Stop fighting your body.

I spent years, in the darkest moments of my autoimmune diseases, thinking things like: “This is so unfair” and “Why is my body betraying me?”. I spent all my energy on trying to fight my body. Ironically, though my intent was to “fix” that which I thought was “wrong”, I only made things worse. My fatigue became chronic, my training suffered, my digestion worsened, my anxiety deepened, my injuries flared, and my autoimmunity intensified. 

The hardest thing for me to do was to let go. I wanted to meddle, to fight back, to control more and to just do more. 

But our bodies are wise. The more we fight them, the harder they fight back. It’s not a flaw -- it’s by design. Every physiological system in our bodies is built to maintain homeostasis: a state of natural and optimal functioning. So yes, even when it feels like the body is responding poorly, it’s actually doing everything it possibly can to get back to that homeostatic state. 

Let’s use the example of thyroid malfunction in a person who is under-eating and still trying to train in their sport. The body eventually slows the metabolism in order to preserve energy. In order to do this, a myriad of reactions happen in the endocrine system and elsewhere; but, primarily, the production of thyroid hormone declines. The thyroid is the master regulator of our metabolism (how we use the food we eat and convert it to energy to sustain life and fuel all the chemical reactions in our body). So, I’ll see athletes and non-athletes who are completely confused about what’s happening: “I keep gaining weight, despite exercising and eating less,” they say. “Yes”, I’ll say, “You’re not eating enough to support your energy needs, and your body is compensating by slowing metabolic processes. We’ve got to work on supporting those needs so that you don’t keep digging a bigger hole for yourself”. 

This is the fight to reach homeostasis in action. The body is uncomfortable and frightened at its lack of energy, and it does everything it can to preserve energy, including storing fat, burning less energy in workouts, decreasing hormone production, and burning less energy throughout normal daily activities. This all results in what you might think are CRAZY symptoms: exhaustion, weight fluctuations, moodiness, insomnia, lack of sex drive, poor athletic performance, injuries, anxiety, depression...the list goes on. But these symptoms are actually red flags that your body is trying to wave, repeatedly in your face, to get your attention in hopes that you stop fighting against it. 

Was I terrified to release control and cease fire? 100%. Because I had no idea what would happen when I did. For me, and many people out there, fear and anxiety are sparked by the unknown. In the face of the unknown, we try and try and try to regain control. And the body fights back. And then we fight harder. And harder still. But the body fights back. It’s a losing battle.

The road to peace with your body, with food, with exercise, with anxiety, with (insert your personal fight here) is to trust that your body is wise, and allow it to course correct without interference. 

Does that mean there aren’t ways you can help support it? Absolutely not. In letting go, you create space for healing, and space to take actions that help your body get back to that equilibrium that it seeks. It’s in this space that I work with my clients - who are desperately looking to find a peaceful existence with their body - regain trust, but also regain agency in how they move and eat and feel. 

It’s not that we can’t engage in health-promoting practices, it’s that we must learn ways to work with our body rather than against it. That’s where the magic happens. 

For me, this magic has looked like barely any autoimmune flares or injuries, better energy and sleep, a sense of freedom in eating and exercise, and, above all else, peace with my body. 

It’s possible to stop fighting. It’s possible to release control. But you have to be willing to accept and trust that the homeostatic outcome is exactly what you need, rather than something you need to change.