When you are too busy to do your normal healthy routines, you need some small practices to rely on!
Last week I shared a personal story about how life transitions, even positive ones, can wreak havoc on us physically, mentally, and emotionally. I also hinted at how I have used tools from a variety of practices that I am certified in to navigate these changes. So here are my top five tools that I use and share with clients during big and small life changes. They might help you! Let me know in the comments please.
5 Tools Worth Trying during Trying Times!
Number 1 Nutrition
Our eating habits seem to be the first to go in a big life change. We are either too busy or tired to cook or we are craving sweets, salt and comfort food. All of this can exacerbate any digestive issues as well as pack on the pounds. What has worked for me is the following:
- Drink green drinks. I buy the Suja brand of premade organic green juice and then add in things like frozen cherries or blueberries, an avocado, a peeled cucumber, even parsley or cilantro (both great for detoxing). I also add in my favorite coconut water (electrolytes and potassium) and blend it. You might add in a clean protein powder as well. There is also a powdered prebiotic which might help with digestion.
- Go to a good salad bar, but vary your choices. In other words, don’t eat spinach every day. One day spinach, one day kale, one day romaine, etc. Add in sprouts and arugula if you can tolerate. Both are packed full of nutrition and great for digestion. Sprouts are so good for us for a few reasons. First of all, they are as their name implies, baby vegetables, which mean they have more vitamins and minerals and two, they are easier to digest.
- If you eat meat, consider a high quality prepared organic Roasted chicken available at high end grocery stores like Whole Foods. If you are vegan, there are many clean brands of frozen vegan dishes. Check the ingredients, though. Lots of vegan foods are packed with ingredients that are not healthy. A good rule of thumb, if you do not recognize an ingredient as a real food or are unable to pronounce ingredients, then don’t eat it.
- If you must eat processed food, then shop for the cleanest processed foods that you can find. In a standard grocery store, they tend to be on the bottom shelves. I love Larabars because they taste good and contain just four ingredients. Craving salt, I go for Siete Grain free Cassava chips. Craving chocolate, I buy the Hu Brand, which has fewer ingredients, no soy, no cane sugar, no sugar alcohols, no preservatives, etc.
- If you are going to eat out at a restaurant, get picky and selective. It may cause eye rolling among your friends, family or wait staff, but it is your health.
Number 2- Mindful Movement
Gentle Mindful Movement practices—You cannot expect to do your normal exercise routines during huge events like moving, job changes, marriages, divorce, sickness or loss of a loved one, but that does not mean you should give it all up. Even short, gentle mindful movement practices can help you release daily tension and more importantly, keep the habit from being pruned off. Pruning is one way that the brain keeps from getting overloaded. If you don’t do it, you lose it! Here is a short Gentle Somatic Yoga practice that might help you. It is under 10 minutes long.
Solution #3 Take High Quality Supplements
While there is a still some debate about whether supplements are needed for your health, a growing consensus is that we are not getting enough nutrition from our food due to poor soils, poor water quality and the time our food sits in a truck or on a grocery store shelf.
Your need for nutrition increases during times of stress, so educate yourself on supplements. Below is a workshop I recorded that might help. I also can do a one-time supplement private session with you at a special rate of $75. I will review your current health conditions, then we will go over what you are taking and what recommendations that I have for improving your health with supplements. Reach out here.
Number 4: Rest and Sleep Somehow!
During big transitions, the mind is often going a million miles per hour. There is so much to do and think about with so many scenarios to imagine. For us it was a mixture of excitement, anticipation and a bit of fear. All of these factors can negatively affect your sleep.
Here is a typical scenario– You wake up not feeling rested, in the middle of the day you feel exhausted and then, right before bedtime, you feel all wired up. This is an indication that your cortisol levels may be off. To oversimplify the explanation of cortisol, this hormone should peak in the morning shortly after you awaken to get you going during the day. Over the course of the day, it should decline until evening. At the same time, your sleep hormone melatonin should be gradually increasing, peaking at night.
I am not recommending taking melatonin. There is a growing debate over its use, however I do suggest trying adaptogens during the day which you can get at good health food store or through a reputable supplement company and herbal company. Reach out to me for help on choosing. Other strategies to try are Cat naps or Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) or Yoga Nidra practice. 20 minutes is equal to 6 hours of sleep. Let me know if it helps!
Number 5: Mudras, Mantras, Affirmations, Positive Self Talk
While each of these tools is slightly different, they all accomplish the same goal—to align your thoughts with what your heart wants and needs. I have many samples you can test out to see which one feels the best for you.
Here is a link to a Mudra practice,
Here is a link to a Heart opening practice with affirmations!
Change your thoughts and self talk and you change your life!
Bookmark this blog post for when you need it!
I hope you will keep this blog post and these tools handy so that when you go through any big or small life challenge and transition, they are at your fingertips. If you need additional support, stay in touch. New services are around the corner as soon as my big life change is behind me.
With Heart,
Andrea
