Living Consciously

This is the third blog in a series delving into the 8 Pillars of a Nutritious Life, the support system I incorporate into my nutrition coaching because good nutrition includes more than just what we eat. 

Living consciously means being intentional about the choices we make. It’s the motivation behind those choices such as wanting to be our true self so we choose to be around people who accept us for who we are. Or, we want to be good environmental stewards so we only use toxin-free cleaning products. 

I like to think of our intentions as the energy that fuels what we do and say. Some people think of intentions as values, character, or integrity. Why do they matter? Well, if we are in tune daily with our motives and we choose to live by them, they can help us feel good about ourselves, keep us aligned and moving in the direction of our purpose and goals, and shape the impact we make on our community, world, and/or environment – all of which helps us to live our healthiest life!

There are many ways living consciously can look in our lives. For example, when we eat mindfully we have the ability to tune into how hungry we are, or what is needed from our next meal, or simply that we need to slow down and chew. Or, we may choose to keep a tidy and de-cluttered work space because it creates a calm and peaceful work environment. 

Lately, I’ve wanted to move away from zip style storage bags and plastic containers because of toxins and environmental effects (full disclosure: I still use zip bags when we go camping and I make sure to reuse them). I bought these Pyrex dishes recently for meal prep and love them! And I keep these on hand for pantry and fridge storage. Working towards this goal makes me feel like I’m a good steward of resources. And, I prefer the way glass containers look in my fridge and pantry.

Living consciously will look different for each of us. I’m not perfect as seen by the piles of paper stacked around my house which causes clutter. And, I still use some plastic containers for storage. But paying attention to the choices I make has always made me feel that I’m trying to live a life that reflects who I am and what is important to me. I would love to hear ways that y’all are living consciously. Feel free to comment away!