In the health and wellness world these days, it can be quite easy to get overwhelmed with wondering what’s best for you and what isn’t. There are countless diets all claiming to be the best thing since sliced bread. There are just as many workout programs that all promise to get you the results you dream about. And there are even medications that “guarantee” the body of your dreams. With all of these options out there, how would you ever possibly know what is actually going to help you?

The answer has nothing to do with any of those things; the answer lies within you.

Intuition is defined as “the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning,” or “a thing that one knows or considers, likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.” In other words, that gut feeling or deep, instinctual knowing that we all have (but a lot of us ignore). When you follow your intuition, you won’t have to guess what is healthiest for you. You will just know.

If you stop to think about it from a logical perspective, there is a deeper part of you that just knows things. When you randomly take a different route home and then find out it saved you from an accident, or when you decide to stop at the store when you had planned not to, only to run into a friend you haven’t seen in ages, or even when the doctor tells you everything is fine when you know in your gut there is something wrong, and then find out you were right — if you’ve ever experienced something like this, go ahead and thank your intuition.

Well, my friend, that special part of you also knows what is healthiest for you. Stick with me. When you run through the drive-through instead of eating your home-cooked meal, there’s a part of you that knows it’s not the healthiest option. Likewise, when you skip your workout just because you don’t feel like it, there’s a part of you that knows that’s not the healthiest option. Or when you stay up too late, consume too much alcohol, ruminate on negative memories or even complain too much … there’s a deeper part of you that knows those things are not in your best interest as well. Yet, we often continue to do them.

The reasons why we continue to do these self-destructive behaviors are vast and differ from person to person, but there’s one thing that is true for all: There is a deeper part of you that just knows when something is good for you or when it’s not.

On that same note, if you are thinking of starting a diet or workout routine that has more instructions than putting a TV stand together, there is likely a deeper part of you that knows it’s not the best option. Or if you are already doing one of these things and they are leaving you feeling miserable and confused, I’d be willing to bet your gut knows it’s not the best thing for you.

My point is that far too often, we overcomplicate what health truly is. We make it seem like in order to be healthy, we have to jump through a million hoops and make ourselves miserable, when in reality, it is much simpler than that — and if you’re really honest with yourself, you already know that. When you learn to listen to it, your intuition will never lead you astray.

Eat foods that you enjoy and that make you feel great. Move your body in ways you love. Surround yourself with people who add value to your life, not toxicity. Spend intentional time alone. Meditate. Read. Do things you enjoy, like spending time with friends or creative hobbies. Spend time in nature. Hydrate yourself. Get enough sleep. If there is something you do on a regular basis that you know is bad for you, do what you can to change that. And most importantly, love yourself, because hating yourself is not the way to true health and wellness.

These things are simple but extremely effective in the name of health and wellness. And when you focus on these things instead of crazy diets or workout routines, you’ll find that health has been available to you all along; you were just looking in the wrong direction.

In closing, take a minute to listen to that deeper part of you and think about what things you already know will add to your health and wellness. If it doesn’t immediately come to you, that is OK; challenge yourself to sit there until it does. Because when you follow your intuition, it’ll lead you right to the healthiest version of you.

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If you are thinking of starting a diet or workout routine that has more instructions than putting a TV stand together, there is likely a deeper part of you that knows it’s not the best option.

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