When you hear the word “education”, what do you think of? Do you think of desks, pencils, notebooks, and tests? Do you think of online courses, professors, and exams?

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. — Henry Ford

This month, as our kids are back to their formal education, I want to challenge you think of education in a different light. I want to help you think of what education means to YOU, at this phase of your life, with whatever you have going on. It’s not just about our kids or prepping for our next career opportunity.

Primary Foods

If you’re new here or need a refresher, as part of my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I was taught to help my clients explore 12 different areas of health that nourish us off our plates. These areas are called Primary Foods because, although we need actual food to survive, these areas are key to our overall health. For me, this was something I subtly knew, but once I really stopped to think about it, really changed the way I view my own health. I believe we all know this on some level: We are what we eat, but so much more than that, too. The food we eat impacts our health — no doubt — however these 12 areas have a huge impact on our overall health AND the foods we choose to eat.

Why Education?

In working with my clients, the Primary Food area of Education is one that seems to consistently trip them up. It tripped me up at first, too. I thought of back to school shopping, taking tests, high school, college and the program I was currently enrolled in. I only thought of it in terms of formal education.

Education as Primary Food can certainly mean formal education, but most of us are beyond the college years and probably have no plans for additional formal schooling. I invite you to consider what else education can mean. It can be:

• learning or improving your skill in a new hobby

• watching “how to” YouTube videos

• reading a non-fiction book in an area that intrigues you

• learning a new recipe

• attending a free live training on Facebook

• courses on Udemy to stay up to speed in your career

After reading that list, stop and think a moment (seriously, try it right now): what’s one thing you’re curious about, would love to learn or even need to learn that you’ve been putting off because “it’s not that important” or “there isn’t enough time”?

Why you should make time for education

How many of us feel stagnant, stuck, not-growing? Many of us struggle with a desire for more than the mundane day-to-day or hunger for some sort of chance to use our brains differently. Taking stock of your satisfaction with this area of Primary Food can provide some interesting insights into your health. I’ll wager a guess that your answers will also provide insight into your joy, creativity and possibly, career…all other areas of Primary Food.

You already started brainstorming above, but I encourage you to take several minutes to ponder or journal more about this topic. It’s something that certainly gets pushed aside for many of us.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• What does education mean to you?

• What areas are you most interested in learning about?

• Is education an area where you currently invest your time?

• Does your continued learning support your emotional and physical health?

• On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of satisfaction with this area of primary food?

Never stop learning. Never stop growing. — Mel Robbins

Some of us naturally gravitate towards seeking out different forms of education while for others of us it’s simply not as important. No matter where we find ourselves, we can all benefit from being intentional with education. Remember, it doesn’t have to be big or grandiose! Make it a point to consider what might feel lacking in this area and then take one or two small steps to move yourself forward.

If you’d love to spend more time considering how you can address this area of primary food, I’d love to help you do that!