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.
CONNECTION
CONNECTION >>> It’s so important to know exactly what we put on and in our bodies, and using local, natural ingredients deepens our connection to the environment and to ourselves. For me, the act of massaging beautiful, nourishing products into my skin is glorious self-care! My husband may or may not tease me about the number of steps I require to get ready for bed, but DANG does it feel good to GLOW from being clean and moisturized! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’m so grateful to @beautythroughbalance for providing our @OakBayBeachHotel Wellness Weekend participants with goody bags featuring their incredible natural skin care products, made with Pacific seaweed and Canadian glacial clay, to enhance our seaside spa and mineral bath experience. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You can find @beautythroughbalance products at the @OakBayBeachHotel’s Boathouse Spa and many more retailers throughout BC – visit www.beautythroughbalance.ca/spa-locator/ to find one nearest you.
NUTRITION
NUTRITION >>> Mr. Barr’s super cool aunt – violist-turned-farmer Aartje den Boer – is featured in @EdibleOttawa! At #PicklePatchFarm, she’s been “raising Tamworth pigs alongside organic, pasture-raised turkeys, chickens (and eggs) and lambs, since moving to Dalkeith, in North Glengarry Township, from Toronto in 1990.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Read more at www.edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com/eat/pickle-patch-farm and check out www.picklepatchfarm.com⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I eat minimal, mindful meat and make a point to visit, or at least do my research, on each farmer I buy from. I wish #PicklePatchFarm shipped to Vancouver! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Next best: @meatme.ca, where I purchase most of my meat, including @blueskymeats pork [check out my feature on this fabulous farm – formerly #urbandigsfarm – for @montecristo_mag: https://montecristomagazine.com/magazine/winter-2014/urban-digs-farm]
MINDSET
MINDSET >>> At last weekend’s @sophiawealthacademy, Juno Award winning singer/songwriter @SusanAglukark moved us with her incredible story and songs. So many gems! I especially loved this: “Your choices put you in the company of your people.” YES! I must’ve made some good choices, because I’m in the company of some SOLID humans.
As I’ve revised the #TheLifeDelicious curriculum and prepare for my first retreat since becoming a mother at the @OakBayBeachHotel this weekend, I’m thinking about the #ConnectionMindset in particular, and the powerful impact – good or bad – of who’s in our circle.
I’m an outgoing-introvert, lone-wolf kind of gal but this motherhood thing has really made it clear that it REALLY DOES take a village. Asking for and accepting help is a little uncomfortable for me. It’s one of my new and urgent spiritual assignments 😊
Thank you, a thousand times thank you, to everyone in my village, my tribe, my circle. MY PEOPLE! I love you, my people.
MOVEMENT
MOVEMENT >>> I call this workout the super duper glute booster! Incline treadmill intervals PLUS single leg squats!! Warm up is super important. Form is exquisitely important. Don’t go harder/faster than you can maintain perfect form.
1. TREADMILL
Minutes 1-3: begin walking at a very slow pace, do 10 backward shoulder circles, 10 backward right arm circles, 10 backward left arm circles, then walk at a slow pace and increase incline to 2.5, after a minute increase your speed to a medium pace.
Minute 4: guess at a pace where you can keep perfect form at a max incline of 15 (I do about 3.5), and increase incline to 5
Minutes 5-6: maintain pace and increase incline to 10, then 15
Minute 7: reduce pace to slow and reduce incline to 2.5
Minute 8: resume pace (~3.5) and increase incline to 5
Minutes 9-10: maintain pace and increase incline to 10, then 15
Minute 11: reduce pace to slow and reduce incline to 2.5
Minutes 12-14: resume pace (~3.5) and increase incline to 5, then 10, then 15
Minute 15: reduce pace to very slow and reduce incline to 0 for at least 1 minute or until recovered.
2. FLOOR
Stand with feet hip distance apart
Get into perfect alignment: feet engaged and grounded, pelvic bowl neutral, chest proud, shoulders broad, gaze at horizon line
Slowly lift right foot off ground behind you, steady your balance, then squat down with total control and squeeze glutes and thrust hips to rise up. Repeat as many times as you can do it WELL. Repeat on the other leg. Keep alternating until you’ve done 2-4 sets per side.
3. ADMIRE YOUR BACKSIDE! Nice work. Now, time to stretch!
SLEEP
SLEEP >>> What does my hotel #sleephygiene checklist include?
✅ Blackout blinds
✅ Cool but not cold
✅ Super cozy big bed
✅ Option to choose minimal light in bathroom at bedtime
✅ Light from electronics/doorway is easy to unplug or cover
✅ Perfect blend of white noise plus insulation from neighbours’ noise
Can’t wait to check in to the @OakBayBeachHotel for our Wellness Weekend today!! I’ll let you know how it goes 😊