When I set out to adjust my schedule for the upcoming seasonal change I like to start by thinking about my why and then set some goals that address this why. This helps me to connect with my intuition and stay on track.
My Why: To feel good in my body.
What this means to me is feeling strong, having less pain in my joints and muscles, not feeling bloated, and having sustained energy throughout the day that allows me to do all the things I enjoy. I also want to feel vibrant and look my best, which means having healthy skin and hair.
My routine has shifted into one that supports all these goals and comes from a very holistic standpoint, meaning I focus on the entire mind-body connection. I've found that it more important to be consistent, nothing happens overnight, so connecting to the why and having a daily routine works for me. I focus on how I want to feel not just now but in the next 3 months and then set small realistic goals that I know I can stick to.
The other trick when starting a new routine is to add one thing to a routine you already have in place. Do you want to start taking supplements, but always forget? Try taking them onto your breakfast or lunch routine. Do you want to start meditating? Try doing it after you brush your teeth or while you are drinking your coffee in the morning. Think additive not subtractive and add onto something you already do regularly.
My goals:
Workout 5-6 times a week, incorporating a balance of cardio, strength, and yoga with a focus on core strength.
Incorporate daily flexibility or mobility after each workout.
Maintain a plant-based diet and focus on incorporating 30+ grams of fiber each day and 30+ different plants into my weekly diet.
As part of my nightly routine incorporate restorative yoga most night and legs up the wall.
Complete the spring Decadent Detox in April
Continue to work with my naturopath on balancing my hormones and improving gut health.
Nutrition:
At the end of last summer, I started exploring the idea of being plant-based after learning about the Blue Zones. Blue zones are areas around the world with the most centenarians, what they have in common is moving regularly, living with purpose, social support, and eating a mostly plant-based diet (some eat meat but in small amounts and infrequently). This inspired me to do more research on this diet and I uncovered the many health and environmental benefits. Having been mostly vegan, but eating some fish, during my 20's, I was already comfortable making this shift. This time around, however, I am not using fake processed meats, sugary foods, or simple carbohydrates such as pasta and white bread products, which had been a large part of my diet in my 20's.
So what do I eat now? My diet consists of a large variety of plants. I try to eat at least 30 different plant varieties each week. I focus on getting 30-50 grams of fiber daily, mainly through beans, oats, seeds, and leafy greens. I incorporate some psyllium husk, mixed into water, a few times a week to aid in even more fiber for my gut. I don't count calories and I eat as much as I want. It is nearly impossible to overeat on a plant-based diet and I enjoy the freedom gives me. While it used to be impossible to lose weight, I am now losing and maintaining simply by eating as many plants as I like. I even eat vegan cookies and ice cream a few times a week. But, mostly I focus on getting variety and eating in a cyclical manner (see my Happy Hormone post for more info). Basically, this means cycling in different varieties of plants during each phase of the monthly cycle. This helps to support the hormone balance and removal of excess estrogen that my body has trouble getting rid of.
I am not 100% perfect, I may occasionally eat something that isn't 100% vegan or even choose to eat seafood once in a while. For me the why is my health and the health of the environment, so I can make these choices to not be totally compliant. This is worth it to me as I would rather have the freedom to eat what I want rather than be super strict and then stress myself out about eating in a restaurant or eating with friends. Enjoying food with other people should be fun and enjoyable, not stressful because you can't find anything that meets your self-imposed strict criteria. I have been there before and that's not fun. . I strive for consistency over perfection. When I eat at home and have control over what I prepare I know I am eating a healthy plant-based diet. And when I am out I give myself a little more flexibility.
Supplements & Extras That I am Loving:
I had my hormones tested and need to balance out my dominant estrogen and low progesterone, so I am also taking some supplements to balance these out. Vitex or Chasteberry, which helps to balance women's hormones, and DIM which helps to remove excess estrogen. In addition, I incorporate maca into my food (like smoothies or oats) and coffee (with Cacao Magic or Cosmic Cocoa). Maca is an “adaptogen”, it is hormone balancing and makes you feel more energetic and elevates feel-good endorphins. Another benefit of maca is its relatively high amount of absorbable plant-based nutrients, including protein, fiber, calcium, and magnesium.
I also take a probiotic, Seed, which is a 24-strain broad-spectrum probiotic and prebiotic that functions to support my digestion, gut immunity, and has other holistic benefits. I have been taking this for several years now and having tried other probiotics this one seems to really work for me. In addition to this supplement for gut health, I am also taking Tiger Pearls, which I get from my acupuncturist. Tiger Pearls have the purgative power of rhubarb in an environment of herbs that gently warm the Spleen and the Kidneys. It assists to increases blood circulation in the intestinal walls, ensures elimination of cellular waste, and prevents degenerative processes.
Fitness Routine:
At 45 I have finally come to terms with the fact that my body is not going to respond to my exercise routine the same way it used to. I think it took me about 10 years to figure this out, but now that I have I've been able to shift my goals and my body is responding much more favorably to this.
Therefore, in order to achieve the goals I set for myself, I realized I do not need to kill myself doing 45-minute spin classes and lifting weights. These activities left me sore, run-down, depleted, not in line with my goals at all. So what do I do instead?
A light toning workout (usually bodyweight or 5lbs), I like Tone It Up or a Barre class- 2-3 times per week
A 20-minute spin class on my Peloton bike or a HIIT class- 2-3 times per week
Yoga- 2-3 times per week
Every time I do toning or cardio I follow it with 15-20 minutes of stretching or foam rolling. Now instead of a 45-minute bike ride, I am doing 20 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes of stretching. I find this really helps to keep my muscles and joints feeling great. The word thing is I am actually losing weight and gaining more muscle tone now than I have for the past several years when I was beating myself up and pushing too hard.
The other thing I do is after my workday or even around 3-4 PM, for a pick-me-up, I do a short workout or take a 20-minute stroll around the neighborhood if the weather is nice. My favorite short workout is the Melissa Wood Health app, she has many 10, 15, 20-minute pilates type workouts that you can add in for a little energy boost. These are also great as they help to tone and strengthen my core which is great at any age but especially as we get older.
The theme here is I am focusing more on mobility and flexibility and less on calorie burn. This actually helps me to stay more consistent with my routine and get in daily movement, 30-40 minutes. When asking myself if I want to ride the bike for 45-minutes I am more like;y to skip the workout entirely as opposed to thinking "ok, just do 20-minutes". It is an easier pill to swallow. The other factor is with more mobility and stretching work, I am not as sore and therefore better able to stay consistent with my routine. For years I thought I had to burn 300 calories or more per day to lose weight. In fact, it is just the opposite. I find that the plant-based diet does all the work and I am free to move my body in ways that are enjoyable and fun, rather than beating myself up. So much better!
Self-care favorites:
What I am enjoying most right now is my nightly restorative yoga routine. Before bed, I turn on the Peloton app and pick a 20-30 minute routine. This really helps to wind down and prepare for a good night's sleep. I recommend investing in a couple of good bolsters, some yoga blocks, and two yoga blankets. This is all you need.
I also treat myself to a nice bath once a week with some hemp and mineral bath salts and a great sheet mask, my favorite is this one from Tatcha. I especially like to do this after a lower-body workout if my muscles are sore.
On Fridays, we have a family pizza and movie night. I make my pizza with a cauliflower or chickpea crust and vegan cheese plus and vegetables I like (spinach, olives, and mushroom is my favorite combo). I allow myself to eat as many vegan cookies and or ice-cream as I want and not care about the sugar or calories. I know that my diet is healthy and filled with plants all week and this little indulgence is exactly what I need on Friday night to unwind.
I have been going to weekly infrared saunas. There are many benefits including:
relaxation
better sleep
detoxification
weight loss
relief from sore muscles
relief from joint pain such as arthritis
clear and tighter skin
improved circulation
Another self-care practice for me at the moment is not drinking alcohol. Since I started working with a naturopath, back in November, I decided that it made sense to abstain for a few months to allow my body to heal. I figured if I am trying to balance my hormones and heal my gut, adding alcohol to the mix would only set me back. I haven't had anything to drink for 4 months now and honestly, I don't really miss it. I love waking up with tons of energy and I'm feeling really great. I noticed that when I drink wine it just makes me tired and grouchy and I'm not really missing that. I will probably enjoy a drink when I go on vacation in July and maybe once in a while, but I really like not drinking. It's not only helping my body heal and rebalance, but I feel like I am more present as a mother and don't have to worry if I am overeating because of the influence of alcohol. I also never worry that I will say the wrong thing. My moods and emotions are more balanced and I just feel amazing. This is the greatest act of self-care I could have given myself.
Books I'm Reading:
I like to read non-fiction books during my morning routine and typically those are books about spirituality, self-improvement, or nutrition. Then before bed to relax, I read a fiction book. Currently, my favorite genre is historical fiction. I just finished these two books:
Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz explains how a plant-based diet is the healthiest option for optimal gut health. He details how plant protein increases the growth of anti-inflammatory bacterial species like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and diets high in animal protein have been associated with increased growth of inflammatory microbes. And fiber consumption increases the growth of healthy bacteria. When you have a healthy microbiome the microbes release small chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from the fiber you eat and this health the colon. The SCFAs also suppress inflammatory microbes, which gives the healthy microbes an even better advantage. SCFAs are vital for the health of your gut, they are the main source of energy for the colon and support a healthy microbiome, inhibit the three most powerful inflammatory signals, repair leaky gut, promote intestinal motility, and other benefits. SCFAs even communicate directly with our immune system via regulatory T cells. And best of all, a plant-based, fiber-fueled diet lowers the risk of cancer. I can't think of any reasons to not eat plant-based.
Then he goes into the diversity of plants. It isn't just fiber that is important, so don't just think you can take Metamucil and get it in. We need to be eating a wide variety of plants. He mentions thirty plants or more per week as being ideal. To quote Will "Diversity of plants. That's it...If you follow this one rule, it will lead you to better health." In the last chapter, he goes over what he calls F GOALS or different types of plants and fiber that you should be including in your daily meals. And lifestyle, the importance of things like sleep, exercise, connecting to nature, stress, and human connection.
I have been trying to find the optimal diet for my gut for years, I tried Paleo, getting rid of sugar, Keto. During these years I think I knew deep down in my gut that plants were important, but I believed the rhetoric that beans and grains (lectins) would cause digestive distress and gut issues. I read all their studies and thought it made sense and I was desperate to fix things. Once I tried Keto, it worked at first helping me to lose 8 pounds, but I was dizzy all the time, my stomach was always a bit queazy and deep down it bothered me that I couldn't eat fruit and even many vegetables were off-limits. It honestly never sat well with me. I was willing to ignore my gut to fix my gut, the irony is not lost on me now.
Since I decided to listen to my gut again and started eating plant-based, for about months now, my body is responding and everything just makes sense. Sure when you start eating more fiber, you do get more gas at first, but as your microbiome shifts, it goes away. And so does the brain fig, the joint pain, and the sleep issues. The body rebalances itself and all those annoying issues start to fix themselves. I am still on this journey, but this book was reassuring that I am on the right path and provided even more ideas and tools to help me on my journey. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in living your best life through eating well. He makes it really simple but also sites all the science behind these ideas.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet was a great book about the Vignes twin sisters identical twins who grow up together in a small, southern black community and run away at age sixteen. They end up living two completely different lives as adults: their families, their communities, their racial identities. One sister ends up going back home with her black daughter. The other passes for white and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. We get to see how the next generation, their daughter's lives intersect and the passing twin is confronted with her hidden life.
This is a great story that weaves together multiple generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Brit Bennett tells a story that is a captivating, emotional family tale and a window into the American history of passing. It goes beyond issues of race and considers the lasting influence of personal history and national history it shapes decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons people sometimes feel pulled to live a life outside of what is expected.
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