Intuitive Eating in Recovery, Summer Morning Routines, & Balancing Hormones
As we enter summer, I've been making some small changes in my daily routine and really thinking about the power of using the seasons to guide our lifestyles. I'm a huge believer in a morning routine to set my day off on a positive note, and I've made more space in my morning to accommodate that. Lately, I've been heading outside for a walk with my dog first-thing, then sitting down for some alternate-nostril pranayama (yogi breathing) or meditation. I also pop on some music, head outside, and do some hip spirals and a little dancing/yoga. I'm a huge fan of Buti yoga, so it's a lot of those moves - just some super fun movement to energize my body in the morning! There's so many benefits of movement for brain health, and I definitely notice the difference in my productivity and mood when I move my body in the morning. This all takes 30-60 minutes in the morning but well worth it!
I've also been craving a lot more raw, fresh foods, especially since the farmer's markets are filling up with greens and berries. Fresh strawberries can be pricy, but I'm willing to pay for the delicious, juicy berries! Plants can be powerful and healing - from the plants we eat to the plants surrounding us. Of course, I feel great filling my body with tons of plants, but getting outside to hike or just do yoga in my backyard on the grass calms me down instantly.
Start to think about what you're craving this summer and what you could add to your daily routines to support your health and wellbeing the next few months. If you're interested in helping create powerful routines and habits for a healthy relationship with food and your body, I also just launched new Savor Sessions - 60-minute mind-body coaching sessions. I love helping women build sustainable healthy habits!
What I'm Writing...
- Beyond Fuel & Calories: 3 Wonderful Reasons We Eat at Recovery Warriors - I'm loving writing over at Recovery Warriors, and this post is really one of my basic philosophies around food. I don't eat a plate full of calories or carbohydrates - I eat food. I eat for pleasure and joy. Check out all THREE reasons I eat beyond simply fuel.
- 3 Ways to Use Intuitive Eating in Recovery - Intuitive eating during eating disorder recovery can certainly be tricky and controversial, but the good news is it goes way beyond simply hunger and fullness. During recovery, you can still work on the other principles like making peace with food or honoring your health, even if you don't have regular hunger and fullness cues. I use intuitive eating in recovery principles with all my clients - it just looks different for everyone because it's a journey!
- Do you worry about your health because of your weight or BMI? I'm sharing three reasons why you should ditch the BMI scale in exchange for focusing on building healthy habits. I've heard so many negative stories about body-shaming (like weighing kids at school, in front of everyone) based on using the BMI scale, and it's not that accurate either.
- The Power of Being Present for Disordered Eating
- Intuitive Eating: 5 Essential Mindset Shifts
What I'm Reading: Books...
- Balance your Hormones, Balance your Life by Claudia Welch - I'm thinking about doing a full review on this, but this was excellent! It's an Eastern approach to hormonal and women's health using Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The main reason I loved it is it doesn't focus only on nutrition, but it really takes an individualized lifestyle approach. It's also hugely focused around building routines that are self-care focused, like deep-breathing tools or movement practices.
What I'm Reading: Articles...
- Are you shunning carbs? Low-carb is super popular these days, but is it healthy? Certainly, some people may do well on a lower-carb diet, especially since the standard American diet is composed of tons of refined carbohydrates and sugars. Yet, there's a BIG difference between processed/refined carbs and whole carbs like starchy veggies (sweet potatoes!), fruit, whole grains, or legumes/beans/lentils. This post is pretty science-focused, but it's really good showing what really happens on a low-carb diet, especially to hormones (thyroid, cortisol, women's hormones).
- "One of the most valuable gifts we can bestow on our children is a a happy and healthy relationship to food." YES! I loved this post with tons of different ways to help children build a healthy relationship with food.
- What do you need to THRIVE in your life? After reading Ali's post on her Basic Needs for Thriving, I made my own list in my journal. Two of my big ones were nature (sunshine, hiking, barefeet on green grass) and connection (to myself and others, cuddles). This would be an awesome journaling prompt, if you want to explore what you need to thrive and how to focus on adding these things to your life.
- "Trying is always worth it" from Alexandra Frazen. Her words are always so powerful to me.
What I'm Listening to...
- Recovery Warriors Podcast on Intuitive Eating with Marci Anderson, RD - I did a workshop on eating disorders for nutrition professionals with Marci a few years ago, and she is so enthusiastic and passionate about this topic! It was great to listen to this podcast, and she shares wonderful tips.
- Amy Schumer Youtube videos: "Girl, you Don't Need Makeup" and "New Body." Seriously, where has this lady been? I just discovered hee, and besides making me laugh, her videos really take a dig at the culture around body image and beauty ideals. Awesome!
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyeTJVU4wVo[/embed]
What I'm Eating...
- Recipes from the My New Roots cookbook - This is a gorgeous and creative cookbook! I don't use cookbooks that often, but I'm loving this one.
- Stocking up on coconut butter, Dr. Bronner's soap, and more at wholesale prices at Thrive Market
- Spring Samosas with Sweet n' Spicy Mint Chutney from My New Roots as well
- A whole bunch of different "Nourish" bowls from Nutrition Stripped