Your weekly roundup of insights and tips from The Life Delicious’ 5 wellness pillars:
Mindset
Movement
Nutrition
Sleep
Connection
The Life Delicious helps you create feel-good brain chemistry and hardwire healthy habits – by shifting the way you think, move, eat, sleep and connect – so you can lead a pleasurable and productive life.
NUTRITION
NUTRITION >>> We’re so lucky to grow vegetables in the winter here in BC – check out my rainbow chard still going strong!
When it comes to diet, instead of thinking about what I “shouldn’t” have (nutrient-sparse foods, like junk foods, sugary foods, processed foods), I like to focus on consuming what I SHOULD have (nutrient-dense foods, like chard) to make me feel GOOD – mentally and physically.
A guideline I love to try and check off every day is Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen @nutrition_facts_org:
1. Greens
2. Beans
3. Berries
4. Fruits
5. Cruciferous vegetables
6. Vegetables
7. Flaxseed (ground)
8. Nuts
9. Grains
10. Spices
11. Water
12. Exercise
When your #MINDSET is focused on adding “good” foods instead of removing “bad” foods, it adds a positive spin to things that makes it much easier to eat in a healthy way that supports mind, body and spirit.
CONNECTION
CONNECTION >>> In 2019, Charlie dog resolves to spend more time at the beach, swimming in the ocean, naked! Ditto.
Here’s to making tons of time to enjoy every type of #oceanbathing, #forestbathing, and #naturebathing this year!
The benefits of NATURE CONNECTION are myriad, significantly boosting every facet of wellness – from mental health, to physical fitness, to improved sleep and even making better dietary choices.
FUN FACTS:
✅ spending an hour outside every morning, bathed in natural light, can help you sleep better at night!
✅ mindfully walking through a forest (even an urban park!) can reduce stress and produce feelings of calm!
✅ exercising outside (yoga, running, strength training) significantly multiplies the benefits to your mental-physical health and fitness!
MINDSET
MINDSET >>> Ha so true, right?! As you create (or recommit to) healthy habits this January, remind yourself it often won't feel easy or fun... but if it's good for you, you should probably do it anyway!!
As a new parent, one of my biggest current struggles is MY bedtime. After little B goes to bed at 7pm and I finally have some time with Mr. Barr, the child in me says, "wine! snacks! TV!", while the parent in me says, "no food or drink! no screens! wind down! go to bed early!"
In 2019, I intend to heed my inner parent more often 😝
In her video, "The hard truth about making your dreams come true", @melrobbinslive says, "You're never ever ever ever ever going to feel like doing the things you need to do in order to have what you want. You're always going to need to push yourself. You're always going to need to parent yourself. There's a tremendous amount of liberation that comes when you accept the fact that you're always going to need to give yourself a push."
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoQEY2sIMTg
MOVEMENT
MOVEMENT >>> #TBT to the good old days of Mom&Baby yoga with @lalupavia at @sempervivayoga!! I did prenatal yoga throughout my pregnancy and kept on going when I had Bronwyn, until she started crawling – I took this photo at our last class when she was about 6 months old. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you are pregnant or a new mama, you MUST check out these classes!! They are so amazing and supportive. The community is incredible. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It doesn’t matter if you just lay on your mat or nurse your baby the whole class. It’s a very special space and time to connect – with your baby, with your mind-body-spirit, with other moms, and with the wise and wonderful Teresa (and her fabulous colleagues). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
SLEEP
SLEEP >>> RANT! One of my greatest pet peeves is #lightpollution, especially in hotel rooms! Why go to all the trouble of installing fantastic blackout blinds and lovely cozy beds and linens, but... wah wah wah, have sleep-disrupting bright lights everywhere?!
This particular offender was quite awful: light switch OUTSIDE the bathroom AND a glass panel bathroom door. 🤦♀️
After checking into a hotel, the second thing I always do (the first is put out the do-not-disturb sign) is unplug or cover every gadget emitting light – the tv, alarm clock, thermostat, etc – and make sure the curtains have a tight seal (a couple of hair clips will do the trick if the curtains don’t overlap) and no light is pouring in from under the door (a rolled up bath towel works!).
Light – especially blue light – gives your brain the message it’s NOT time for bed, so melatonin production suffers and so does your sleep if you get into bed in a room with tons of light pollution.
If you want to improve the quality of your sleep, become a ruthless exterminator of light pollution!