How a Wellness Socialite serves two masters

Balancing wellness in our fast paced, fun world is tricky.

-Sara Plummer Barnard

There are so many obligations and pressures and SO MANY cool things to experience. Where do we exert and where to we conserve? Time to rest or time to push through?

We really are trying to be healthy and get all of our work done and frolic with the fun kids and connect to our highest purpose and and and~ we have 24 hours and mitochondria that requires certain things to output optimal energy.

Top 5 tips to balance it all better:

1. Know your stressors and what depletes you

2. Know what's worth getting depleted for

3. Ditch the next day shame. Permit, commit, and have a recovery plan in place.

4. General Rest Hacks and Recovery Tips

5. Specifics Tips for Alcohol, Sleep Deprivation, Anxiety, Over eating, and Travel

1. Know your stressors / depletors

• Sugar? ... Not enough sleep? ... Traumatic Childhood? ... Manic Over-scheduling?

• Narcissistic Boss? ... Competitive Friends? ... Family pressure? ... Work Load?

Knowing what really takes it out of us lets us plan ahead and have compassion for our resulting fatigue that can take us out of the game. Be honest about how your habits, environment, and community make you feel. Some may require more recovery time than others and some should be avoided entirely.

2. Know what's worth getting depleted

Life is exhausting and we have to know what we value, what we feel is worth blowing our energy load. If we can't get clear on this, we'll spend our time tired and yet unfulfilled. It doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. It just has to light you up and feel worth it if it involves late nights, stimulating substances (dessert, drugs), or your time (you'll be sacrificing that morning jog).

• What's your real life bucket list?

• What do you feel you should do? What values are being advertised to you? Do you care about those really? Are you just keeping up with the Jones'?

• Do you actually care about tradition, hallmark holidays, sports schedules, that 4th group of friends you're supposed to be seen with, or pressuring family values? (If yes, awesome, note that! If not, what will you lose sleep over?)

• Connect with your true north in that moment - what do I actually want to be doing now?

3. Ditch the next day shame

Once you know what you're willing to tire yourself out for, go for it. Yes you may feel crummy the next day but own your choice, permit yourself, commit to the decision, and know you have a recovery plan. 

4. General Rest Hacks and Recovery Tips

• Sunday sleep in (or 1 other day per week to reset and catchup a bit)

• Lunch nap or solo walk

• 1 night/week early 8:30 bedtime. (If you stayed in, don't scroll Instagram)

• Stop eating 4 hours before bed most nights (allows body to go into empty belly Autophagy cleaning cycle while giving your digestion a break and letting blood sugar rebalance)

• Meditative deep breathing with soothing sounds, eye shade, and pep talk positive thoughts

• Notice where you're mean to yourself and jot it down ~ then start interrupting that asshole

• Switch to veggies, protein, and good fats (ditch the exhausting blood sugar spike emergency)

• Take a 5 day alcohol/sugar break ~ let the body reset and not be in constant recovery mode

• Flush it out with water ~ mood lift, cleansing detox, beauty booster, and cellular gift

• Give Credit & Gratitude ~ list out your accomplishments and tune the brain back to grateful.

5. Beauty Hacks & specific remedies

ALCOHOL:  Booze dries us out, slows our filtering of other toxins, and steals our electrons. Here's how to help avoid a hangover and some next day recovery tips

• While drinking, Go bulletproof! This means clear spirits (no wine/beer), no sugary mixers. Skip dessert on alcohol nights. Vodka Soda, Tequila lime,

• Antioxidant liver support vitamins ~ help the liver make master antioxidant Glutathione by giving it the building blocks NaC & ALA with Vitamin C

• Drink water every other drink. ~ Hangovers are a combination of dehydration and free radicals stealing electrons from our cells. Keep the water coming. Ditch the sugar.

• Sleep ~ let the body process the poisons and filter. This one doubles as an inflammation reducer and beauty hack. Sleep is magic.

• Cold Shower/ SF Bay dips ~ reset the body and lower inflammation

• Move that body - walks in the sunshine are everything.

• Skip the next day coffee and opt for green tea thats less acidic and dehydrating.

• Next day breakfast should have a whole lot of good fats and vitamin rich, fiberous veggies

  • eggs & spinach /broccoli scramble (turmeric & pepper on eggs, sea salt/cayenne optional)

  • avocado & sea salt / avocado crab salad

  • banana & almond butter

  • VitalistSuperfood Aloe Detox drink ~ mint, lime, aloe, ginger, spirulina

LACK OF SLEEP: this one is tough but we can feel a whole lot better with a few tweaks

• Eat less food. ~ Yes you will be seeking more stimulation but the body is tired and can't handle the extra processing load. Absolutely NO SUGAR if you have to be awake and productive the next day. The sugar crash will put you to sleep and wreak havoc on your tired skin.

• Power nap when possible (every minute counts)

• Under eye cream and fabulous concealer / brightener (Benefit's Shybeam adds to any concealer)

• Lots of water, minerals (magnesium), and amino acids to help with body function.

• Walk in the Sunshine! This mood boost, Vitamin D3 bath, and lymphatic detoxing through movement is ALL.THE.THINGS. Start slower and then pick up the pace as your body comes alive.

• Wear bright colors, lips too. (yes you feel like death but vibrant colors (esp. yellow) are mood boosters and red lips keep us feeling fierce)

• Triple the Vitamin C! ~ you can't take too much and this may be the difference between getting sick after a big night or not. Plus you'll notice a positive skin difference. I live on Oxylent (emergenC in a pinch) most days but really go for it after partying.

• Protein over carbs if you want to focus and feel good. .Carbs if you want to numb out and nap.

ANXIETY / STRESS: your brain is low on magnesium, you're depleted, and the anxiety is here

• Lots of oxygen! ~ Deep diaphram breathing tells the brain things are A-ok. The faster the thoughts are going the slower and deeper the breath should be

• Power nap / Meditative break ~ The anxiety won't let you feel accomplished anyway, so stop what you're doing and literally do nothing. Remind that anxiety that you're not going to be pushed around by it's irrational panic. Your brain is depleted and you actually need rest. Deep breathing is your only real to-do list

• GABA, Magnesium, Vitamin B12, D, C, amino acid 5HTP

  • GABA helps the brain chill out

  • Magnesium also helps with the chill while being needed in 300+ brain chemical reactions (epsom salt baths, spinach, almonds, cashews, dark chocolate all have magnesium)

  • methylated/converted B12 & B9 are both the buffers against stress in the body and the mechanics that take amino acid building blocks and create hormones / happy brain chemicals. (read more about Bs here)

  • D ~ linked to good mood, weight loss, strong bones, immune function, and heart health

  • 5HTP is the amino acid that builds Serotonin. People that party on Molly take lots of this the next day. It's a good building block for us to take in the afternoon to build up our reserves and especially the day after lots of happy stimulation. I use Neurothera that combines all of these ingredients.

OVEREATING: It's easy to get caught up in stressful work and social situations and eat to soothe or distract. If this has happened, here's how to reset:

• Wiggle. Dance. Walk. ~ put that food to work and send it to the muscles for use. The dance floor can seriously help the damage of the buffet. Walking after a meal is wonderful to reset.

• Forgive yourself ~ Yes you feel stuffed and yes you have to be in a bikini this weekend. It's ok. The body will process it and there was probably a needed mineral in that food combo that is just what your body needed. One meal is no big deal, especially with the tool of intermittent fasting!

• Intermittent fasting ~ eat 14-16 hours after you take your last bite. Drink water and let your body process that food and stabilize blood sugar before giving it more. Overnight fasting is great (and easier). If you feel hungry, make some bulletproof coffee/tea with coconut oil or butter in it. Break the fast with slices of good fat rich avocado.

• Commit to experiment ~ If you know you're an anxious eater, have some food rules. See how you feel after ditching alcohol at one event, sugar at another, and dairy/meat at another. See which social food combo works best for your body and what should be avoided. Just don't ditch them all at the same event. Start slow and experiment with breaking this common overeating cycle.

TRAVEL: Dry airplanes, too much sitting, recycled air, unhealthy snacks, and weird hours can throw us off. These can help:

• Under Eye Cream ~ wear it and bring it

• Lots of water - bring or buy a bottle

• Healthy Snacks ~ Avocado cut in half in bag, Almonds/Walnuts, VitalistSuperfood Nut Balls,Paleo Bar, Home popped Popcorn in a bag, Starbucks Match green Tea Latte, Salad or sushi bought at the airport (careful with the dressing), Apple, Nitrate free Turkey/Beef Jerkey, Steamed Veggies.

• Bring a Jacket/scarf for warmth and low back support (who are those seats made for?)

• Fascia releaseTennis Balls for massage

• Bring Eye Shades to sleep

• Stretch, Rollout, and maybe walk that morning

• Walk around the airport

• Dress fabulous enough you'd be ok running into an ex but comfy enough to take a nap (leggings and lipstick)

• Time your nap and pop a melatonin for longer flights entering a new timezone

• Vitamin C!!! Your skin, immune system, and pending jet lag are begging you!

 

This sugar baby survived a 2 week cleanse

Two weeks into my blended raw veggie, superfood cleanse and…

1.     EVERYDAY WORKS:

Everything in my closet fits and daily life is easier. My thoughts are clearer, anxiety largely gone, reactions are better, and mood is balanced.

There’s no random bloating, intense cravings, evening cramping, IBS, or constipation. There’s no time taken out to recover from odd meals, sugar spikes, or toxins from the night before.

I don't fear the dark corners of my mind as toxins spike my chronic inflammation, steal B vitamins and magnesium, and leave me without a mental life preserver when stress happens. 

I hadn’t anticipated the 'life is just easier' benefit of this Vitalist cleanse.

2.     I NOTICE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD 

With my cells being fed and blood sugar balanced, I’m not actually hungry. BUT I still very much crave sugar to get me through dull moments and distract with a high. The lack of option is liberating and over time the cravings went down.

It’s nice to have the decision already made, to just feel the urge and notice it without struggling with whether or not to cave to it. My brain slowed down it's ADD search for sugary escape once it knew it wasn't an option. I enjoyed more natural focus.

3.     I'M LEARNING BALANCE 

After doing the first week by the book, I detected a craving from my body for animal protein. I had been on the easy to digest, raw, vegan, masterfully combined superfood blends. I had done the herbs, the castor packs, the tummy massages, the oil drinking, the rest, and even the dreaded coffee enema. It all felt medically good for cleanse purposes but not necessarily perfect for my body chemistry daily.

So I played with balance. I promised myself I'd focus on the wins.

I celebrated my exhibition of more discipline than I thought possible for my rebellious, impulsive, use-sugar-as-a-drug spirit.

Off alcohol and sugar the last month+ to prep and build slowly, I was able to celebrate how big of a deal that was and allow modifications the second week with total self love.

After the big liver and gallbladder flush, I observed a rebellion against the 5x/day herbs. I wanted to sneak in a deviled egg or cooked soup stripped of its original enzymes. I wanted spice intensive, flavorful, sugary curry.

And so 2nd week, I allowed myself, and I watched.

A bit of bloat creeped back in with harder to digest choices and less fluids but I retained a desire to continue mostly blended superfoods 70% of the time for ease and comfort.

I felt a welling pride that I was shifting my flexibility around previous all or nothing thinking and could hear my body's preferences.  I knew I could go back to 5 days of herbs and all blended before the next liver flush and really appreciated the ease these food combinations were bringing to my life.

I liked having the blueprint AND noticing where my wiggle room was on the spectrum. I was celebrating wins instead of counting personal errors.

Halle-friggin-lujah!

I love that my food spectrum no longer includes slurpees, ice cream snickers bars, or cheetos. Sugar and starchy processed carbs are my Achilles heel. Others may struggle with dairy or meat, but I really get worked over by blood sugar spikes.

A recent habitnutrition.com blood test had confirmed what I already intuitively knew: I had sensitive pancreatic cells struggling to release insulin so often. I am prone to diabetes if I eat common sugary desserts – even more so as my activity level downshifts with age.

Plus, like many people, I have chronic inflammation from fast living and high toxin exposure compounded with intense internal dialogue ~ {I suspect originating from early trauma and attempts to system override to prove worth through "productivity."} My already high cortisol levels don't need sugar's 'helpful boost' and the path I was on is ripe for an autoimmune disease.

Even knowing about inflammation's damage, I feared letting go of my sugary security blanket and frankly doubted I could. I had asked the universe for a done for me, easy, delicious way to break my patterning. And doing this first step FEELS HUGE! :)

I know I don't really have the luxury to continue to treat food like an escapist drug rather than information for my cells so I'm super grateful these blended drinks weren't gross. I had to find a better coping mechanism than sugar and the delicious Vitalist superfood blends made exploring this transition possible. The chocolate chia protein powder nut milk blend mimics a cold chocolate mousse and got me through cravings.

The Takeaway 

Experimenting with truly balanced blood sugar for 2 weeks has been such a gift. Having clearer thoughts, needing less sleep, feeling lighter in my body, enjoying a svelte physique, and reducing decision fatigue in the food arena has been great. I suspect the aloe in my favorite 'Aloe Detox' blended drink has also helped repair leaky gut damages to my intestinal walls. That drink will forever be found in my fridge.

Pretty excited to be past the all liquid part so I can get back to the Unicorn nutballs and the nut cheese, jalapeno chip Nachos. I love food and want to feel good and sometimes that's a tough balance for this sugar baby.

3 reasons to choose forgiveness and it's empowering benefits:

The very thing that thrusts us forward & keeps us ambitious, may be the thing that also makes us angry, impatient, unkind, and unhappy. How to reclaim your sanity when you're at your wits end, overwhelmed, needing a break, and defaulting to your darker side.

Here's a quick meditative video on the personal benefits of forgiveness and why we should use it to our advantage improving everyone's experience. I made it as a reminder to myself and hope it serves you too. Happy Monday!!

The REAL reason we should forgive. Arming ourselves with the best tools and understanding why. WE DESERVE TO FEEL GOOD. GetHealthySexyHappy is a wellness site and series that addresses how to look, feel, eat, move, think, sleep, and love better.