As you might remember from this post I am working on my health in various forms – mental health with my therapist and journaling and self-care techniques; physical health with exercise and eating more nutritious foods; and my spiritual health with tarot, meditation, and quiet contemplative time during the day. Now I am not one to love the kitchen, in fact, I have been quoted numerous times as saying, “I hate to cook!” I get very anxious around non-cooked food – I’ve had panic attacks in grocery stores and in the kitchen, but when one is trying to become healthier and lose some weight while maintaining a positive attitude about their body and self, well cooking becomes necessary.
My nutritionist and I started with a few basics – more protein and more veggies in my diet. To accomplish this I’ve been adding soups to my lunches and making egg and veggie scrambles for breakfast for the past few weeks. For the first two or three days of cooking veggies in with my eggs, I was near panic, although they tasted good, they didn’t really look good or they stuck to the pan or I just felt so tight by the time I sat down to eat that I was near tears. But I talked things over with my husband (who does love to cook) and kept trying things. For starters, I changed skillets. We have a few and I was using an older one who’s coating isn’t the best so I grabbed the one my parents bought us a few years ago and that solved the sticking problem. Next, I added butter and sautéed the veggies first, then I added a tiny bit more butter and finally the eggs. I’ve been doing this for a few days now and I’m getting pretty good at it. They’re still not always attractive, but they taste damn good and are totally filling.
I usually add spinach and bell pepper, but I also like tomatoes, ham, and lots of cheese! Next, I’m planning on making my own bone broth soup with chicken bones and my crock pot. Fingers crossed, please. For now, I’ve been eating canned soups with lunch or as a pre-lunch snack, then having my normal cut up veggies with my protein of chose at lunch. So…extra protein and veggies CHECK. If you have any good recipes for eggs or soups, link below because I’m going to need them.
The other thing my nutritionist wanted me to do was to drink more water so I re-downloaded an old app I used a while ago called Plant Nanny where you plant these cute cartoon-y plants and every time you drink water, you water the plant. They go through a few changes per plant and then you can add them to your garden and you get to plant a new one. Cute idea, but after awhile I get tired of the concept, but it is helping me drink more water and be more mindful of how much I drink during the day so that’s a bonus. I’ve also seen a few non-cutesy water-minder type apps that I might like to try as well. So, more water CHECK.
For self-care lately, I’ve been making sure to use lotion. I have pretty dry skin, but in the winter it’s horrible. I use lotion after showers, but I’ve also been carrying around hand lotion and trying to give my feet some extra attention lately too. I also bought a Burt’s Bees cuticle cream that I’ve been using since I tend to bite my nails (I know, it’s totally disgusting) and this kind of helps me curtail that somewhat. I’ve also been getting back into yoga and I’m finding more time for my tarot cards. Self-care CHECK.
The last thing I’ve been doing lately, and want to do a whole lot more of in 2018 is my singing. I was a theatre major with a voice minor and moved to New York to do the whole Broadway thing many moons ago. I also took Cabaret classes and performed many showcase shows and my own solo show back in 2007. Since having my son, and switching my focus to motherhood and writing I haven’t been singing as much. I sing along to the radio, sure, but nothing consistent and my voice shows it. I had built up this beautifully rich sounding instrument and that’s well, pretty much gone. I think it will come back quickly with daily practice and work, at least I’m hoping that’s the case. I have all of my old voice lessons recorded on my computer so I’m going to start with those and then see where I’m at come summer time – I might try to get back into performing next year. So, music CHECK.
So, what are you guys doing to take care of yourselves this month? Do you use apps to help you drink water? Or remember any other habits? Do you make time for self-care and hobbies? It’s hard this time of the year, but I encourage you to try at least 15 minutes a day where you can say, “World, I’m stopping to show myself some love!” it will do wonders for your mental, physical, and spiritual health I promise.