Quote of the day: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”. –Martin Luther King, Jr.

The new year brings new resolutions. Taking the essential steps to better your health and wellness may seem overwhelming in the beginning. I hope the past three posts of this root chakra series helped you shift your mindset, as it did for me.

Wellness is a lifestyle change fueled by incorporating new long lasting habits. One habit I’ve incorporated is self-regulating. During anxiety triggers, I actively pause, breathe, and remind myself of my root chakra affirmations: “Daily challenges are not related in how I choose to treat, and feed my body. I am still grounded and safe. I am strong, I am smart and I do not need to sabotage my progress. I am happy, in spite of any struggles.”

Practicing the concepts of emotional intelligence, like self-regulation can be an essential tool. One that has helped me become more mindful in difficult situations.

• Emotional Intelligence can help you meet your goals

Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist presented five components that can define emotional intelligence in his book, “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ”. He states, self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, can be characteristics needed for success. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage your own emotions, understand them, and reflect on how they can affect you and others.

We can apply all elements of emotional intelligence to successfully meet our goal in our journey to wellness.

Self-Awareness – Lack of self-awareness can keep you from recognizing and understanding your thoughts. To keep you from falling to this trap, practice self-awareness by identifying your own emotions and triggers, and understanding why you feel a certain way.

Self-regulating – is the ability to manage our emotions when something is affecting us. When something triggers us, our first instinct could be to self-sabotage. Once we make a mistake, we start feeling guilty and ashamed, for instance, has it ever happened to you that when you break your diet, you start feeling guilty? By self-regulating we can take the time to reflect and detach ourselves from the situation, learn from the mistake and keep it moving. Not to be confused with self-control. Having self-control is not breaking your diet in the first place.

Another example, not too long ago my teenage son, a soccer player, and a member of TaeKwonDo sparring team, had an important tournament. He was feeling very anxious the day before his sparring match. I asked him to pin point the reason he felt his match was making him feel overwhelmed. He replied he feared getting his leg’s injured because he wanted to continue playing soccer. So, fear was the cause of his anxiousness.

Self-awareness was him recognizing he was nervous based on fear of injury. Self-regulating is taking a moment to stop and realize that if you remove the fear, you effectively remove your anxiety in this situation. But, how do you remove the fear? By practicing positive outlook. I reminded him to stop and realize his legs have never given up on him before. He was safe and secure in his body. And he did, he went on to win a Silver Medal in the N.Y Open TaeKwonDo Championships.

Motivation – is when we have the drive to achieve your goals. Motivation is directly related to the way we feel. On Friday, you had all the intention to start your diet the following week, but when Monday comes, your actions did not match your desires. Sometimes, we could be doing well and then experience burnout, or stress, and that could interrupt our progress. To avoid this, cultivate discipline, and push yourself forward. Practice doing something every day that brings you closer to your goal, regardless of how unmotivated you feel. Consistency is key.

Empathy – Is the ability to place yourself in someone else’s position. It is being aware of how other people feel and understand their emotions. When you understand, and feel other people’s emotion, then it becomes easier to respond with kindness. It’s worth noting that empathy isn’t only about understanding others; kindness and compassion should also be extended to ourselves. We aren’t perfect, and our path isn’t always a straight one. Be kind to yourself, and realize small steps are also progress. In a year you’ll look back and see that these small changes did make a difference.

Social Skills – is the ability to adapt to people’s personalities, lead, work together, build trust, and communicate effectively in a social setting. It is good to note, you can increase social skills by managing your emotions.

You may not be in this step yet, perhaps, you are still contemplating making lifestyle changes, and incorporating new routine to your diet. Remember, we cannot get to where we need to go by remaining where we are.

This hesitance may be fueled by the many times diets have failed. This goes back to properly dealing with our emotions. According to Tracy Bale, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, the contributing factor is stress. She explains, “Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol, which fuels the blood with energy in the form of sugar, enabling us to flee from potential dangers. Over time, high stress levels lead to chronically elevated cortisol levels that can cause increased appetite and weight gain”.

Taking steps for proper nutrition doesn’t have to be a scary process. It is okay to get help along the way. Here are four types of doctor that can help you reach your goal to wellness:

• Primary Care Physician

Your journey to wellness should start with a visit to your primary care physician. Depending on how much weight you need to lose, your doctor will recommend a diet based on your medical conditions, or he may give you a referral to the appropriate doctor for you.

• Bariatric Physician

This doctor specializes in treating patients who are obese. A bariatric doctor is able to provide you with proper weight management medicine that will best help you. When diets and exercise do not work, bariatric surgery may be recommended.

• Endocrinologist

You may be surprised to see that hormones may be the main culprit in the inability to lose weight. This doctor helps people with range of conditions caused by hormones, such as diabetes, thyroid problems, and menopause.

• Nutritionist

Nutritionist are experts in food and diet for improving your overall health. Even after reaching your goal weight, nutritionist can help you keep the weight off by following a specific plan.

• Food and the Root Chakra

Foods are closely related to the chakras. The Root Chakra, the first of all chakras is associated with the earth energy. Feelings of security and survival instincts are connected to this energy center, when out of balance, you will feel stress and fatigue. In addition, to being monitored by a physician, the following are earthy foods that help balance a healthy root chakra:

• Vegetables for Root Chakra

Earthy root vegetables are essential as they grow on earth’s soil, consider eating the following vegetables: 

Carrots – Excellent source of nutrients like Potassium and Antioxidants, and Vitamin A. According to article called “health benefits of carrots” by health.com, It is weight-loss friendly, helps improve eye health, lower cholesterol, helps regulate blood pressure, and may lower risk of cancer.

Potatoes – Starchy vegetable that contains antioxidants, as well as vitamin C, B6, and potassium, which can help heart and digestive health.

Beets – is a vibrant superfood that is high in nutritional value. It has few calories, and studies suggest that could help lower blood pressure, which are a major risk for heart disease. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, and may help improve digestive health, making beets a good source of fiber.

Radishes – The crunchy, peppery vegetable is one of my favorites. It goes well in salads. Good source of Antioxidants that may fight cellular damage, supports healthy heart, and may help support liver function and digestion.

• Fruits for Root Chakra

Cherries – A good source of vitamin c, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds. Antioxidants may help manage diabetes, and anti-inflammatory compounds may help with exercise recovery. Cherries also may help protect your heart. This fruit may also help regulate your sleep, as they contain melatonin, a substance that promotes sleep.

Strawberries – This red fruit is low in caloric intake, and rich in antioxidants, and excellent source in vitamin C, that may help support immune system. Strawberries are also low in sugar compared to other fruits.

Pomegranates – Did you know the pomegranate seeds are edible? They are. This fruit is a good source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that help protect cell damage. In a study posted by National Library of Medicine, titled “Adjuvant pomegranate juice intake improves the inflammatory status of hospitalized Covid-19 patients: A randomized and placebo- controlled trial” aimed to evaluate the effect of pomegranate juice intake in Covid-19 patients concluded that participants who consumed 500 ml of pomegranate juice per day for 14 days experienced significant decrease in inflammatory markers.

Red apples – A good source of fiber and antioxidants. It may help protect your heart, and may help promote brain health. May help you lose weight, and may help lower risk of type-2 diabetes.

Raspberries – This red berry contains minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. These antioxidants may help promote brain health, heart health, and eye health. Raspberries contain the antioxidant called zeaxanthin which may protect against eye disease macular degeneration.

• Protein foods for Root Chakra

Tofu – is high in protein, 13g, and low in calories, with only 123 calories for 3oz of tofu. Nutrients in tofu can promote heart health. It may help lower bad cholesterol. Some studies suggest it may improve memory, promoting brain health. It also contains Calcium, essential for bone health. Please keep in mind if you decide to incorporate tofu to your diet, consult your doctor, as soy in tofu can cause allergic reactions and digestive problems.

Chicken – a great alternative to red meat. The breast is the leanest portion of the chicken, and is the healthiest part of the bird. An excellent source of amino acids which helps our body build muscle tissue, and keep our bones healthy. Rich in vitamin B6, helps promote heart health, lowering the risk of heart attacks.

Quinoa – Though classified as whole grain, is a good source of plant-based protein. This super grain contains fiber, antioxidants and nutrients. Adding quinoa to your diet may help lower cholesterol, some studies show it can help regulate blood sugar. This grain may also help with healthy digestion due to its fiber.

Lentils – High in protein which helps your body build muscle. Protein can also support weight loss by helping you feel fuller longer. Low in sodium, and good source of potassium, fiber, and iron. Lentils may help lower your blood pressure, promote heart health, it can also provide you with a healthy dose of energy due to its iron. The fiber will help you with good digestive health.

Salmon – My favorite of the proteins. 3oz of this fish contains 16g of protein. This fish is packed with vitamins and minerals that include, iron, selenium, vitamin A, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and Zinc. The American Heart Association, recommends incorporating fish, such as salmon, twice a week because is high in omega -3 fatty acids.

There’s a lot of debate on whether or not meat would be a good source of protein to heal the root chakra. The ones I included above, help me feel well as well as lighter, making movement much easier. 

*Please note that these are a generic list of fruits, vegetables, and proteins that may help balance your root chakra. Consult your doctor for guidance, and meal planning before incorporating any of these into your diet. 

• Final Thoughts

The food we eat can directly impact our health, and our root chakra. Our mind, body, and soul are nourished by the foods we eat. Adding nutritious fruits, vegetables, and protein can help you regain sense of self and well-being. You may start feeling spirituality lighter, safe and grounded. Losing weight in the process is just an added bonus.

I’m going on my second month of my spiritual journey. Through this new path, I’ve found my “Ikigai”, a term I first came across while watching the show “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”. The word Ikigai comes from a Japanese philosophy that means your “life’s purpose”. It’s what brings joy to your life and the reason for getting up in the morning. It’s when what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for overlap. Have you found your Ikigai yet? Let me know where you are in your own journey.

I hope that you found this article helpful, and it was what you needed to make informed decisions about your health. Taking one step at a time to find balance is still making progress. Set your intentions, cite your affirmations and make changes. Trust that all will come together in divine timing, in love and in light.