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 >>> Monday Reset! I generally apply the #RatioRule to the whole week: Monday to Friday is 70%, Saturday/Sunday is 30%.
You may recall my Christmas Day post on WINE and #TheLifeDelicious’ Ratio Rule for Mind-Body-Spirit Nutrition? My number is 70/30 – 70% of the time I eat "clean" for mind and body fuel, and 30% of the time I eat "indulgent" for spirit fuel.
We spent the weekend with our dear good friends who are very fit and very disciplined with their diet. I indulged in lots of heart-pumping walks carrying 35lbs of baby and gear in the backpack BUT ALSO a delicious array of desserts, wine and salty snacks 😋 so I am extra-motivated to get back to healthier eating today.
Something that really helps me stick to it is making a weekly menu plan!
From that plan I make a grocery list, order online at SPUD.ca, and then invest the time to chop, wash and prep everything for the week ahead when it arrives at my door. Then all I have to do is assemble everything!
Easy(ish)! But seriously, the time and money invested in good food is so worth it because of the way it makes you feel mentally and physically.
CONNECTION
CONNECTION >>> I just love this photo I took of farmer Ken Singh for @montecristomagazine! Such an incredible experience travelling to Phoenix, Arizona’s eastern communities of Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, and Queen Creek, and getting to know the amazing farming and culinary scenes there! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Travelling, an important part of connection, builds planet stewardship and a sense of global community. I get so itchy for it!! Do you?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Read my story "Scottsdale: The plot thickens" here: http://montecristomagazine.com/magazine/spring-2016/scottsdale
MOVEMENT
MOVEMENT >>> My 5 favourite off-leash walks in Vancouver! It’s so important for Charlie dog to have a daily off-leash romp but I’m not one for standing around the dog park – I want to get a workout too! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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These are my top 5 picks in Vancouver:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1. Wreck Beach, pictured (October 1 to February 28): The stairs! The sand! The scenery! So much fun to run and play! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Pacific Spirit Regional Park: #ForestBathing at its best. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Spanish Banks: I like to start at far west, at the dog beach, and head east so that if we feel like walking further (you can go for hours along the seawall, to Locarno Beach, Jericho Beach, Kits beach, Granville Island, etc) Charlie dog is nice and tired when it’s time to put him on-leash at the end of the off-leash area.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
4. Charleson Park: A walking path for humans, a huge field for canines, and a secret waterfall!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
5. Devonian Harbour Park: Same deal as Spanish Banks – there’s an off-leash area you can walk through on your way around Stanley Park’s gloriously gorgeous seawall. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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For more: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/dog-off-leash-areas.aspx
MINDSET
MINDSET >>> We know you’ll want to capture this memory so we’re thrilled @Flytographer is offering a pop-up to participants at the @OakBayBeachHotel Wellness Weekend in February!
There’s science behind seeing yourself in a positive light: having beautiful photos of transformative experiences can boost your self-trust, self-image and intrinsic motivation.
Flytographer – created by #TLDalumni Nicole Smith! – is an online marketplace that connects travellers with local photographers in 250 cities worldwide for fun, candid photoshoots. An "Ingenious Travel Hack" says Oprah.com! "The Future of Travel Photography" says Conde Nast Traveler! For travellers who value experiences rather than things, it's the perfect souvenir that provides keepsake memories of a vacation for decades to come.
This is my ONLY retreat in 2019, and we’re pulling out all the stops! There are only 8 days left to register – January 25 is the cut off – and we’re almost 80% full!
Join us February 1-3 for a memorable weekend and get inspired to prioritize YOU! Call @OakBayBeachHotel’s in-house reservations at 1-250-598-4556 to register.
SLEEP
SLEEP >>> If you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you know the kind of suffering @doctorclaudia is talking about in her @TED talk, “What would happen if you didn't sleep?”!
“How can sleep deprivation cause such immense suffering?” she asks. “Scientists think the answer lies with the accumulation of waste products in the brain. During our waking hours, our cells are busy using up our day's energy sources, which get broken down into various byproducts. [As] waste products build up in the brain, and if they're not cleared away, they collectively overload the brain and are thought to lead to the many negative symptoms of sleep deprivation. So, what's happening in our brain when we sleep to prevent this? Scientists found something called the glymphatic system, a clean-up mechanism that removes this buildup and is much more active when we're asleep. It works by using cerebrospinal fluid to flush away toxic byproducts that accumulate between cells. Lymphatic vessels, which serve as pathways for immune cells, have recently been discovered in the brain, and they may also play a role in clearing out the brain's daily waste products.”
VIDEO: https://www.ted.com/talks/claudia_aguirre_what_would_happen_if_you_didn_t_sleep
For more on the #glymphaticsystem, check out Jeff Iliff’s #TEDtalk, “One more reason to get a good night's sleep”: https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_iliff_one_more_reason_to_get_a_good_night_s_sleep