What You Really Need to be Healthy
Hey guys!
Long time no blog – but how many times have I started a blog post like that before? I’m enjoying being active over on Instagram daily and Facebook occasionally, but I haven’t felt like I’ve had much to blog about these days. Don’t get me wrong – I’m loving life, but it’s pretty much the same most days:
Wake up slowly between 6 and 7 am when Abi wakes (a luxury!)
Greet the babe (always so happy in the morning!)
Make coffee and enjoy with Mikey before he gets to work (it’s PhD time!), eventually breakfast
Off with Abi for an adventure – coffee with a friend, a parent/baby class, errands, a workout at the gym, etc
Home for lunch, working Abi’s naps around whatever we’re up to that day
Make some dinner, hang out with Mikey and the babe
Abi goes to bed around 8 pm and Mikey and I watch a show most often or read
Bed around 11 pm (working on making this earlier)!
So, although some days include different activities than others, if I’m not already sharing about it on Instagram, there’s just not that much very blog-worthy to share! But you guys, I’m loving being a mom – this has been such a beautiful phase of life – and I’m grateful that God has continued to provide for us financially. Currently, I’m preparing to go back to work very part-time in May and am looking forward to it. I’m curious about how this will change my so far go-with-the-flow, unstructured days, but having time with clients will be fun again, and I’m so grateful I can bring Abi and that Mikey works from home a lot and can hang with her sometimes.
On the personal fitness front, I’m back in the gym moving my body while still rehabbing my prolapse (which will probably stick with me for the year or at least until I stop breastfeeding and/or my cycle returns) and I’m seeing the pelvic floor physiotherapist monthly for check-ins.
Further on that postpartum fitness front, I actually just started Jessie Mundell‘s Postnatal Fitness Specialist Academy this week, and I’m looking forward to learning more for my own body and to help postpartum women – both new moms and moms farther away from their initial postpartum experience.
I’m enjoying more free time to cook and create healthy meals and snacks; I’m learning to eat more mindfully and really thinking about whatever goes into my body going into Abi’s body! I’m truly enjoying eating mainly real food and no processed sugar – my body craves veggies and healthy fats and I’m feeling energized, not weighed down, by my food… Such a great feeling.
(A food photographer and food plater, I am NOT! Side note: you should pick up Lindsay Cotter‘s “Nourishing Superfoods Bowls” cookbook – this is the baja fish tacos, and the ideas in this book and the sauces are healthy and deLISH!)
So back to mainly real foods and Instagram – it’s where I’ve been sharing a lot of my healthy finds and fun supplements. With extra time at home, I’ve been digging into different foods that can help heal the body, give extra nutrition to your little one, and be of value during the postpartum time. I’ve been trying new products, and while all of these things sure can enhance our health, they aren’t necessary. They cost money and are certainly considered “extras,” but when you’re steeped in a health/fitness culture (via your social media, friends and workplace, like I am), it’s easy to think you need those things in order to live well.
This idea was inspired by Steph from Stupid Easy Paleo who was recently talking about health “need to have’s” and “nice to have’s,” and it really struck a chord with me. This expands from food into other things we think we “need” in life, but I’ll keep it to the “wellness” realm. We often make health and fitness pretty complicated; indeed, it’s a huge industry and part of what sells it are programs, seminars, nutrition products, and workout gear. It’s easy to get lost in what the best time of day to workout is, what kind of shoes you should wear, what kinds of foods you should eat to lose weight or gain muscle, and what kinds of supplements you should take to stay alert and focused.
So yes, while collagen is a great source of protein, good for your gut, for healing connective tissues and for your nails and hair, it’s not necessary to add it to your morning coffee or smoothies. While adaptogens can help you focus or stay more alert, you don’t need them to get through a tough work day. Although a greens powder might help fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, it’s not a necessity. Nice to have’s versus need to have’s. (By the same token, you don’t need LuLuLemon pants, fresh Nikes or a heart rate tracking get in shape or step foot in a gym.)
So this is just your friendly reminder that all these extras in my shopping cart? Not necessary.
(also, cute, sleepy baby not included )
Maybe this resonates with some of you and you need to be reminded to keep it simple and par it down. Or perhaps you’re enjoying adding those “nice to have’s” into your workout or nutrition regimen. Both are fine! But just be reminded that as spring is here, you dust off your running shoes or spruce up your frying pan at home, you don’t need the essentials to get back into a good routine, to get healthier and to see change. All you REALLY need?
Consistency. Accountability (it helps, at least!). Determination against the barriers that will arise (fast food! Netflix instead of the gym!). Mainly whole, real, unprocessed foods (just mainly!). Water. And joy in the mix – because moving and eating in a way that brings you joy will help you keep at it!
Maybe I’ll post again about what I’m learning in my new course, or with a fresh workout or some of the specifics of those supplements I’m using. But until then, check me out on Instagram moving and eating joyfully or meet me for a walk or coffee with Abi if you’re local! Live well & be well (and keep it simple!),
Bonnie