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BITESIZE | Why You Should Change Your Lifestyle With The Seasons | Dallas Hartwig #172

Apr 8, 2021 15m 53s 11 insights
How we eat, sleep and exercise in January should be different to how we do those things in July. We intuitively know this, but have we lost touch with the natural rhythms and cycles of our lives? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 102 of the podcast with nutritionist and author, Dallas Hartwig. In this clip he explains why, instead of sticking to the same habits and behaviours year-round, we can learn to live more in sync with the seasons, which has benefits for our health and our happiness. Dallas believe that we are becoming more and more disconnected from our natural cycles, and that this is at the core of the modern-day stress epidemic and most chronic disease. Dallas gives some great practical tips we can follow to live more in harmony with the seasons. He believes that listening to our own bodies is key – we intuitively know what is good for us if we just take the time to listen. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/102 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk
Actionable Insights

1. Trust Your Body’s Intuition

Learn to find and trust your body’s inherent wisdom and intuition regarding your needs, as this internal guidance is the most true thing around, despite cultural conditioning to devalue it.

2. Minimize Artificial Stimuli

Reduce consumption of artificial stimuli like caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and excessive artificial light in the evenings, as this allows you to find quiet time and internally reflect to better listen to your body’s true needs.

3. Align Habits with Seasons

Learn to change your habits and behaviors throughout the year to align with natural seasonal rhythms, as this approach can improve your health and happiness.

4. Cultivate Deep Connections

Actively cultivate connections within yourself, to the place you live and are from (fostering a sense of roots and home), and to a sense of purpose, as these are fundamental aspects for well-being.

5. Institute a Stillness Practice

Implement a regular practice of stillness, even for just 3-5 minutes, through activities like meditation, reading poetry, or walking without distractions, to foster self-awareness and honor your inner self.

6. Acknowledge Internal Rhythms

Recognize and act on your natural intuitions, yearnings, and internal ebbs and flows, as these are inherent within you and can guide your choices.

7. Adjust Diet Seasonally

Vary your food choices throughout the year, consuming more carbohydrate-rich fruits and vegetables with less fat in summer, and adapting to less fresh plant matter in winter, to align with historical food availability and support your biology.

8. Vary Movement Seasonally

Adjust your movement patterns with the seasons; in winter, opt for shorter, more intense movements like HIIT or lifting, while in summer, engage in longer, more aerobic, and less intense activities.

9. Integrate General Movement

Incorporate more everyday, three-dimensional, and unpredictable movement into your life, such as walking to the store and carrying groceries, to reduce the need for structured exercise and align with natural human movement patterns.

10. Shop Local, Seasonal Food

Prioritize shopping at local markets or farmer’s markets and choose foods that are locally available, as this practice is directly linked to better health outcomes.

11. Teach Children Body Awareness

Encourage children to notice their internal feelings and sensations, such as hunger and satisfaction, rather than relying on external prescriptions, to help them develop a strong connection to their body’s needs.