E049 | The S.I.M.P.L.E. way to wellness: Your shortcut to relief and results

Ever wondered why your self-care isn't working as you expected?

Perhaps you’re applying generic strategies that don’t consider your unique needs and lifestyle.

Let’s explore why a one-size-fits-all approach to self-care often falls short, and how crafting a personalized plan can be the game changer you need.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How to evaluate and tailor self-care practices that specifically address your personal wellness challenges.
• Strategies for seamlessly integrating these practices into your daily routine.
• Tips for adjusting and evolving your self-care plan as your life changes, ensuring it remains effective and enjoyable.

The transformative power of a self-care routine that’s perfectly aligned with your personal needs, enhancing your energy and balance every day.

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

E036 I Why boundaries are your secret weapon for health: The science behind protecting your space

E037 I The top 3 boundary mistakes sabotaging your health (and how to fix them now)

Send me a DM with the word RAINBOW at @aninditarungta on Instagram or email me at anindita@aninditarungta.com and let me know if you want the handout on the "Colours of the rainbow diet"

Join our free Facebook group: Embrace Your Healing Journey. 

Explore more about the "BODY WISE HEALING" FRAMEWORK 

Have any questions or feedback? Write to me at anindita@aninditarungta.com. I'd love to hear from you!

If this episode found you somewhere real, there's more.

I write every week at Healing From Within — about chronic illness, the nervous system, and what it costs to keep performing being okay.

 👉 Find me on Substack: healingfromwithin.substack.com

I've also built something for women who are tired of doing everything right and still not feeling better. It opens to a small group in September. 

There's nothing to sign up for. If you'd like to know when, write to me: anindita@aninditarungta.com

Keep listening. Your body already knows the way.

Transcript

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Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by all the wellness advice out there? And if you've ever felt like wellness is complicated, confusing, and just too much to keep up with, then this episode is for you. 

Today we are diving into the simple way to wellness. SIMPLE model that I follow in my coaching program. A streamlined approach that cuts through the noise helps you to focus on what truly matters, and creates a health routine that works for you and not against you. So get ready to transform the way you think about health and wellness, and by the end of this episode, you will know how to genuinely focus on what matters in your health journey and so that you can experience more relief, better results, and a healthier and more vibrant version of you. So let's simplify your journey to wellness together. 

I remember when I was trying to find a way to implement all the changes that the functional medicine practitioner had shared in, you know, with me in terms of diet, in terms of lifestyle, in terms of supplements and other key areas such as laundry, dishwashing, cleaning, detergents. You know, in, in effect, change the whole environment around my daughter.

 This was in 2013, and it was just two years after our daughter had gone through a terrible health crisis, and she had to be hospitalized in the ICU with a severe, life threatening infection. And she was there almost for a month. And this was due to a rare drug side effect. It's. Basically 1 in million chance that a person can have this. And she was unfortunately, that 1 in million person. And I have shared this story in the very first episode, so I'm going to share that in the link if you want to hear about it. And she survived. 

To cut a long story short, however, this crisis made it painfully clear to me that conventional medicine did not really have any answers for her. She had severe, severe, uh, chronic eczema. And, uh, even with the medications that she was on, it was not under control. And we were trying out a different medication. And that is what led her to this, uh, you know, terrible situation. And this, uh, led me to a very, very long search for answers and finally led me to functional medicine, which is all about addressing the root causes of disease. 

I've talked about functional medicine in another episode. So if you don't if you want to know more about it, I'll share it in the show notes below. And despite the expert guidance of the functional medicine practitioner who was based in London, the day to day implementation of dietary changes of, you know, changing the products around her, whether it was her. Body wash, whether it was her cleaning and or entire household products that we were using. And switching to those non-toxic products was really, really challenging. And it was really complex, not only that, at that time, these products were not really available. 

And I'm talking about more than ten years ago, actually now. And I was I knew how desperate I was to find relief for her. Uh, we had already been through a lot. And, so I was just looking for those answers. And my first encounter with an alternative approach was actually in late 2014, and this was a book named The Eczema Diet, which suggested, amongst other things, that spices could actually aggravate her eczema. 

So it suggested that spices might be a problem in some people, and it can actually make the itching worse. And itching was really bad, and I had no idea what was contributing to her eczema. I mean, it was only much later that I figured out gut health and other things and that I took the help of this practitioner, but at that time, I actually cut out all seasonings and spices from her, uh, diet and mine. I used to follow the same diet as she did, uh, so that we could both do this together. And I remember for a time, for at least a month or more, we were literally having everything seasoned with just garlic and salt.

 And I even started making homemade gluten free sourdough bread because I read somewhere that sourdough bread was better tolerated and there was no gluten free options available in India, there were no gluten free breads. Nobody had even heard of it. At that time I started making those sourdough starter at home from scratch. I found recipes on the internet, and I started making, uh, not the best tasting, but at least. But she got to have it, uh, and it was a whole lot of trial and error. And then, of course, easier things to make were the gluten free, uh, brownies and the cakes and all. And getting all the ingredients was really a struggle. Guar gum, xanthan. You know, these were not things that were available here. 

Now things have really, really evolved and the recipes have become much easier to deal with anyway. So the these changes were hard and they took a really long time to implement. But I was so determined to help her that I did that and they were worth every effort. When two long years later, she finally stopped all medications because her eczema had come under control. So it was worth every blood, sweat and tears. And it's from these personal trials and the subsequent years of working with others, with my clients, with complex health conditions like autoimmune conditions, that. It's the one I focus on that I developed the SIMPLE model that I'm sharing with you today. So this model is not just a set of guidelines. I have practically been living them for the longest time, and it's a response to all the challenges that we had faced as a family and others have faced and it's crafted from real life struggles and triumphs. So I hope that and I know that it's going to help you in one way or the other. 

Imagine you're starting a day, your day with, you know, with, uh, fatigue that just doesn't go away no matter how much of rest you take and that, you know, make me make the simplest task really daunting. Or you have noticed that your joints ache persistently and they flare up with sharp stabbing pains, and there's no clear trigger, and you don't know why it's happening. And it happens on and off and on and off. And these are not just random discomforts. 

They're actually signals from your bodies. They're messages that your body is sending you, that something deeper needs attention. Or you may even find that your skin reacts. I mean, you may have eczema, you may have hives, you may have rashes and in reaction to eating certain foods. But you're not really clear which foods, uh, you are not able to really find a trigger to that extent or you may even have recurring headaches or migraines, and you've probably encountered conflicting advice when you're trying to find a solution to all these that I were talking about. 

Eat this. Avoid that. Take this supplement. Take this magnesium supplement for the headache. And of course, the symptoms. Do you know you might find some relief or. But typically the symptoms persist or they change. So the new ones emerge. And that's, that's that's actually a big problem for most people. So it's frustrating. It's disheartening and it's exhausting. And this is the reality for so many people out there. And it just breaks my heart and the journey to wellness that then it becomes so hard, like it was for us to to a large extent. 

But at least I got some help and guidance from that practitioner. So many are actually left without any such guidance whatsoever. And so this through this simple model that I'm sharing with you today,  I aim to simplify and streamline this process so that you can actually focus on what will really impact your health, and it will reduce the noise of the countless solutions that are out there, and instead help you to hone on the ones that will actually work for you. 

See, the real problem causing these symptoms often stems from a combination of factors. It's not like one thing or the other, which in fact makes this so tricky to deal with. If it was one particular thing, like in the case of acute conditions like infections, for example, If it's a chickenpox, you know, it's a particular virus and you can actually deal with that. And it's true with any other such acute condition. The problem is that these underlying factors in chronic conditions also vary significantly from person to person.

 So the common root causes can include chronic inflammation. This is a major contributor to more than 80% of chronic conditions, including joint pain, eczema, digestive problems. And it's driven by many different factors you know, like diet, lifestyle, environmental toxins, chronic stress. Then there can be also gut health imbalances. This is also, you know, very much linked. It's actually called the body's second brain. And it plays a crucial role in overall health especially your immune function. 

So anyone with any kind of immune dysregulation, whether it's eczema, whether it's allergies, like my daughter, you know, with eczema, allergies, asthma and of course autoimmunity, gut health plays a very, very significant role. And unless you address that, you will not really find sustain around long term relief. Then there can be hormonal imbalances. Hormones regulate every aspect, every physiological process in your body, and imbalances can cause a variety of symptoms again. And this can keep changing from day to day. And factors contributing to hormonal imbalances can also be because of stress, poor diet, environmental toxins. In fact, environmental toxins play a big role in this. Then of course there's nutritional deficiencies. So if your food is lacking in essential nutrients, either to a poor choice of good healthy choices of food or malabsorption issues, mal digestion issues, it can still lead to malnourishment. So deficiency in vitamins, minerals and, as Tracy Harrison of the School of Applied Functional Medicine says, your body cannot store food or make food out of thin air. There's no pantry in our body. 

And, of course, there's toxic overload, exposure to toxins, whether chemical or environmental or even internal toxins produced by your body can overwhelm your body's detoxifying detoxification system. And this is a big contributor to many of the chronic conditions that the modern world faces, including obesity. Actually, toxins have a big role to play in that cancer. You may not realize it diabetes. So all of these, you know, get affected by this. And of course there's stress and emotional factors as well. Stress can trigger inflammation, which can actually then worsen gut health. And this can lead to immune regulation. 

So these are all actually they all go hand in hand. It's very hard to pick and pull things apart. And that is why it becomes so tricky to deal with these things. And that is why they need a holistic approach that looks at all the potential contributing factors. And that's actually where functional medicine shines, because it takes that holistic approach and it figures out what are the root causes and how do you address them. And it may be through diet, it may be through lifestyle adjustments. Mindset plays a big role. Supplementation, managing stress. All of these have to happen simultaneously. 

And you've likely tried numerous approaches. You know, you've tried to obviously help yourself and reduce some of the, you know, symptoms, but maybe you've not seen the results that you were hoping for. Perhaps you've experimented with various medications, like most of us, like my daughter, she was on three different medications at different points in time, but that only reduces the symptoms temporarily without addressing the underlying issue, if at all. So it may work. It may not work. And they always have side effects. 

Or maybe you've adopted restrictive diets in an attempt to control flare ups. So you've gone paleo, keto, etc. to, you know, whatever extent or low carb, whatever extent gluten free that you could. But you've, you know, you figured out that it's not really sustainable for you, you've not really got the guidance and you've not really seen the results. More importantly, or you may have also tried over-the-counter supplements to try and, you know, quick fix the problem because that's what you've heard. Like so magnesium can actually bring relief to headaches and migraines and it can. But it is not a long term solution. 

Of course you you want a symptom relief. And we do both. We need while we get, you know, we need the symptom relief so that we can focus on other things that also need our attention. That is not the long term solution. Uh, typically. So, uh, you know, implementing standard one size all fits regime actually doesn't work. And they may actually end up feeling more drained because of constantly trying this because these programs were not really tailored for you. So these are these are things that not only fail to resolve the core problems, but can often complicate your journey to wellness. 

And that's that's the crux of what we are talking about today, because that complication often leads to frustration and a feeling of hopelessness. And I hope that by the end of this episode, you will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and you will know what what kind of approach that you need to take. So instead of continuing with this same conventional and often ineffective methods that you've tried, maybe it's time to adopt the SIMPLE model. 

And this is not an invitation to stop taking medication, to stop taking treatments or going to the doctor. Often we need to do that and we need to do both, especially when it comes to complex health conditions like autoimmune disease. Uh, both conventional medicine and holistic medicine, like functional medicine or traditional Chinese medicine or anything else that you're trying. Go hand in hand. That's the case. That was the case with my daughter as well. She was already on medication, and at the same time I was trying this approach. And once her body, started healing and it started reducing the symptoms automatically, her medications, we were able to start tapering her medication. So it was a process. It was and you need to work with your doctor for this, especially when you're if you're already on medication. So it's not an either or situation. Usually it's. Yes. And

So the first thing the this is the SIMPLE  model that I'm talking about. 

 S stands for Streamline your energy. So start by focusing on identifying and eliminating the hidden drains the things that are draining energy right now. So whether it's stress, whether it's over commitment over scheduling. Most people don't realize how overcommitted and how overscheduled they are. We can literally declutter our schedule, our calendar, so that we can get some downtime or negative relationships. You know, that's where creating healthy boundaries come from. And I've done a separate podcast episode on how why healthy boundaries are so important and how you can set them. So I'll share that in the show notes below. And you can actually conduct energy audits to see how different affect aspects of your life affect your energy. And you can do the same with your food, right? Certain foods will help you. Certain foods will not help you. So you can do all of these.

 I is identify what truly matters. So what you can do is you can choose to focus on one particular area each month. This is this can, you know. And all of these will be typically in a way, trial and error. Of course, it will help if you work with a functional medicine practitioner or a health coach. But you can you know, many of these things you can start doing immediately. So you can start focusing on one particular area. Maybe it's better sleep, maybe it's movement and exercise, maybe it's balanced meals. And you can use a journaling prompt like, what is the one thing I can do today that will make the biggest impact on my health? Like we often underestimate the power of these small steps. So, you know, focusing on and then and focus of course. So focusing on one area can make a big difference. 

M stands for maximized simplicity and nutrition rather than trying out 20 different things at the same time. So if you have no idea where to start, where you can start and you know, and the following restrictive diets which are not really sustainable for you at this time, what you can start is, you know, and that's what I tell my clients, is a colors of the rainbow diet. You simply focus on having different colors of the rainbow. So that's all you do. You focus mostly on vegetables, fruits. You know, if some of you have a blood sugar imbalances or high blood sugar, then I would suggest that you don't go so, you know, deep into the fruits. But vegetables?  So focus on having different colors of the vegetable. And the way you do it is you don't need to be perfect and have 6 or 7 different colors each day. But over a week, make sure that you are having at least 2 or 3 different colors each day. And over the week you are, you know, having all the colors that are possible. So there is a handout that I have. 

And if you drop me a message below, if you reply to me with a DM that says RAINBOW at @aninditarungta on Instagram then I will send it to you. So I'll make sure that I mention that below. And you can either drop me a message on Instagram at @aninditarungta, or you can send me an email. I'll share the email address below. 

So basically what you need to do is focus on making healthier choices and consuming whole grains, organic and unprocessed foods. That's all you need to do to start with. 

P is prioritize rest and recovery. So recognize the importance of rest. And I'm also talking about active rest, not just sleep. Uh, I, you know, many of us, of course, maybe getting enough sleep and we know about sleep, but how many of us are actually taking the time to rest, right? Especially when our body needs to heal. Especially when you already have an underlying health condition. So integrating active rest, it can be yoga, it can be stretching, it can be mindfulness walks. They can really help your body recover. Even apart from sleep. 

 L stands for light in your toxic load. So you can take small, manageable steps to start reducing the toxic load in your environment. So you can start with simple swaps in household items. Starting from your lotion, starting from your shampoo. Things that you're putting on your skin. Remember that your skin is a giant mouth, so start replacing those with non-toxic ones, and I'll probably do an episode on this separately. How to figure out what are those non-toxic products. But you can start with these swaps. And then, of course, move on to your immediate environment, which includes your dishwashing and cleaning detergent and liquids. 

And last but not the least, Empower yourself through simplicity. So embrace simplicity in your wellness journey. Too often, things are of course complicated, but we can ourselves develop simple rituals to reinforce a wellness mindset and facilitate sustainable healing. So it can be a simple thing as a morning or evening routine. I have a morning routine, I have a bedtime routine, and I brainstorm with my clients on how to create one. It doesn't have to be complicated. It can be just 2 or 3 things that you want to do at the start of the day, which basically helps you to start the day on a very positive and energetic note. That means no news that is negative. That means no shouting, fighting. That means anything that you are putting in your mind is going to be positive and inspiring for you. 

That's that's really important. We forget that it's not just the diet that we have put in our body, but it's also the diet that we put in our minds. So it's as simple as that. So by address, by by doing these things, that simple model that I just took you through, you basically simplify your approach to health. You know, it's you start and you move away from this conception, that misconception that the more number of steps that you take, the more complicated it is, the better you will feel or the better results you will get. That's actually not true. It leads more to frustration and hopelessness. And also when you do these things, what happens is that you start reconnecting with your own body's wisdom. And that's by far the best guide that you will ever have in your wellness journey. 

So what makes this model work so well is its focus on clarity through prioritization. So you know exactly what you need to focus on, what you need to prioritize and what will move the needle. And it also helps in creating self awareness. So you know that you can tune in to your body and you can be guided by it. And so that you can actually adjust whatever is needed to fit your own personal needs and your lifestyle. And this is not just about treating symptoms as you have realized. It is about transforming your entire approach to health so that wellness becomes attainable for you, it becomes sustainable for you. And embracing this model is crucial for anyone who's looking to transform their approach to health and wellness. So you want to move from frustration and complexity to one of ease, clarity and effectiveness. 

And this SIMPLE model that I'm talking about, and I'll share a way that you will get to also, I'll be focusing on it in an upcoming masterclass. I've used this model in that masterclass, and I'll be sharing the link below for you to join in a bit, and it helps you to move away of trying random solutions and not seeing the results and achieve sustainable health so that, you know, you don't. You're not chasing temporary relief all the time. And it's also about, you know, finding the power to actually, you know, heal yourself because you now understand what decisions you need to be. You're making informed decisions. You're not making random decisions anymore because you now know what your unique body's requirements are.

 And it's actually promotes a sense of autonomy, promotes a sense of well-being, uh, empowered well-being, in fact. And because you're able to now focus on what truly matters, you are able to reduce the overwhelm significantly, right? You're not trying out all the things. And this is how this is what will keep you motivated. Uh, this is what will keep you going, because, you know, whatever steps that you are taking are the right ones, are the ones that your body actually needs. 

And as you do this, as you keep going on this path, and that's what happens to each and every one of my client, this means that you actually get to see more energy, better mood, and a greater participation. It's not just about, you know, reversal of symptoms being in remission. Life is much more beyond that. I truly believe that, you know, we are all here on this earth. And as someone called it, a short holiday on earth. And we are here with a certain set of gifts, and it would be a shame if we actually left. We were here on this holiday, and then we went back without any of these or without most of the gifts unopened. So you are here to share your gifts with the world. 

You have certain unique abilities that you know, that, uh, that you know, when you share. That is what will bring purpose to your life. That will bring you joy. That will make your life more meaningful than it already is. But unless we know what those are, unless we are at a place physically, mentally and emotionally, well, we are able to share those. We often feel frustrated, hopeless, depressed. A lot of these things stemmed from that. So we are not able to truly, uh, go after our dreams. We are not able to here. We are not able to connect with other human beings. We are not able to actually serve others. In fact, serving others bring us the most joy. 

Research after research shows us that that if we are feeling quite low and if we actually go out and help someone else, that not only helps the other person, it actually ends up lifting our mood. So by adopting this model, you actually use your time, money and effort more effectively. And you go far beyond just reversal of symptoms or being, you know, being in remission. And this is why this is what helps to change your entire life. 

And this is where the coaching program that I have, which is opening for enrollment in March, body wise transformation journey and other, you know, masterclasses or workshops that I do come into play. They are based on all these, the body wise healing framework, out of which SIMPLE is one of the3  models and they provide you with all the tools, guidance and support that you need to see true change. 

So if you are if you're ready to do that, if you're ready to start, uh, on your health and wellness journey, feeling more empowered and knowing that you are taking the right steps for your body's, uh, you know, sustainable relief and for your body's healing. Uh, then make sure that you sign up for the Autoimmune Breakthrough Masterclass that I'm hosting on the 28th of March, and I'll show you exactly how to break free from certain myths surrounding wellness, and how you can create a healing plan that actually works for you. 

So no more chasing health trends, no more feeling like your body is the enemy, and no more starting over and over again. So if you're tired of doing everything right, but you're still feeling stuck, then this masterclass is for you and I'll share the link in the show notes below. I'll see you there and if you have any questions, you can connect with me on Instagram at the at the rate and in the room. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Embrace Your Healing Journey. 

In the upcoming episode, I will be covering your personalized self-care plan, a blueprint for energy and balance, one of my favorite topics. You will discover how to craft a self-care routine that is uniquely tailored for your individual needs, and focus on strategies that will enhance your energy and bring more balance to your life. So we will talk about effective self-care. We'll talk about how to identify what rejuvenates you, and also to integrate them into one cohesive plan. So whatever you learned in this episode, we will be now implementing this. So if you are looking to change your entire routine or just to refine it, then this episode will provide you with all the tools. So I can't wait to see you there and we'll be in touch.