you can eat all the broccoli in the world but if your heart and soul aren't fed then it is impossible to achieve optimal health and happiness. Right now my primary foods are met with quality time with my family, delicious new green smoothie discoveries and yoga. Take a moment and think about yourself. What does authentic self care mean to you?