Habits Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

December Alignment Check

December is a unique month swirling with emotions for most. Wherever you are, you’re likely in transition and figuring out what step to take as solstice short days and long nights approach affecting our alignment.

It’s always good to check in. Even if you’re busy this last month of the year wrapped around holiday season 🎁 and joyful celebrations to anchor the weight of uncertainty.

With natural and calendar happenings, you also have personal goals and projects to finish up this year.

And sometimes there are raw emotions mixed in.

It’s a sadder time as the current year is ending and we’re often reminded over losses we had.

But we can pick ourselves up when we choose to remind ourselves of our overshadowed wins and happy (positive) times.

And for everyone, there’s anticipation of a looming new year that plays in life’s mix.

Will our future plans pan out? What should we be planning for?

And then there are the monkey wrenches thrown in. Why no one told us this in life to get ahead of adulthood is a mystery.

But you can turn your misses into your comeback story.

Because your misses can be your greatest finds when you’re aware and aligned.

So that’s why alignment checks are so valuable.

You can align to your best-self intentions to make up for all those lost years.

And that’s a way to come out victorious before next year’s end.

And in between, intentionally finding future hope to lean on and joy along your daily journey.

We all need that. Because your situation is on this planet, which automatically means you’re facing some challenges or giant in your life.

And because busy December stirs up anxious moments it’s good to stay in check with yourself (mind, body, and spirit).

Even if you’re calm and steady, others around you are triggered and act erratic or are weirdly mooded around the holidays. 🤪

That’s been my experience.

…And I’m sure yours too.

But you can keep on keepin‘ on and overcome the daily stings with in-your-face daily happy and wild impromptu surprises to erase triggered moments.

…Like this out-in-the-wild calm meeting I had with this Quarter Horse on my past weekend journey.

…Where we special bonded over an apple I happened to have on me. He gladly finished it, core and all.

We shared a few peaceful moments in the sun. 🍎

But even as calm as this meeting was, it’s not like the relaxation that the body experiences when taking a shower in Default Mode Activation (that’s a real coined term).

How do I know I wasn’t totally relaxed?

…Because I couldn’t think of questions to ask in the moment that I later thought of on my journey. Ideas didn’t pop in. Same effect you get when you’re put on the spot to answer a trivia question or your favorite whatever.

There’s a small shutdown.

And that’s how we can unintentionally turn away our creativity spark.

It’s important to weigh in so that doesn’t become the new norm.

We’re not human robots but we have automatic reaction features built-in with birth. But we can exercise our rights to self-correct and restore.

And that helps us go, grow, and evolve.

As does witnessing the life around us that can surprise us. Like this unexpected violet cluster bloom amid the purple foliage…

By using the wonders around you as curiosity you have and small signs of growth in your life, you can get more calm. And get inspired!

Getting outside your head makes you appreciate that not everything is meant to stick around in life. And that’s more than okay.

Life (and you) keep growing.

Changes are good and normal.

And growth happens in its given time (and not when we always expect).

Like this example of wild winter growth where I saw no sunflowers bloom from my seeds this past summer.

And buzzing around town and markets, you can see signs wherever you are east or west, and north or south.

Like I’m seeing winter watermelons where I’m at. And just like that, Christmas in July is now July in Christmas in the northern hemisphere. 🍉🎄

These are all small signs that anything is possible.

Where you don’t need to be able to know it’s out there to be a possibility.

Because the Universe above sees it all.

And responds to our thoughtful prayers that stirs us up and the energy around us.

Wherever you are, you are purpose… and you are useable energy.

And you can sense and pick up on the living energy around you.

…If not in your home, take a walk, look up, and all around and to see energy happening.

Like pine cones falling.

Nature and trees are a good symbol of hope and life energy to rely on when the world is full of chaos.

And exercise is still one of the best ways to get new energy and clear your head from life turmoil.

Or a creative outlet project that ignites your untapped potential.

Your healthy mind doesn’t care what you work on to change tunes and get the happy vibes back.

It just wants you to get out of your current thoughts dragging you down.

And if you do something challenging or tough today, you can then appreciate what you did later or tomorrow.

That’s why you smile when you see your past photos.

Or when you think about the job where you were miserable, but are no longer there. You made it!

So strange… if you really think about this life.

Especially since now when you’re doing the painful activity is where there’s gain.

But the gratification feelings are often delayed from the grind.

Where we usually want instant gratification.

…So we’re misaligned.

Until we connect-the-dots, and use our delayed gratification ways that are a given, to our benefit.

Then we have the opportunity to appreciate the tougher times and get more patient about our current situations. And plow through.

And on the other side, we’re happy we went through our pains to get to where we are.

And with enough practice, even partner with (and empathize) with “no pain, no gain.”

That’s done more healthy with balancing some FUN downtime.

…So your candle doesn’t burn out.

And these are a few December fun ideas you can do:

Bring out your RED and white sparkly glitter garb. Be the one to break out the bright Christmas socks and sweaters.

It’s the one time of year where you’ll see a swarm of red Ho-Ho-Ho worn by everyone from the Rock-ettes to red cap wearing sports fans.

Let the red cheer remind you of fire passion you can ignite in you.

Make handmade craft decorations with your own cookie cutters.

Bake gingerbread cookies with chai spices and adding a pep in your step.

Play Christmas therapy songs to help change sad or anxious moods.

Hold and sip warm hygge-cozy beverages to get in the holiday spirit.

Around town, notice the Christmas trees 🌲, pretty wreaths, sparkly ornaments ✨,and colored lights strung that are just in time to brighten up nature’s bare tree season.

Humans make up for nature’s dormant transition. And show up and sometimes out…

It’s a good time to be hyper-kind and for-giving… and put aside differences… staying thankful for the peace, joy, and love we all want.

…And to reflect on what we did earlier in the year that was life changing. But we temporarily forgot about in the current hoopla… maybe a move, change in job, vacation, or goal made. Or all of the above!

We forget the smaller happy times and inching along micro strides we made. Writing it all down before year end, or putting together a small scrapbook could be a good way to stay optimistic and align with your best self and next steps for tomorrow. 👣

Fasting For Gut Detox

Fasting (temporarily) is a way to do gut detox without green juices. And then appreciate preferred foods like a berry smoothie… with beet that (for me) can’t be beat.

Fasting is a practice that I’m proud of.

…I no longer freak out when I haven’t eaten. I look at not eating differently than my younger self would have.

I now know it’s healthy detox.

So now it’s my choice to fast occasionally.

And fasting is a form of empowerment.

(…And it can be for you too if you choose).

It’s a smart move.

Because living today, we are exposed to so many daily toxins like microplastics, bacteria, and pesticides.

And they end up in our gut and food.

That wreaks havoc on our gut health and how we daily feel.

So an easy way to at-home detox is to simply fast: to not eat temporarily and occasionally.

Fasting is countercultural to western world upbringings where we eat, eat, eat. And snack, snack, snack.

…Which never gives our bodies a break.

But fasting once a week or even once a month does a world of good for the body.

If you choose a day to stop eating at a certain time like 4 pm (like I do) and then resume back at 9 am the next day in time for breakfast (to break the fast), you’ll have turned your body into a healthy cleaning machine.

And it’s really not that difficult from a discipline perspective since you’re sleeping (and not eating anyway) for most the time.

It’s more about breaking old habits and mindsets.

You probably (surprisingly!) won’t even be hungry in the AM… and could even go to the afternoon or 24 hours if you had a reason.

Those additional hours of fasting reaps even more healthy body benefits.

But I find that a 16-17 hour fast is the sweet spot, doing wonders, and doesn’t disrupt my life.

Around that 17th hour mark (that’s more or less for some people), the body switches energy sources from glucose (blood sugar) to fat.

You may have heard of this process (ketosis) from the Keto Diet. But fasting is not about a Diet (with a capital “d”). Because in fasting, you’re simply not eating, temporarily.

Then when you start eating again, it’s about resuming regular eating… hopefully with healthy foods like in an anti-inflammatory food diet.

…Where the type of healthy food matters most (when eating)… much more than counting fat and protein calories, and avoiding high carbs that can cause a yo-yo diet effect.

You lose weight from not eating at all temporarily (when fasting) and not because you’re eating less carbs and calories.

And while fasting is helpful for losing weight, I don’t fast to lose weight… I do it for the healthy benefits.

It’s good for anyone.

Even thinner people (aka Vatas) like me.

…It’s like doing some cardio is good for anyone with a beating heart.

And fasting is part of a healthy lifestyle.

…And one that’s changed my life.

I no longer freak out when I haven’t eaten for some hours on a day I choose to fast.

I look at not eating totally different than I was taught growing up.

And if I have low blood sugar during the day when I’m not fasting, but because I don’t have anything in my stomach or I forgot to pack a snack, I know I’ll be fine.

…Because I know I do the same thing when I purposefully fast.

I’m not eating in both cases.

But the body doesn’t know if I’m choosing to be hungry for fasting healthy reasons or if I forgot to pack a snack.

But my calmed mind does. And I do.

As long as my mind and I know, that’s all that matters. And my body is happy with me.

I’m letting it do its full reset and cleaning job, uninterrupted.

Then the next morning, my body rewards me.

I wake up feeling refreshed… like I’d slept for days.

That’s when I’m humbly reminded of how it feels to have energy without needing cups of coffee to get going!

Without missing a beat, I’m never more excited to taste a beet smoothie 🫜and start my day.

And I know I’m not the only one. 😊

Low FODMAP Diet Restores Bloating

Low FODMAP diet is one food map you can follow when you have bloating symptoms… that anyone can feel from time-to-time caused by disagreeable food choices.

…That’s just a part of living and trying new foods.

When that happens, restoring the gut with a list of researched, healthy, and selective food choices that will soothe the tummy is the fastest and least painful cure with tummy discomfort.

It’s easy to do when you know what to do.

And choosing a low FODMAP diet (at least temporarily) is the easy way.

…It’s like reigning in Nature’s medicinal foods, where Nature is a 3rd party talking some sense into your gut.. so you can bounce back to less restrictive eating and get back to regular food celebration.

…Where baby foods and water aren’t the only items on the menu.

A Low FODMAP diet can also be a digestive reset, supporting a healthy eating lifestyle. The foods are mostly all plant-based and anti-inflammatory. 🌱

So you can think of a low FODMAP diet as a food map to optimize healthy eating. And lower gut acidity that can show up as heartburn, upper GI inflammation, or lower bloating abdominal discomfort.

Many of our American or Western world diet foods are high acidic and can tip the cause to a condition called GERD… that I can attest to feels like amped up heartburn.

…So it’s good to keep a handy list of Low FODMAP foods that won’t 🌱 exacerbate stomach acidity, so that you can fully enjoy your preferred daily foods and beverages.

Where it gets tricky is that some foods can fall into higher or lower FODMAP categories.

Coffee is one such example. It’s a Low FODMAP healthy ingredient. But the way it’s prepared (like as a regular hot brewed coffee) makes it more acidic.

That’s why on that note, daily home cold brew coffee is my safe choice so I don’t have to give up the healthy caffeine starter. Cold brew is easy to make and an easy tweak. But I still cushion with food like a banana. 🍌

Another example is nuts where walnuts and peanuts can be okay… that is, assuming you can even eat nuts.

But then other types of nuts like cashews and almonds that you and I can cross off the list as they can be digestive havocs… it’s nut. 🤪 and there’s no rhyme or reason or easy way to remember (other than with a handy list).

That doesn’t even factor how the foods react individually with us.

But you can see how complex it can get in our busy world food choices.

Food is not black-and-white to our guts.

With any food, we can feel poked and burdened with the weight of lead after it goes down.

So bypassing questionable how-it-will-go-down ingredients, you can go straight to the unquestionable and safe… simple to digest foods..

…Early on, we relied on the B.R.A.T. diet that was bananas, rice, apples and toast. It was easy to remember and you didn’t have to break out a list.

It was so short and easy to remember that I also added yogurt on my stomach-friendly list when I was a young brat. 🧒🏻

Yogurt has probiotics and protein. It’s relatively inexpensive food medicine.

And finding the lowest sugar yogurt option optimizes the good bacteria count.

And the B.R.A.T.Y. (I added the “y”) simple digestive diet still works.

But these days… NOT ALL SO SIMPLE.

…With all the tempting choices around us.

So a personal Low FODMAP list that works for your palate and body is good to compile, so you can reach for the safe decisions made when needed. You can even set the list in your pantry cupboard for your emergency convenience.

I have a label on my Five-Spice.

That way you’re not confused or anxious when emergency calls… and especially with all the conflicting information out there of what may or may not help your bloating or digestive symptoms.

…Like ACV mixed with water.

In my world, it works.

It signals to the stomach to stop producing acid that it does.

Our bodies are all about being counterintuitive mystery curve balls where the best proof is our baby steps and trial-and-error.

That’s how we learn anything specific in our lives.

We test the apples.

And apple fruit is another one that is low FODMAP questionable depending on the apple type (for us apples).

Apples are on the B.R.A.T. diet from a simpler world time.

And you may find you do better with unsweetened applesauce as I learned with my stomach.

What works for one person may not for you.

Just don’t be afraid to try foods for variety.

Most guts aren’t happy on an empty stomach and delays our healthy restoration.

Our guts are forgiving if we’re biodiverse trying… otherwise none of us would be still be on the planet.

It comes from a similar diversifying principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Eggs, btw, are generally ok too. 🥚

And even if we make a one-time food mistake, we can cushion with foods and ingredients that are generally safe on a low FODMAP list:

-bell peppers and most veggies

-avocado

-many fruits (and believe it or not… green bananas are lower FODMAP than soft, ripe ones).

-Yogurt (low-sugar Greek yogurt)

-quinoa, oatmeal, cooked soft rice

Amaranth is one grain I discovered to be super gut-friendly. It has a Cream of Wheat bowl texture… but is gluten-free.

If you’re a sourdough or bread making person, for Low FODMAP you can even add amaranth to your whole grain roll or bread loaf.

And, some other Low FODMAP list adds:

-herbs/spices: fennel (in Five Spice powder), anise, peppermint

-teas: green, black, and some herbal teas (chamomile, chicory root, peppermint).

Peppermint tea is something I always keep in my “food-as-medicine” cabinet. It does wonders for stomaches and other body aches like headaches.

And instead of reaching for candy or sugar sweets, you can chew on an anise star or make a low-sugar applesauce blueberry cobbler.

Use fruit and maple syrup for sweeteners.

Those can be okay if you’re experiencing high acidity where a GERD grocery list is also a good idea next time you’re in the store.

Positive Attitude is Everything

Positive attitude (aka optimism) has always been the better way to make good things happen in life. But so often, easier said than done.

Like when dropping a box of spaghetti where you can look at it as an extra chore… or spending a few minutes playing a fun game of pick-up sticks.

But it’s easier to magnify our natural responses, complaining, and being with the realities of life.

Where you maybe mutter something that doesn’t help the situation.

It’s an automatic response…

But automatic responses can be changed like past phases (and phrases you used) going through life.

They were place holders until you found a better way for your snap! uh-oh situations.

…Where those and anything in life could change your mood in an instant.

And when you run into those sudden moments, you can practice your better ways.

Use those as prompts to change your auto-reactions to situations.

That helps to shape your positive attitude.

And enrich what you want to grow in your life, like your opportunities and relationships…

Which btw, have you ever noticed that leaders and successful people are positive and motivational?

It helps them and then others are attracted to them.

But like all of us, they’re not always happy… but a positive attitude also helps them to reach deeper within for answers. And rise above what could drag them down.

That can go either way.

And it’s not the situation they get that’s the downfall… it’s their attitude that can make or break what happens next.

It’s the positive attitude that carries them through and over the hump.

Their positive beliefs turn into good reality.

And in turn, they become what they believe when they look in a mirror.

And if what you believe is positive, growing, and happy then, that’s where you’ll go-al. 🎯

So finding the positive out of negative situations is still the answer to success, but getting there isn’t always easy.

One good way to grow that area is you can choose to find the comedy in life-in-play situations and laugh more… with a positive attitude (that’s not cynical).

Then by laughing, you’re spreading joy that’s positively contagious.

…I’m serious.

It helps to gain a reality check.

…Is it really that bad?

It’s usually not as bad as the moment of impact.

And having a positive attitude to survive the moment is everything.

Because most situations move on and become a memory.

And I know myself what it’s like to have to change the attitude side and run 180 degrees in the opposite direction from my initial thought reactions.

…Because cynical and sarcastic was the realistic culture I grew up in. And was probably what you grew up in if you lived on watching television sitcoms before the turn of the century.

Realistic was pessimistic.

And the word attitude used alone meant you copped an attitude where more words added could cause trouble.

People didn’t know they had an attitude until it was brought to their attention.

That zeitgeist wasn’t set up yet for mindset shifts, daily enlightenment, meditation, and quiet time that today are times to look forward to… and maybe even get a little excited about! 🎉

Today, thankfully attitude is reframed into more positive attitudes.

People are much more conscious and will forwardly say, my attitude is: __________.

An easy way to test your own attitude (and practice) is to see how you view the daily weather.

In climate change days, most of us are often tested as the weather can re-route our day’s activities and how productive we are.

If the daily weather is not so favorable and you have to change your plans you were looking forward to, how do you view that?

…Does it make you sad, disappointed, or discouraged? Or do you see it as a way to step into possibly better plans?

If you adopt the latter, then you become less stuck in your ways… more nimble, and open to what life could bring in your favor at any moment.

Flipping the script is how you rewrite the thoughts in the situational moments.

…And thrive in your day.

And one day at a time becomes your life.

So changing to positive attitudes in your life helps you for the rest of your life. …Making responses automatic and letting those healthy ways penetrate deep down in your core.

…Where you bypass negative emotions and bridge straight toward the positive and loving thoughts and feelings.

I know this because that’s what I practiced in life situations to be the better version of myself. 🙋🏻‍♀️

This week, when the power unexpectedly went out for a few hours because of a hurricane storm that came up the coast, I discovered a new coffee shop. And from that small re-route, I may have a new potential partner to work with.

And another example this week was I had a ticketed event and found out that it wasn’t what I thought it would be.

So I ended up re-routing myself to a store where I met new friends.

👉 But the main lesson here is that before I let any of those two sour situations affect me, my attitude was automatically re-routed to a good place. My auto-thought now is: there’s a good reason for this… and I don’t know yet what that is, but the day will play out and I will figure it out.

And that’s because of the practice I had been doing leading up those events.

So now that I did that practice, I also believe that good things are rigged for my favor.

If you too believe that for your life, and that your re-routes are to help you, then you can bypass frustration feelings and look for more good in your day.

And in return, your energy radiates as attractive to the world. 🎉

So if this sounds good to you and you’d like to grow more of a positive attitude (to be the better version of yourself), this is one attitude habit you can practice daily…

Anytime you catch yourself complaining or have a complaining thought, try to catch that right away.

It might take a few tries in the beginning like any new habit and natural way, but (by being self-aware) eventually you’ll be able to change that.

👉 What’s tricky is that most of us are self-aware about our attitudes in the places we’re already aware of… but the ones we’re not (e.g. ego blind), those are the ones we want to change for out better lives.

We’re blind to what we don’t see.

So those areas take more effort to discover.

But if you practice in the small daily stuff like your weather re-route attitudes and hearing yourself complain-talk, then they become visible.

They become your natural way one situation at a time. And you can change your overall attitude.

And with a positive attitude, you get to focus on bigger, brighter, and better things!

Cinnamon Donut (Baked) – Low-Sugar

Donut baked with low-sugar cinnamon and honey is a way to love the original fried dough dessert that tastes amazing. 🍩 And these are made with healthy flour and ingredients. Recipe below.

The hole is credited to a sea captain on the waters in 1847.

Holed-donuts even look a bit like life preservers 🛟… and his story (and history) goes like this: the captain wanted more even cooking all around, so he punched a hole in the middle.

Then years later, donuts became “oily cakes” from the earliest donut shop recorded on land in the U.S.

And today, you can avoid oil and water (in cooking) by easy baking low-sugar donuts.

And you get more of an even bake like I did, using your special pans.

I used my Nordic Ware for this baking project that would hold up to any heated baking wars inside the oven. 😊

When you mix in whole wheat flour, you’re getting more fiber and protein than all-purpose flour. It’s a small tweak you can make in your cakey dough recipes.

The dough-batter will be a little darker in color.

I grew up on whole wheat sandwiches so it was an easy substitute for me.

You can see it holds up well in the pan of whole and hole donuts. With holes too, you get double the w(hole), plus more.

And sometimes a low-sugar healthy sweet cinnamon donut hole bite is all you need to fulfill the sweet tooth inside the pie hole (mouth).

When I worked with food event planning in Lebanese restaurants, one of the more popular desserts was Awamat (donut holes).

So this is where it can get confusing… is the hole the space in the middle of the donut or the donut round hole? 😁

In my party planning days 🥳, it was the round holes.

Those were often the choice for birthday parties or special dinner events that could be built up into a Croquembouche display (like a Christmas pine cone tree 🌲).

Holes in the middle can’t do that as they’re just air.

So the solid holes was something special and new to me. 🍩

Another new change I learned: donuts aren’t just for breakfast anymore like they used to be.

And the decked out party cinnamon donut holes I worked with were made with honey instead, and zhughed with saffron that gave a tangy tasting top.

…Plus a pretty interesting look with the stringy red strands.

In reminiscing about those special event donut days, this is my low-sugar healthy whole wheat version of the donut that you can decorate for any sweet occasion. You can make these anytime.

And add a melted chocolate glaze to the top, add rose tea buds, or a low-sugar chocolate frosting.

You can also try a coconut donut with a chocolate glaze.

Celebrate! And Mabrouk as we’d say… that means Congratulations! 🎉

Healthy Whole Wheat Cinnamon Donut - Low-Sugar

When you want a sweet bite, these fill the hole with a low-sugar, healthy baked snack.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, lebanese

Servings 4

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup milk of choice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 tbsp light extra virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp cinnamon spice
additional cinnamon for zhughing (optional)

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients until fully combined.
Roll 8 balls with hands and add to baking sheet pan (or make 2 donut rings and 4-5 1" balls).
Bake on 350°F/180°C for about 20 minutes. Don't overbake. Tips: With whole wheat flour, you'll tend to think that it may not be baked through so time is more reliable. About a few minutes or 5 minutes before finished, you can also flip the donut bottom to top of the pan, and see that the bottoms are slightly darker and finish your bake more evenly. Or for the donut holes, have fun rolling them around!
For a simple glaze, save your egg white and add a splash or water. Glaze donuts about 5 minutes before end of bake. You can also add a melted chocolate, light honey, or maple syrup glaze after the donut pan is cooled. Or simply zhugh with a dusting of cinnamon.