A lot of people eat super healthily and work out every day, but still deal with chronic issues like constant fatigue, headaches, and anxiety. People drive themselves crazy trying to figure out what they’re doing wrong… or they simply assume there’s no better way. 

For many of these people, the missing piece is spirituality. I don’t mean organized religion necessarily – just some type of practice or mentality that connects you with other people and the universe. Creating a spiritual practice is one of the most rewarding things you can do for your physical and mental health. 

Here at Integrative Nutrition, one of my core concepts is primary food –spirituality, career, exercise, and relationships all feed your hunger for life. Spirituality is an important part of primary food, and is so beneficial for so many people. 

It feeds you more deeply than the food on your plate because it reminds you that you’re connected to something larger than yourself.

Here are some of the benefits of creating and maintaining a spiritual practice: 

1. Reduces stress
2. Eases anxiety
3. Increases creativity
4. Improves mood 

Spirituality strengthens your connection with yourself and the universe. Isn’t that what we all want? Humans naturally want to feel connected, and spirituality connects us.

When you quiet down and look inward, you gain clarity and intention. Know yourself and what you need spiritually, and you will be deeply happy and successful. 

It’s often overlooked, but spirituality is also essential to sustainable weight loss. When you slow down your mind, you naturally eat more slowly and make conscious food choices when it comes to quality and quantity. Spirituality is the perfect example of primary food over secondary food.

If you’re spiritual, it’s more likely you approach food in a calm and moderate manner. When you’re connected with yourself and the universe, it doesn’t matter what food is put in front of you – you will choose with discernment and take just what you need.

If you aren’t spiritual, here are some ideas to get started: 

1. Experiment with meditation.
2. Go for a walk in nature with no distractions and notice what you hear, see, smell, and feel.
3. Research different religions and see if any one or pieces of different ones resonate with you.
4. Write a gratitude list.
5. Try morning pages, visiting teacher Julia Cameron’s method of morning free writing. Simply keep a notebook next to your bed and write from your stream of consciousness each morning. 

Here at IIN, we don’t teach any one spiritual practice or religion, but we encourage you to experiment to find what works best for you, since the benefits of spirituality are countless. 

You learn a lot more about spirituality and how to guide future clients in this crucial area of health in our Health Coach Training Program. You may also end up transforming personally through spirituality while at the school. 

Sounds pretty great, right? It’s possible – just start experimenting today using the ideas I gave above, and find some type of spirituality that works for you. 

Are you spiritual? What’s your practice or non-practice? Comment below – I can’t wait to hear from you. 

What if the world knew about this too? Wouldn't it be a better place? Use the social media tools to spread the word! 

Joshua Rosenthal, Founder, Director, and Primary Teacher of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition shares his wisdom about creating a healthy and happy life that helps transform the world.