THREE WAYS TO INTEGRATE GENTLE WELLNESS
AVOID PUNITIVE LANGUAGE LIKE “CHEAT DAYS.” By reframing your outlook on necessary rest and enjoyment, the guilt surrounding doing or not doing certain activities can dissipate.
FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT. In her intuitive eating counselling work, Tsui
BE OPEN TO GUIDANCE FROM OTHERS. “Often we think, ‘If I just try hard enough on my own, I’ll do it,’ but we need a network,” says Starling. Prioritizing intuition and self-compassion in your wellness outlook can be a significant transition. Leaning on others, including experts, can make that journey a little easier.
asks, “How do you care for the body that you have now , versus the body that you’re wishing to have in the future, one that may not exist?”
GOING ANALOG Although tracking health metrics can offer useful insights, prioritizing numbers over your body's natural signals can ultimately cause more harm than good. “We are not machines, we are individuals,” says Tsui. “When you’re relying on a smartwatch or counting calories, you end up looking at these external cues instead of taking the time to attune to your own internal cues.” To register your body’s natural hunger cues, Tsui recommends a quick, pre-meal, body-scan meditation. Noticing differing sensations like hunger and fullness allows you to customize nutrition for your body’s needs, rather than blindly following a pre-determined diet. Starling also suggests more holistic ways to measure wellness. “Energy levels, sleep quality, ability to move with reduced pain,” he says. “These are real-world, genuine changes in someone's life.”
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE Tuning into intuitive movement and eating can be an adjustment, especially if you're used to relying on tracking technology or thinking intentionally about wellness for the first time. It may take a while to learn to hear what your body is saying and to respond accordingly.
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Ultimately, it comes down to meeting yourself where you are and addressing the things that you can. “Self-compassion is so big — it’s remembering that we aren’t perfect, and that there’s so much of health that’s
actually outside of our control,” says Tsui. “Often, we’re doing the best we can.”
Breakthroughs [ Fall 2026 ]
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