Know Thyself

This may be an unpopular opinion to some, but I believe genetics play a huge role in how you approach wellness. It’s why my friend can eat a fast food hamburger every day of her life, have tons of energy and never gain a pound. It’s the reason my other friend can cut carbs completely out of her life and still get up and be active in the morning. And it’s the reason that other guy can rarely exercise and still have great arms.

What works for others may not work for you. Let me say that again, and again, and again.

You have two choices to this, you can either get mad about the fact that every time you even look at a fast food burger you feel like junk (even though your friend can gobble them up), or you can accept the fact that it simply doesn’t work for you and move on.

You can push yourself past misery and injury to become a runner, or you can choose from a wealth of other cardio exercises you might enjoy more. You can approach the world bleary-eyed pushing yourself to “be a morning person,” or you can lean into the fact that evenings are your time to shine and adjust your routine accordingly.

It wasn’t until I got over the anger behind not being able to do what “they can do” that my wellness journey truly took off.

What does that look like for me? Well, it looks like another unpopular opinion; I eat the vast majority of my calories at dinnertime. From cooking with music and wine, to enjoying the meal with my tiny family, to the fresh food itself (and the Kemp’s frozen yogurt after), dinner is my time of joy, indulgence and relaxation.

A large dinner also sticks with me for my morning workout. If I eat a larger breakfast or lunch, I typically end up with an upset stomach, low energy and I still eat the same amount for dinner. So I just quit trying to do that, even though some experts say it’s the “right thing to do.”

You might try this big dinner approach, and it might be terrible for you. Again, get to know thyself.

What’s the right thing to do for you if you aren’t listening to all the “stop this,” “start this,” “absolutely never do this” cues in the world? First I would suggest tuning in, listening, and truly being honest about what works best for your body. (This is where mindfulness and yoga can be really helpful as they are designed to help you do just that.)

Try something, be honest about how it makes you feel, then try something else.

Keep trying until you find those things that light up your heart as much as they light up your body, your wellness, your balance. Then close your ears to all the “should’s” surrounding you and keep doing your thing.

Do me a favor? If you’re enjoying this journey towards a balanced life please subscribe, share it, and follow my Instagram for smaller bites.

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A woman is running with two dogs in a park.

Balancing a Brain that’s Fighting Back

By Katherine Warren • April 6, 2025

Your brain will straight up lie to you. There’s no way to sugar coat that, friends, there just isn’t. But your brain also creates beautiful ideas and inventions, and well, everything you see that surrounds us. It’s the power of the AND. Your brain is the king of the “and.” The first step in finding balance is recognizing this. The second step is discerning the beautiful part of your brain from the beast. The third is not reacting to, judging or negotiating with the beastly part. It’s tough, tough work. It’s lifelong work. And even if your friends start calling you things like the “definition of balance” (a term so kindly bestowed on me by some friends recently). You’re still gonna have to work your a** off on this part for the rest of your life as you sway back and forth, in and out of balance. Does it get easier? Yes and no. The beauty of understanding the feeling of balance is that you don’t have to rely on your brain so much. You know how it feels to be in a place of solid, grounded peace, no matter what your brain is shouting you “should” or “could” be doing. The harder part is that the more you find balance, the more likely it is that you are upleveling your life. Your focus and pure presence have likely brought about more of whatever you define as a successful life--mentally, physically, or materially. That uplevel can mean those brain lies cut a little deeper, make you question every decision you make to protect your peace. If you’ve learned to sit with that pain in your belly, it might fight a little harder to make you pay attention to it. It might put up a bigger fight to try to force you to listen to those untruths. This is when you have to remind yourself, your brain will straight up lie to you. Under no circumstances should you negotiate with these thoughts. That’s where spiraling lives, that’s where lack of balance lies. Sometimes holding hard to your balanced routines will do the trick.