Self Care

2018 New Year’s Resolutions | #AYearOfIntentionalLiving

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I should start this by stating these are not my New Year’s Resolutions. Rather, they are my intentions for this year and for my life.  Resolutions just feel too restrictive and limiting which is why most people abandon their New Year’s Resolutions by the second week of February. 

For me, setting intentions is about living with more focus and purpose. My goal is not to accomplish my intentions by the end of the year but rather work towards living more intentionally from this day forward. My intentions may evolve over time but each one of these intentions has no expiry or finish date. 

So what are my 2018 intentions? 

1. Find balance as a mama, partner and creative. Balance is another one of those tricky terms. What is balance? Well for each one of us that is going to be different. For me it means ensuring that Neil and I have quality time together as a couple, that I have time carved out each week for me to work on writing, photos and projects that ignite my creative side and that while I am a mama that it isn’t the only thing that I am. Will there be equal time each week for all of these items? No, but that’s not my intent – rather it’s about finding a balance that respects each of these areas of my life. 

2. Make self-care a priority.  This looks like time for me to sit quietly and re-group, it also looks like a shower without a screaming baby or children popping their head in to ask for a snack. It looks like a trip to the chiropractor, acupuncturist or to do a float. It looks like moving my body or simply sitting still in meditation. There are so many ways to manifest self-care. What does self-care look like for you?

3. Shop with more intention.  Online shopping and the dollar area at Target are making it so easy to mindlessly shop for things. Anything that you can think of can be ordered and delivered in two days or even within an hour which is great when the stomach bug hits your house and all you need is more towels but it’s also a curse because we can mindlessly order anything. 

4. Create a home that is filled with love, laughter and creativity (without all the clutter). While our home is already filled with these things it is also filled with clutter and just so many things. So it’s time to create a space that is calming and inspirational and not a chaotic, cluttered mess. 

5. Listen More Than I Speak. I am very reactionary and feel emotions in a big way and voice them quickly and often sharply. As I focus on living this year with more intention the way I listen and speak is a huge part of this especially with children and my husband. 

6. Focus on being present.  Yes I am talking about stepping away from screens and spending more time connecting in the moment. Focusing on what is going on right now and giving less time and energy to anxieties, worries and mindless scrolling.

7. Acknowledge my feelings and emotions and take responsibility for them. We are responsible for how we feel, how we react and how we respond. 

8. Find the light in everyday. It’s so easy after a hard day to feel like everything has just gone to shit and forget about the little moments that brought a smile and light to the day. So I want to find the light in each day and focus on that and release the dark, frustrating moments. 

So now tell me – what are you intentions for 2018? 

{Guest Post} The Importance of Self-Care

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Hi Cooks, Vegans, and Lovers! I’m Stacy and I blog about healthy homemade vegetarian food. Lindsay actually won my blog’s first giveaway, so imagine my surprise when we connected as classmates at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! Through my coaching practice I help busy people overcome overwhelm and paralyzing perfectionism to take back control of their health and lives.

Lindsay has been insanely busy, so I was thrilled when she asked me to contribute a guest post. She needs time to address all aspects of her life (that’s why we’re holistic health coaches!).

That is why I want to talk about self-care. Self-care gets a bad rap as being selfish, indulgent, luxurious, and unnecessary. Not true.

If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. And if you’re not showing up for yourself, you can’t show up for others.

This lesson can be hard to learn. I am a lifelong perfectionist who believed the mantra, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” And I tried. The results were a crabby, critical, over-caffeinated, insomniac, and unhappy person.

No matter how much easier I made other peoples’ lives, all they did was cause more problems for me to solve. They were looking out for themselves, and I wasn’t looking out for myself – my fault, not theirs. I was worn down, resentful, and couldn’t do my job as well as I wanted. I was trying so hard to be perfect that I actually made more mistakes. Enter self-care.

What exactly is self-care? Self-care is any activity that recharges and nourishes you: exercise, meditation, massage, girls’ night, a book, or a bubble bath. You might have a whole weekend away, or just 5 minutes of peace and quiet. There is no right or wrong way to fit in self-care. You have to start where you are.

Feeling stressed? Think there’s no way you could possibly have enough time and energy to do this? Let’s start small.

Are you sitting down? Posture check! You should feel as if the top of your head is suspended from the ceiling by a string. Plant your feet on the ground. Feel where your body contacts your chair. Inhale deeply through your nose – your shoulders shouldn’t move, but your belly should expand. Hold the breath for 3-5 seconds and exhale fully through your mouth. Inhale again through your nose, hold it, and exhale through your mouth. One more time.

Ask yourself what you need with curiosity, not judgment. Quiet time alone, or in nature? Physical touch? Music, laughter, a cup of tea? How can you nourish that aspect of yourself? Give yourself permission to fulfill your own needs, and banish the expectation that anyone else will do it for you.

If what you really need is a bubble bath but you “don’t have time” because (for example) you have to make dinner for your partner, you resent your partner for not taking care of you AND preventing you from taking care of yourself. Ask your partner to contribute to the meal, or to pick up pizza so that you can at least take a hot shower with an aromatic body scrub for 10 minutes after work. Then you can really enjoy that time with your partner more, without resentment.

Now that you’ve chosen a method of self-care, here comes the hard part: put it in your schedule. Write it down. Make an appointment with yourself. And then show up for it. Start with 5 to 15 minutes and see how you feel.

How are you going to start nourishing yourself?

I’m Still Here

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I was looking back on my last few posts and well honestly they have been lacking in quantity and quality.  My excuse isn’t that I have nothing to write about or don’t feel like blogging because I do…it’s just I have been strapped for time.  This has been one of the craziest months for me between training, traveling, health coaching and other new adventures.  I hope to get back on track in September when things quiet down (a little).  I have been cooking a lot lately, we currently have a no eating out until Philly rule, but most of my meals have been quinoa or brown rice with steamed veggies.  Now I think it’s kind of boring but if that interest you I can post- just let me know.

So the other thing is although I have not been blogging has much here you may have seen me around a few other places such as:

Living Harvest: Featured Blogger Post

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My Healthy Disney

More guest posts will be featured on My Healthy Disney in the next 6 weeks.

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NAB Communities: Blog Ambassador Post

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Healthy Living Blogs: Healthy Living Tuesdays Guest Post

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{GIVEAWAY} Also don’t forget to checkout my Jovan’s Pure Nutrition giveaway! 

Three Things Part 1: Hot Water Bottle

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Over the next three posts I am going to reveal three wonderful (inexpensive) things that are great for your health.  When I first heard about these three things during my program at IIN I was skeptical and couldn’t really understand how three simple things could really change your life and improve your health, but they really DO work.  It is amazing how small changes can have such a large impact on us.

The first of these three things is a hot water bottle.  Yes you know those big oddly shaped bags that you fill with hot water that you have probably seen in old movies and cartoons.  It sounded a little crazy to me too at first but the benefits are really wonderful and they are inexpensive too.

Fill it with hot water from the sink. The water bottle will stay warm for up to 2 hours.

Use it to:

  • Relax particular muscles or use for the entire body
  • Deliver nurturing comfort to enable a deep state of relaxation

Try using the hot water bottle on:

  • The feet for warmth
  • The back for strain
  • The lower abdomen for cramps
  • The abdomen for digestion and relaxation of body and mind

Additional Uses:

  • To combat illness: use as a warm, soothing companion to help you through flu, chills, and aches.
  • To ease menstrual cramps: a hot water bottle on the abdomen brings pain relief and soothing comfort.
  • As a bed warmer: a warm hot water bottle placed in your bed makes for a cozy sleep, especially on cold winter nights.
  • To ease arthritic pain: a natural, moist heat therapy for arthritic pain relief, especially great for hands.
  • To calm children: a warm cuddly companion to provide a calm secure feeling when children are ill or upset.
  • As a traveling companion: take it with you on trips to comfort you – no electricity needed.
  • To calm your pet: placed under a blanket, a warm hot water bottle soothes puppies in new surroundings — it provides warmth and security and calms them down.
  • To encourage restful sleep: to help you sleep after a high-stress day, lie down with a hot water bottle on your stomach, close your eyes and breathe deeply, so the bottle rises and falls. Many people carry a lot of tension there and the weighted heat releases it. Try it!
© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

To learn more about my health coaching visit my site http://gethealthywithlindsay.com/

 

 

Eat Less, Play More

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Eat Less, Play More

Remember when you were a child and you got so wrapped up in playing, imagining or creating that you didn’t want to stop when it was time to eat? Do you remember leaving your meal half-finished to run off and continue playing? Children innately understand that food is secondary to what is most nutritious and primary in life: fun and play.

As adults we seem to have lost our instinct to prioritize play. In our busy world, with its emphasis on work and responsibility, to be healthy and balanced we must work on more than just our bodies; we  must feed our hearts, minds and spirits. Have you noticed that when your body, mind and spirit are engaged in a creative project or happy relationship, your reliance on food seems to decrease?

Likewise, when you are unsatisfied with yourrelationships, your job or other areas of your life, you may depend on food to cheer, soothe or numb you. When your life is out of balance, no amount of food can feed you where you truly need nourishment. The food that we eat is very important for health and balance, but what really feeds us—a full and fulfilling life—doesn’t come on a plate.

What is fun for you? What makes you light up? What excites you? Make time for it this week. Even if you don’t have much free time for fun, try approaching a “serious” activity with an attitude of play. This can greatly reduce stress and anxiety and bring more pleasure to your day. Take your focus off food, try adding more fun into your life and watch the magic unfold.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Staying Active: April Update and a GIVEAWAY!

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We are a week into April and things have been going great, both the Hubz and I are keeping on top of working out and we even started Couch to 5k again! I have also been using Daily Mile to keep track of my activities and it is really great to connect with other people and find support, motivation and inspiration. So here is the break down of April 1-7:

– Friday Community Class at Evolution Yoga 1 hr 15 min

– Saturday 30 minute walk around Middlebury

-Sunday C25K Day 1 Week 1 plus walking – total 3 miles in 40 minutes

– Monday Rodney Yee AM Yoga and Yoga for Abs 40 minutes

– Tuesday walked on the bike path with the Hubz 1.5 miles 30 minutes

-Wednesday C25K Day 2 Week 1 plus walking- total 2.9 miles in 35 minutes

-Thursday- OFF

Totals: 6/24 days and 4hrs 10minutes/15hours

 

 

OISELLE REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Now that we have discussed the updates lets get down to the good stuff- the giveaway.  I think that this giveaway is perfect for this post, my new love like of running and because I know that many of you are runners or are active in other ways.  Oiselle just sent me one of their Recycled Poly Tech Tops to try. The Recycled Poly Tech Top was designed to be so light, “you might forget you have it on. The wing motion graphic across the chest mimics the lightness of your feet’s flight. And because it’s made of 50% recycled polyester it’s light impact on the planet too. A running top so light it’s practically gravity defying.”

– Light, silky fabric
– Flattering fit
– Silk screen graphic
– 50% recycled polyester/50% polyester
– machine washable

I have been wearing it for running and other activities.  I honestly thought the shirt wasn’t too cute in the photo and was like oh well I don’t need to look cute to run I just need to have something that is light and is great for running.  To my surprise (and delight) the shirt came and it was actually super cute on and it fit perfectly.  I immediately put it on and went for a run and fell in love.  The shirt is really great because not only is the fabric light on your skin it breathes really well and even though I got sweaty I didn’t feel drenched and weighed down.

Now that I have this top the stripey tank has caught my eye and would be perfect for summer. Oh and if you are a bride-to-be and a runner you will love this.

Now that you have fallen in love with this top (you have right?) I should mention that they sent me two and since it isn’t in my size one lucky person will have the chance to win this top.  Now the top is the one you see to the left (same color) and is in a size medium, however depending on how you like your clothes to fit it could easily fit someone who wears a small.  Now here is how you enter, oh and this is open to US and Canadian residence and you can enter until April 10th at midnight.

The Winner is:


Mandatory:

1. Visit the Oiselle website and tell me something you learned. (leave a comment below)

Additional Chances to Win (you must leave a separate comment for each)

  • Follow Oiselle on Twitter
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • Follow my health counseling on Twitter
  • Tweet “I want to win the @Oiselle giveaway on @cookveganlover http://wp.me/pFVWo-1Lw”
  • “Like” Oiselle Running on Facebook
  • “Like” Cook.Vegan.Lover on Facebook
  • Leave a Facebook Comment on Oiselle saying that you want to win and include http://wp.me/pFVWo-1Lw

Food Focus: Beans

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Food Focus: Beans

Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying.

(Source)

Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are known for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.

Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.

 

Recipe of the Month: Easy Beans and Greens

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 can black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)
  • 1 bunch collard greens (or kale, spinach—your choice)
  • your favorite toppings, such as salsa, avocado or guacamole

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat drained beans. Add your favorite seasonings, if desired.
  2. Fill a separate medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
  3. Wash and chop greens (you can use the stems, too) and add to boiling water.
  4. Cook for 2-3 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Drain off water.
  5. On a plate, arrange a portion of the greens, top with a portion of the beans and finish with toppings of your choice.
© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Check out my posts on Beans, Beans The Magical Fruit… for more information on tips on how to prepare beans.

Here are some of my favorite bean recipes: