WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN 2020

 
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Phew, 2021 is near! This year has felt like 5 years combined. It’s hard NOT to think about all that I’ve learned, especially from a health and wellness perspective. What has 2020 taught you about yourself? For me as a busy mom of two little ones, the lessons have not necessarily been profound, but they’ve been many. The urgency of this year helped me quickly embrace many things that I’d thought about before. This includes:

1. Prioritizing mental wellness through meditation

I interviewed meditation expert, Reverend Jim Burklo of Mindful USC, and one of the main things that I learned is that you can’t move through major changes, whether they’re personal or global, without taking inventory of your thoughts. Mindfulness meditation is both a calming and effective way to do that. I’ve added meditation into my spiritual practice and it’s worked wonders. Read my post on ‘How Do You Actually Meditate?’ on the homepage.

2. Putting sleep first

It sounds WAY easier than it is. However, by getting our kids, and therefore myself, on a better bedtime schedule, the days flow a lot better. Sleep is critical to physical healing, mental clarity, weight loss, and makes for an overall happier mom.

3. Be aware of what’s happening in the news and around you, but...

Don’t let negativity zap your optimism. No matter what, you are entitled to guilt-free JOY.  

4. Juicing is life! 

Our favorite home-pressed juice is: celery, cucumber, spinach, carrot, ginger, apple. I try to balance out our sweet fruit of the moment with an equal amount of veggies. It’s amazing what a few fresh greens can do! If can’t make our favorite combo fresh pressed, I grab a few low sugar options from the store to carry me through the week. On action packed days, this allows the kids and I to fill up on greens without thinking too hard about it.

5. Mixing up workouts

Flipping my workout routines has been key during Covid season, to spice things up while the gyms are closed and also to avoid muscle fatigue. I’ve added jogging, hiking and walking into my weekly routine of kickboxing and strength training. I also scaled back my workouts to 3 times a week, versus 4-5 to give my body time to rest. It is thanking me! 

 
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6. Keeping the kids active outdoors has been key

At first I was nervous about taking our young children out into the world amid a pandemic. But it was necessary after months of mainly staying indoors. I’ve kept it pretty simple. We do weekly walks in different neighborhoods for variety, have gone miniature golfing, to the zoo, and now do a small biweekly learning pod. Our short, distanced and masked outings make a huge difference. I’ve learned to never underestimate the power of a good walk to explore your city, shake out the sillies, calm tantrums and cabin fever.

7. Define your own form of activism

Do what works best for you and your family. Whether you’re protesting in the streets, supporting or not supporting certain vendors, organizations, candidates or banks, eating healthy, calling leaders to spark change, or participating discussions; it’s ALL good, valuable and needed. 

8. Slowing down helps

From ballet and music to swim lessons, parties and playdates, I have no idea how I did so much before!?! By being forced to slow down, I’m more intentional with my time, more focused, and now outline a flexible, daily schedule that works for me. Doing less actually feels like I’m doing more, because I’m spending a lot more quality time with my family and knocking at least one major to-do off of my list every day.

9. Cook with what you have

Remember when lockdown first started and everyone was hoarding groceries, paper towels and toilet paper? So happy that’s over! That experience taught me what my grandmother has been preaching for years; Always keep food staples in-house, if possible. It’s also encouraged me to shop wiser, cook with what I have, and keep the meals simple, so that I can maximize ingredients. Vegan cooking doesn’t have to be complex. I’m finding joy in making quick and easy dishes like one-pan meals, stir-frys, and pasta dishes, that include vegetable-based noodles. I also like to keep breakfast pretty simple: Watch.

10. Stay in the present

It’s easy for my imagination to run rampant when thinking about the future, especially in this climate. While we can’t predict the future, we know that COVID won’t last forever. It’s been critical for me to savor each moment, from the sweet to sour, and soak it all up while it’s happening. Finding preventative ways to protect my health and those that I love makes me to feel more empowered. Steering clear of negative people, conversations and rationing my news intake has also helped me to be more clear and present in the moment.