Raise Your Voice
October is always full of excitement, anticipation for change and intriguing energy, the magical type the season transfers in a harvest. It’s the end of something and the hint of something to come that makes us pay attention.
When we planned this issue of 24Life, this is the energy we had in mind. We had no idea that October would begin with such a heightened conversation about self-expression, telling one’s truth and using one’s voice for the good of all. The power and opportunity for self-expression is always on in a digital world where each of us has the ability to start a live broadcast at the push of a button. What we have learned is that no matter what your story—whether #metoo, #himtoo, bullying or cyberbullying, breast cancer—you need to tell your truth. Your health and well-being and happiness depend on it.
We also dig to find the skeletons of things that might be holding us back in life—whether a sugar habit that we need to bust, behaviors that are holding us back or the stress we carry from past events. Our experts Dr. Josh Axe, Robyn Youkilis, Richard Miller, Ph.D., and Michael Fishman are here to guide you forward so you can get back to being you. Add one of our workouts to wake up your core and express your strength, some chicken soup (for the soul) and some words of inspiration from breast cancer survivor Lilyin Yang, and this issue of 24Life is one that we hope will help you be happy, healthy and ready to share your magic with the world.
EDITOR’S OCTOBER CHALLENGE
At some point in life, we grow tired of the rules, the restrictions and the relentless noise of other people’s authority. We stop giving more trust and faith to the ideas of others at the expense of our own. We stop disowning or repressing our own thoughts and feelings and sensations and stuffing ourselves with things we consume, buy, do that make us feel awful.
For too long, we have silenced our intuition and our ability to sense and perceive with confidence what is happening in our bodies and in our lives. We stopped listening, and we stopped trusting, and in doing so, we stopped understanding. We labeled our intuition and our sensation as untrustworthy, and in doing so, we lost a pathway to our own agency and authority in the world.
This has impacted every aspect of our life: our relationships, our career choices, our finances and definitely our ability to make authentic, empowering choices for our health and fitness. It is especially true when it comes to food and the myths and complicated truths that we believed. This is not to say that there aren’t experts and programs that do good and are good for us. But expertise does not displace the need for you to discern what you want and what you need in order to achieve your goals. This Editor’s Challenge is a step in that direction.
October 24Life Challenge: Create your own food rules.
Grab a glass of water, a cup of tea or your favorite broth and a journal and pen.
- Answer these questions:
- Describe your relationship with food.
- What food or drink can you not live without?
- What food or drink do you absolutely hate?
- Describe a perfect meal.
- What do you want food to do for you?
- How do you nourish your body?
- Write down five to 10 statements, rules or promises or guidelines that you believe are true for you, regarding food.
- Get creative and turn this insight into a piece of art, a creed or a manifesto.
- Share your insight with someone you love—or with the world.
Share your food manifesto below or on social media. How was the experience for you?
Lashaun
P.S.—If reading the October issue makes you want even more workouts and the extra personalized push to get going, don’t forget that you can enjoy the magazine and 24Life content (and more on-the-go workouts) through the 24GO app.
Photo credit: Benjamin Combs, Unsplash; Ionut Coman Photographer, Unsplash; Jan Střecha, Unsplash; Matteo Vistocco, Unsplash