[HACKS] Sharing My Favorite Health Hacks From This Year
After our road trip to the Deep South to visit family, I realized the focus of 2019 needed to be on my overall wellness and being open with the tribe in regards to my own transformation.
And what better time to share with my tribe in our Community (and YOU) just 5 things I do each day for my overall health... these may be things YOU do already + maybe you have health hacks that YOU think are vital... share, love. The more you know, the more you can grow.
SIDE NOTE: I wrote this blog on my iPad while the hubster drove us from PNW to the deep South… just 5700 miles round trip in 100 hours. BOOM BABY! We survived… and here’s proof, I was somewhat productive and not sleeping in the passenger seat.
This year, my focus is being the HERO of my journey... being the hero my daughter aspires to be (and hopefully be better than), the hero our little man needs me to be and the hero my hubster deserves me to be. By being the HERO of my journey, to me, means living my best self.
One way for me to do this is to open up (eeek... vulnerablity) and share all the nitty gritty with you. Things which work, recipes I love, exercises I am trying, progress I am making and products which we are loving. See... being the hero of my journey isn’t JUST about eating clean + working out so many days a week.
WHAT DOES BEING THE HERO OF MY JOURNEY LOOK LIKE:
- It’s about fueling my body properly with superfoods, gut healing and brain-nourishing foods.
- It’s about adding movement to my day but not just with running but focusing on core strength, flexibility and strength training.
- It’s about quieting the negative chatterbox in my mind and focusing on the good qualities I possess as well as the type of energy I am putting out there in the universe.
- It’s about the knowing what’s in the products I am using on my face, on my skin, in our household, in our yard, etc.
- It’s about fueling my brain with inspiring words and removing the clutter (ie. binge watching TV).
- It’s about surrounding myself with positive influences and reducing the negative ones.
- It’s about the WHOLE wellness... and I want to share with you, what I learn along the way.
And I wanted to share with YOU these 5 things I TRY to do each day to help me with my overall wellness.
SIDE NOTE: this is what works for ME and the content shared is for my own accountability. You do what’s right for you and before starting any nutrition/fitness/wellness journey, discuss with your primary care physician.
Alright? You do you, boo. You do you.
“The smallest step in the right direction... can turn out to be the greatest step of your life.”
Now... that being said.
Some things were a given: drinking water about 75-100oz a day, aiming for 7hrs of sleep each night and adding in movement (aka. some sort of exercise) each day. So. I am stepping things up a notch with my 5 HEALTH HACKS to share with you... here goes:
01 // HEALTH HACK
Break my fast with a glass of organic celery juice. I’ll be honest, I started this habit back in November when a few folks I look up to were posting about celery juice... diving deeper into the benefits of celery juice, thank you Medical Medium on Instagram.
Why is it good? Well, I’ve heard it helps heal the gut and filled with anti-inflammatory properties. Is it a fad? Hmmm… could be. Here’s what I noticed while drinking celery juice (12oz in the morning on an empty stomach). I was able to skip my morning cup of coffee. I had amazing energy and my gut was so much happier. With our recent road trip, drinking celery juice wasn’t an option for me as I didn’t have a juicer nor any place in Southeast Texas/Southwest Louisiana served it. Trust me I looked.
Anywho. I noticed my gut was a bit out of whack… could have been due to the 2400 miles we just covered in a vehicle with twins and I was ingesting home cooked Southern meals instead of my normal gut-healing plates. I also noticed I was craving COFFEE a lot and needed a cup to get through the day.
Coincidence? Maybe. But, I’ll take my cup of organic celery juice each morning for the time being… if it makes my gut happy and gives me clean energy!
If you want to dive further into reading, here’s a list of some articles you may find interesting!
02 // HEALTH HACK
After the celery juice… about an hour later, I’ll have a glass of water with lemon! See. I’ve read that the citric acid from the lemon helps your digestive tract and gets things flowing… you can dive deeper into more of the benefits here!
03 // HEALTH HACK
Look at your plate... ask yourself these questions: did it have a mother (Mother Nature or animal)? Yes. Good, next question. Do you see healthy fats? Do you see a good source of clean protein? Good... Good. Last question, is majority of your plate loaded with leafy greens or other veggies? FANTASTIC. Enjoy!
Need help building your plate, you can take a glance at one of our weekly menus HERE! I’m not a nutritionist nor a registered dietician, just a mom who likes to cook; therefore, before starting any nutritional or fitness program - please consult your primary care physician!
04 // HEALTH HACK
Take a beat to meditate, this was such a hard one for me to do because I initially felt like sitting down to calm my mind was a waste of time when there was so much STUFF to do.
One thing I do is schedule meditation when I know my family is sleeping… because let’s be real, how good can I actually meditate if I know the Gillies (our twins) are playing in the next room?
I also set my phone to DO NOT DISTURB with a timer set for 10 minutes. Now, there’s a lot of ways you can meditate… and everyone’s brains (in my opinion) are wired a wee bit different based on our life’s journey, right?
My meditation process is so different than the hubster’s but I’ll share with you mine. I sit quietly in a folded leg position with my palms facing down (it is more comfortable), in my mind I walk into my “brain vault” which is a white room that’s got a chair seated in the front of the room facing a projection screen. All my thought processes, worries, struggles, triumphs… pass quickly in shades of colors on this screen. When something pops up that is negative, I simply focus on it for a brief second then flip the script to something positive about this negative thought and allow my mind to flow freely to the next thought.
Again. You do you, boo. Everyone is totally different in their meditation journey and as a newbie, I could TOTALLY be doing it wrong… but for me, at this time, it works. I’d love to hear how you meditate… do you use an app? focus on a word? just stay present on your breathe? Drop it down below because the more you know, the more you can grow!
05 // HEALTH HACK
Foam Roll. Yep, each day I spend 5-10 minutes foam rolling the back of my calves and thighs because it’s where I hold most of my tension... hubster calls it a poor man’s massage, but I’ll take it!
It’s ridiculously hard for me to explain fully about foam rolling, it’s better explained in a visual format… I think anyways. So, I’ll drop a video found on youtube regarding foam rolling! And I love Tony Horton, so enjoy.
And we are DONE!
I’d love to hear what YOU are doing or any health tips you think me (and the tribe) could benefit from.... oh, better yet, JOIN US! Because the more you know… the more you can grow!
“Focus on your habits, love... not your weight!”
— Amber
Grit + Gumption.
ALG
