This post isn’t about the science and research behind something, it isn’t about the nutrition facts that help fertility and in general it isn’t just about food. It is the personal look into my life to show the person that I am. A look at the things that make me real and make me feel good, a little insight into some of the things that improve my overall health.
- Socks…even two pairs of socks. A few years ago you would catch me being the woman who needed her feet to breath and even in the winter time I wouldn’t put on a pair of socks, unless I was going outside of course. Fast forward a couple of years and I put on my first pair of thermal socks in the winter and my life was changed. I couldn’t believe how my body felt, it was as if it wasn’t fighting to stay warm, as if my whole body could easily be kept warm and could focus on other functions. I no longer felt tired and like I was fighting the cold in the winter. Now, come September when the days start to get cooler you will already find me wearing two pairs of socks to keep my feet extra warm.
2. Warm Clothing. To go along with number one, I found warm clothing. I was no longer wearing T-shirts in the winter or other summery clothes. You will now find me wearing two shirts every day, a long sleeve thermal underneath and a sweater over top. Maybe this is a no brainer for most people, but just like the socks, I found my body was no longer fighting winter. It could finally stay warm all the time, instead of always fighting to try and warm up, wasting so much energy led to exhaustion.
3. Drinking and eating warm foods. There is a theme that is emerging here. I switched from drinking cold water to warm water (even in the summer), cooking most of my foods and having less raw foods. While I do crave a salad sometimes, I have lessened the amount of raw foods going into my body. Cooking and warming food has given my digestive system a break, allowing for there to be less burden on my system and for it to always have a warmth and fire inside.
4. Reading before bed. This may be easy for most but as someone who is a busy Mom during the day and a true workaholic, I struggle to put the computer down and pick up a book. Even now, I’m writing this at 11:30 at night when I know I should be sleeping. Reading calms my brain, it allows me to stop thinking for a moment (something I have been really struggling with lately). Reading lets me get absorbed into another world, someone else’s life and relaxes me in a way that nothing else has. If I can get just a half hour of reading in a day, I am a different Mom, a different wife and a calmer individual.
5. Write it all down…and I mean everything. I found my brain was getting overwhelmed, I couldn’t shut it off, focus and everything was floating around inside. I grabbed a $2 notebook from a Dollar Store and wrote everything down. From to do list items, to dinner plans for that night, to a reminder that I need to cut my 1 year old’s nails, it all went in the notebook. I found that once it was out of my head and written down my brain felt lighter, I wasn’t thinking about it anymore and could focus on the present and what was really important. The bonus was that because it was $2 and not an expensive journal I found that I was using it all the time. With expensive journals I have the habit of not wanting to ruin them and then in turn never actually ever using them.
It isn’t the extreme habits that change your life. It isn’t the ones that are hard to keep up with. It isn’t the ones that are exhausting and you dread everyday. It is the small every day habits, the little ones that add up and add meaning to your life without you even knowing it. It is the habits and rituals that you don’t even think about or the small ones that you choose to put all your effort into that make the most difference in your life. Take a step back from your life, what do you see? What makes the most difference in your life and what seems doable? Is it that 20 minute yoga workout? Or 15 minutes in the morning with your journal and a cup of tea? A walk on your lunch break? Or taking the time to make a healthy lunch? What is the most essential to you and throw the rest away.
Sending lots of love,
Christina
milkandoat.ca 
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