How My Garden Taught Me a Health and Wellness Lesson

Sometimes the answer isn’t another supplement, strategy, or quick fix. 

MOST OFTEN... it’s water, rest, patience, and time.

The other day, I found myself standing outside looking at my trees and wondering what was wrong.

They just didn’t look… right.

Some of the leaves looked unhealthy. There seemed to be something growing on the outside of the trees that I wasn’t sure about. And most of the flowers and shrubs I had recently planted weren’t doing well either.

Naturally, I did what any reasonable person would do.

I started trying to figure out what I could add.

Was it a fungus? Did I need a treatment? A particular fertilizer? Compost? Some special combination of products that would magically make everything healthy again?

So I started researching.

And researching.

And researching.

And then the internet kept telling me something that sounded suspiciously familiar.

Water. Rest. Patience. Time.

Well… crap.

Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized I already knew what was going on.

I had tilled the soil around the trees, probably severing some roots.

I had disturbed their environment by planting new things that steal their water.

And then we had a two-week stretch of drought where I wasn't giving the garden the care and water it needed.

I had changed the conditions around them, neglected some of the basics, and then stood there wondering why everything wasn't thriving.

And my first instinct was to fix it with something else.

That's when I had my little “duh” moment.

Because how many times do we do exactly that with our health?

We feel tired, so we look for a supplement.

We're not seeing the results we want, so we change our workout.

We're stressed, exhausted, and stretched too thin, so we search for another strategy, a new structure, or a shiny schedule to optimize our lives.

Our nutrition isn't consistent, so we look for a better diet. You know, that one that worked for our friends, or worked "last time"...

We don't feel good, so we immediately start looking for something to add.

And sometimes…

we don't need another new thing.

Sometimes we need to look at the current conditions we're expecting our bodies to thrive in:

Are we getting enough water?

Are we eating enough (or eating consistently enough) to support what we're asking our bodies to do?

Are we getting adequate rest and recovery?

Are we moving regularly?

Are we giving ourselves enough time to adapt to the changes we've already made?

Are we piling new expectations onto a body that is already exhausted?

These things aren't particularly exciting...

There's no shiny bottle.

No 30-day transformation.

No secret combination of ingredients.

Just the basics.

And the basics can be surprisingly powerful when we actually give them a chance to work.

**That doesn't mean supplements, specialized programs, treatments, or more advanced strategies don't have their place. They absolutely can!

But they shouldn't always be our first question.

MOST OFTEN the better question is:

“What does my body need from me right now?”

Not What can I buy?

Not What can I add?

Not What's the fastest way to fix this?

Just…

What does my body need?

My garden didn't need me to panic and throw every possible solution at it;

that may have actually made it worse. Whoopsie!

It just needed me to pay attention.

It just needed water.

It just needed some care.

And it really needed time.

And maybe that's a lesson worth carrying beyond the garden. (message!)

Because our bodies aren't machines that we can endlessly push, modify, optimize, and expect to perform perfectly.

They're living systems.

And becoming healthier isn't about doing more.

Most of the time it's about creating better conditions for the things we're already doing to finally have a chance to work!

So before you go searching for the next "health and wellness fix", take a minute.

Look at your basics.

Eat. Hydrate. Move. Recover. Sleep. Breathe.

Then give yourself the gift of patience and self-belief.

A newly planted tree takes 3 years to show out... I just learned that, and wow, was it a wake-up call.

A reality check reminder that growth is happening below the surface.

Sometimes we just have to trust and stay on the plan, even when it seems boring.

You might be surprised by what happens when you stop trying to force the bloom and start taking care of the roots!!

Take your next step. Live Life Better.