HEALTH + MINIMAL Update

Last month I talked about not making any New Years resolutions in the traditional sense but to rather work on two areas of my life. Only two. It has been a month and a LOT has happened in America since then that I have been pulled in several directions on how I want to prioritize my time. I thought I would give you a HEALTH + MINIMAL update from last month.

HEALTH

One might think ‘being healthy is obviously the most important thing in your life and should always be numero uno.’ ‘You can’t fully take care of others until you have taken care of yourself.’ In my case, I can not continue growing my family until I have lost weight to make sure I have a healthy pregnancy. Health = #1. Until I end up crying multiple times per day because 5 year old kids are being detained from their families at the airports. Or I cry because there’s a good chance that any rape victim will not be able to obtain a safe abortion resulting in an unwanted pregnancy or fatality from a self abortion. It’s possible the fact that I’m cringing when I’m telling my daughter she can be anything she wants when, if things continue, she won’t, and definitely at the same pay.

These things used to make me enraged. It would fuel my workouts. There are TVs in front of the treadmills and I would be redfaced with tears streaming down my cheeks but running that much faster to release my fear and frustration. Now I’m to the point of action. Supporting marches, going to ACLU meetings and signing up to volunteer at the Immigration Welcome Center. I proudly wear my ‘I Love You’ pin every day showing that I am a safe person to talk to, no matter who you are.

Because my head has been in 500 places at once, it has not been focused on eating healthy, food prep and making sure I’m keeping on schedule work my work outs. I had a rough couple weeks healing from an injury from said ‘anger running’. I am now healed and have a new plan for keeping my workouts consistent. I have rearranged my schedule to where I can go to the gym between work and picking up my daughter three days per week, giving me absolutely no excuse to not work out.

My nutrition coach, Michael with Thrive Culture, gave me the best Birthday present ever. He worked out with me! He showed me a workout routine and watched my form, adjusting if needed. I now have a plan of 30 min cardio intervals plus 30 min weights that I will do three times per week. I am mixing this plan with simple habits to follow regarding nutrition, like: palm sized protein at every meal, 4 fruits/veggies each day and choosing healthier carbs that are less (or not at all) processed (steel cut oats with fruit for breakfast instead of cereal). I’m feeling excited and confident in my new journey of health rather than the usual feeling of having to quit eating good food and being intimidated by the men at the gym.

MINIMAL

I’m slacking on minimizing. I’m constantly listening to The Minimalists podcasts and they inspire me to have a smaller footprint on this world. I’ve been great at making sure nothing new is coming in without something old leaving.  I am only on Day 10 of the #minsgame and my goal was to pair that game with the 30day cleaning challenge. I am still excited about the idea of ‘less is more’. Physical stuff is a reflection of our mental self and personally, right now, there is too much of both. I’ve just got to pick up the pace on this goal!

Let me know if you’re interested in learning more about my health plan or looking for recipes. If you’ve done the #minsgame or are going to see The Minimalists in Boston, you’ve got to message me so we can talk minimalism. If you have an organization dear to your heart that you want to share with me, I am always looking at ways to learn more about people and how to help.