I recently hit a wall and realized that a few bad habits were compounding and causing me to feel awful. Lack of sleep, brain fog, feeling unmotivated. Honestly, a lot of this I believe has to do with working from home (read: easy to form bad habits) and feeling burnout every so often. It definitely had to do with my diet, too. It’s not like I was eating pizza for lunch, but I wasn’t considering the nutrients that my body and mind need to keep me going during the day and feeling great.
After a few weeks of feeling very blah, I decided to make changes and seriously commit to being more mindful about my daily lifestyle choices. Week 1 has passed by, and I feel amazing. I’m sleeping well, happier, and feel like my mind is clear and refreshed. Looking at my phone less, focusing on progress, eating better, exercising, and being more mindful about my choices on a daily basis. The stress in my shoulders is gone (so the lovely jaw clenching has subsided, too) and I simply feel refreshed and energized.
Here’s my routine below as of late–little things that have made a big impact…
Current routine
When I wake up: I make a latte (2 shots espresso, 1 cup steamed almond milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon) and some days I have fresh celery juice beforehand. I play music or listen to an inspiring podcast to start my day on a good note.
{ insert run, long walk with Scout, or a workout class here… 2-3 times a week }
Breakfast: consists of either scrambled eggs, avocado, and sauteed spinach or the smoothie below. I am completely addicted and look forward to making it each day. So good for you, too!
Smoothie recipe
1 scoop of Vanilla protein powder (love this stuff)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 handful of spinach
1 handful of fresh mint
1 banana
1 Persian cucumber (or regular)
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
2 cups almond milk
4 ice cubes
Lunch: I have been doing salads (sometimes with rotisserie chicken), baked sweet potato with a small side salad or avocado, or the above smoothie if I didn’t have it for breakfast.
Midday walk with Scout, errands in the neighborhood, or a juice pickup. Fresh air and vitamin D!
Snacks: Chopped veggies with Whole Food’s lemon hummus (favorite), fruits (antioxidant-rich berries), banana or apple with peanut butter. I also love making fresh watermelon juice during the day! Just half of a watermelon scooped into the blender with 3 ice cubes.
Dinner: Matt and I are usually pretty healthy about dinners, but have been trying to stay away from Italian (our weakness) until Friday/the weekend. Lots of hearty salads, grain bowls, and soups.
Wine: You know I love my Pinot. I still have 1-2 glasses a few days a week and usually a little more on Saturdays–which works for me.
Before bed: Nature’s Calm (1-2 tbsp mixed with hot water). “Nature’s calm is a solution to both restore a healthy magnesium level and balance your calcium intake-the result of which is natural stress relief”. It relaxes me right before bed and I have been sleeping like a baby. Or I will make 1 cup hot water, freshly squeezed juice from half of an orange, 1 tbsp of honey, a dash of cayenne, and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
What’s amazing about self-care is when you stick with it and actually *see and feel the results, it inspires you to keep it up. Excited to keep this going… xx
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Really enjoyed this…Sophie seems to really know what she’s talking about; accessible, easy to achieve healthy rituals balanced with living and having fun! I sometimes feel guilty about the wine or two (cava/champagne for me, red histamines drive my skin crazy, which makes me sad!!) but it’s great its not such a big deal. I also turned 30 this year! xx
P.s. I like the rotisserie chicken idea. So good!
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Thank you, Emma! Yes, it’s been fun adding a few new rituals to my day. They have made a big impact so I am going to keep it up!
And yes! We always try and grab a rotisserie chicken to have on hand to add to grain bowls and salads. Makes it so easy!
For pasta, if you use POW or Banza it’s made of chickpeas or beans and is high in protein and fiber — so I eat pasta now guilt-free because it’s not just empty carbs!