3 months until 2022 - What could you do differently?
Namaste, Kia ora Koutou Friends!
Daylight savings has begun, Spring (Koanga) is in the air and we have three wonderful, warm months until 2022. One quarter. It feels short, but 3 months is actually a perfect length of time to try on some beautifully nourishing habits to see if you like them. It’s very exciting.
While nutrition is the name of my game, and my focus is firstly assisting you to build a wonderful dietary pattern that nourishes you, much of the core of what I do is to work with you to reset your rhythms by making tiny changes to your lifestyle.
So three months to go! What could be done differently?
Let's think together about one habit you can change that will empower you this summer and give you a better Christmas and if you are a parent, a really fun school holidays.
Get your favourite pen and let's work through some ideas to find a habit or two. If you want to try more than one habit out (habit stacking) it's good to estimate the length of time that each habit will take and write it out like a high school timetable. And don’t forget - start small, and build upon your successes, it takes time to integrate each new habit into your lifestyle.
Esther Perel writes “Routines are concrete repetitive actions that help us develop skills while creating continuity and order. Rituals are routines elevated by creativity, driven by intention, and imbued with meaning”.
You might like to look at some of these below. I have divided them up according to how they nourish our mind, body and spirit so that you get a good DOSE: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins as well as good nutrition.
Before you start changing everything, rate how you feel in these areas: sleep, vitality, resilience, freedom of movement and libido. Then you can see if it was all worthwhile! It is also important to ask yourself what habits and rituals that have created structure and joy for you this past year as well.
Here are some ideas to consider
Your Physical Body:
Fill a beautiful vessel with warm lemon water to hydrate yourself upon rising
Give up caffeine for a week, a month or altogether
Get your daily dose of leafy greens and cruciferous veggies.
A Rainbow on your Plate Challenge: How many different coloured fruits and veggies can you decorate your plate with? A great game to play with the kids at dinner. With summer on its way, there is going to be more and more to choose from and all of the stunning vibrant colours equate to amazing antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins and fibre.
Reset the Mind & Build Resilience:
Meditate I love silent meditation but I am loving Sally Kempton's meditations on Glo at the moment. Also check out Tara Brach and 10% Happier podcasts for free meditations. Headspace and 10% Happier are paid but amazing.
Spend some time on a Sunday planning your week and how you will build pockets of fun and sunshine into your week.
Practice healthy phone hygiene, quit the evening social media benders and do something that actually sparks joy.
Connection & Community:
Plan a weekly nature mission with friends
Take your bestie or beloved on a date and get them to take you on one.
A regular walking or exercise date with a friend or a group of friends - it's so special to exercise with friends, and a key ingredient for longevity!
Join a weekly women’s mountain bike ride (hello Bike Dunedin). Group MTB rides can be found in all the big and little cities of Aotearoa and are perfect for beginner riders to enjoy this most magical sport or if you are an intermediate or advanced rider - make a regular riding date with a friend.
Movement & Embodiment Practices:
A Regular run, walk or a combo of running and walking
Daily Yoga or Barre I love to practice at studios but if you can’t make it to class, there is a lot available online.
Daily dance parties: A super fun embodiment practice and also a good counterbalance of beautiful feminine and flowing movement if you do lots of walking, running, biking etc - rope the kids into some dance offs and they may perform the moonwalk or a caterpillar for you.
Dig out the swimsuit and plan to regularly have a life affirming plunge into your favourite body of water
We can’t change all the things at once. Cultivate one or two tiny habits at a time. You can use or make a habit tracker to track your daily progress.
Caroline Myss writes “To change one small habit for example, is to bring an entirely different flow of energy, and thus power, into your life. That energy, in turn, adds to the quality of thoughts and inspiration in your mind, body and spirit, allowing for a different current of ideas and creativity. One positive action can create an entirely new life”.
Personally, I am going to add in daily dance parties and make a big effort to enjoy nature on the bike, running, plunging and hiking and yumminess with friends. OH and go on a date or two!
If you read all of that - Nga mihi nui dear friend! Let me know if any of these ideas feel good to you and how you go!
Mauri ora!
In my work life:
I am booking into November/December. If you have an inclination to work with me on any area of nutrition regarding most things such as digestion, hormones, fertility, preconception and maternal nutrition - I would love to hear from you!
Things I’ve been loving:
Up to Speed with Te Reo Maori with Stacey Daniels: An AWESOME podcast on getting ourselves up to speed with the beautiful language of Aotearoa.
These books: The 5am Club by Robin Sharma & Belong by Radha Agarwal
