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Category: Healthy habits

Recuperate Yourself To Life

Recuperate is something we’ve all done in life whether it’s from a difficult season, illness, or exhaustion.

…Recently I felt the effects of a move where I had to take a break to recuperate.

…And why you may have missed me during my short break.

Well, I’m glad I’m back.

And I feel good NOW.

But before and during my move, I was exhausted as moves are exhausting.

It felt like a hangover everyday!

Every muscle in my body was at work packing, planning, or moving something from one corner to another.

…Oh, and I have a tendency to love a basket, pair of socks, or a mug as much as my television or comfy pillows.

So, making decisions for moving my things took a lot of care, planning, and effort… that was well worth it when I found a place for them in my new home.

…Which btw,I know this move challenge and the need to recuperate feeling VERY well, as I’ve moved every couple of years and sometimes sooner.

I’m happy about that choice, so I can experience more and new places in this life.

And I wouldn’t be in my new happy place if I didn’t make those other moves.

That’s how you and I are similar.

Oh, and let’s be real, I know I won’t be doing this physical moving in my 70s and 80s… most of us won’t.

So losing a couple weeks while able is worth the time and effort.

The biggest tradeoff for me was giving up routines like blogging.

I had no creative ideas coming in and out as everything was focused on successfully moving.

…And that gave me a creative mind break.

So I’m  glad I took that time off from my weekly posts. And I’m even more glad I came back (and hopefully you are too!). 😊

I mean, we’re not machines…

We’re not meant to keep doing something just because our ego pride tells us we have to be 100% all the time in whatever that pursuit is… or else we’re not good enough.

Who says? 

Breaking self-imposed strongholds holding us back and keeping us stuck is satisfying, and telling the Imposter to take a hike is so gratifying!

And breaking have-to-do patterns is healthy!

If nothing else from the 2020 pandemic, that’s a lesson we all can embrace.

Amen? 😊

And taking recuperating breaks through life transitions is part of our life’s journey and daily joys.

Breaks allow us to let go and breathe in new energy and inspiration, grow, and discover what matters most to us!

In those ways, growth and discovery can be the best definition of success.

…Amen to that!

And that’s EXACTLY what the doctor ordered for me in my move!

…Plus indulging in a little coffee o’clock latte day break  in my new town helped.

When I felt so completely out of it from exhaustion being on go-go-go physical moving action for over a week, I was nursed back to life through daily joys.

Coffee latte to help recuperate

Because I was completely wiped out.

My discombobulation (…a word I almost never use 😎) happened mostly because of an unexpected last-minute broken elevator that changed my move plans.

Suddenly I found myself taking 52 steps for each up flight and 52 steps down flight (…but who’s counting anyway!? 😜). Plus all the stairs I was leaving behind.

Feeling the pain meant I was alive and determined!

…Oh, and my poor movers had to endure that for a day too.

They didn’t have the emotional mental toll I had. It’s not the same when you’re doing it for others and emotionally detached.

…But it can be physically as taxing as it was for me.

…All in all, I raked up thousands of moving steps that was probably more steps than I’ve taken in all the mountain hikes I’ve accrued… where 300 steps plus the mile up was the comme d’habitude (usual way).

I have my daily Apple points as my witness. ⌚️

The points overflowed… and I not only met the goal, I think I ran an extra marathon. 🎯

That kind of abundance can only be a blessing from above.

Because I now have more gratitude for what my body-mind can do. 💪

And that was training ground for spring mountain hikes.

…Btw, I’m wondering why isn’t there a race sport for climbing steps? ⛰️

The Summit CBS reality competition show (…did you see it?) comes closest to the physical challenge I felt.

But anyway and thankfully… physical was the deepest challenge felt as there were no weather hindering events, other than rescheduling from a storm… and there were no social obstacles to climb besides skipping social media.

I gave up most my routines besides work and my yoga mat (more on that below).

Because during the move and finding time to recuperate, I was lucky if I slept a few hours without interrupted sleep.

The mind-body knows when life is interrupted.

Calming the mind-body is how to get those routines and good feelings back.

And using routines to relax is how to recuperate faster.

RELAXING THE MIND-BODy

Unrest is often at the heart of why you can’t sleep… It’s NOT the lack of sleep hours, but the turmoil of change and stress happening inside your body.

So the sooner you can get to the routines, that helps the Vata (aka wind or change) in each of us and grounds the mind-body.

The body likes routine or predictability.

But the mind like a challenge to never be bored.

So during transitions like a move, let them duke it out 😊… as YOU the person grows and is healthier on the other side! 🫵

…Where sometimes you can’t see when the finger is pointing back atcha until you’re calm again.

And that’s what I went through to restore after the move and when the unpacking was finally over.

After I calmed my mind, I could use that to help recuperate my body where I still felt daily worn aches.

RECUPERATING THE BODY

And rolling out the yoga mat from Day One was a NO-BRAINER.

Recuperate our bodies is something we can all do on a floor or yoga mat.

Every day my back, arms, and legs burned.

…And where it hurt the most was my hamstrings.

Fave poses: Sitting Forward Bend, Plow Pose, Bridge Pose.

I was also ravishingly hungry (that’s par for the course as a Vata body).

And during this transition time, I was burning so many move calories every day.

…I couldn’t eat enough.

And I delighted in childhood foods like ramen noodles. And mixed it with plant-based adult foods like pea shoots and kohlrabi.

In my travels, I found my grocery stores (Aldi, Lidl, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter to name a few).

And I found a walk-to farmers market.

…I mean, I couldn’t lose all the exercise I had just gained. 😊

…So I did a little of this and a little of that to get back to normal.

That was my way to recuperate and ease into my new post-move life.

And every time I had an idea for what to hang on my new home walls or rearrange into another drawer, I was putting my mind at ease and unleashing new ideas.

I was stirring up my creative juices again.

…And making fresh smoothies was part of that mix.

And of course, routine baking my way back to feeling like a human again.

There’s nothing like sweets that tell you you’re home! 🏠

Healthy Habits Today Matter Big-Time for Tomorrow

Healthy habits matter today big time for results tomorrow. And we can get a good dose of influence from the Blue Zones (discovered by Dan Buettner), where their habits feel like worlds apart from our modern, Western world.

But we can adopt their healthy ways. And I share a few of mine below along my journey including a healthy potato habit I have. 🥔

blue zones healthy habits.

As for healthy habits, I’ve been eating whole-wheat bread and foods since I was young. I don’t think I ever had a slice of white sandwich bread. It was wheat, rye, or pumpernickel… but never white.

Whole wheat cherry glace pancakes with frozen Greek yogurt for Sunday brunch! 🥞

I’m so glad I didn’t let those past years of dissatisfied field trip bag lunches hold me back. Those and other healthy habits are happy keepers.

Below you’ll learn about some Sunday brunch inspo that came from healthy habits and endings too.

And what you create as eating healthy habits today becomes your tomorrow’s habits. And can be part of happy memories.

Some of them stick around from when you were younger, and still work. They need no replacement.

When I was younger, working smart was en vogue. Why?… je ne sais quoi. 

…Maybe we were trying to learn how to cut corners? But working hard never went outta-style. Work was (and is) what made the world go round but talking about grunt work especially would be like going rogue.

And today, in a sharing society, we learned that there are no shortcuts. The good stuff is in the work and comes from the working hard process. So glad we kept the healthy habits. 🌱

And even the tough work proved useful for growth and experience.

Especially when we’re young, we need all the experience we can get…

In those years, I walked everywhere. I had no wheels. I walked to the bus, to the dentist, to school, on the paper route, and to my friends’ houses.

And when my high school friend got a new set of wheels, a brand spanking new red Cabriolet convertible for her 16th birthday, she offered to pick me up in the mornings to take me to school. It surprised me when I turned down that exciting offer.

My young mind told me that I shouldn’t count on that routine. Our young intellects were at work even when we weren’t fully conscious. 😉

And in a higher gear, I knew I made the right choice. 

At that moment I solidified the habit of counting on myself… and not taking shortcuts that breed laziness. 

No lazy (Kapha) mind is a better mantra…

And a good way to break out of that mold is to exercise even when we don’t feel like doing it. You always feel better after the burn.

An easier way is to step outside. Because there you don’t feel the sting. You don’t count calories burned. Your wristband does it automatically for you.

And you breathe in new air and let your senses do the rest.

And when you naturally go up and down steps, you’re doing exercise without having to convince your brain to work. It’s automatic to your mind and legs.

Simply, if you want to get to where you’re going, you need to take steps… or even better, the stairs.  Fair, right?

Too often we automatically think of exercise as cardio and keeping up our heart rates. That’s just one type.

And the kind that makes a difference will be the exercises and moves you do.

Another habit area is consistently showing up.

Your presence becomes known. And you’re seen as someone who’s accountable and takes the time to be available. We all like to know people like this.

It’s a form of welcomed dependability. 

And there are ways we all can be consistent whether it’s online or in-person. And where we can be part of our community.

For some years, I was part of organizing a regular brunch group. It fit what I was doing. I was helping others plan their hosted events, so why not host my own? It was volunteer mixed with fun healthy habits.

What made the group special was that we (I had a co-lead with me) opened the event to everyone. There were always newcomers to the group and the DC metro area. And the restaurant of choice had to set up several tables.

It was fun to try out new local restaurants including swanky Michelin Blue Duck Tavern places, historic National Press Room restaurants, and mod-deco fare ones on the Potomac River. Many celebrated Cherry Blossoms 🌸 like this one (speaking of en vogue): 

And we met restaurateurs like this distinguished chef who put foodie restaurants on the maps in the 90s before Jose Andres.

Restaurant lunch time for brunch isn’t usually busy like dinner so that was a good fit for all. And being plugged in that way became part of healthy habits that season.

And during those years, as a theme, I was also inviting my own bunch to the restaurants where I ran the group events.

Similarly, if you take a look at your healthy habits, you’ll notice some repeats. Your regular habits that stick become what sticks out in your life tomorrow and years later.

Taking inventory of your healthy habits will help show you the gaps so you can have a fulfilling life.

You can consider:

Where are you spending most of your time?

What do you wish you were doing more of?

Are you plugged into your local community in some way?

How are you helping the world?

Just some food for thought as you go about your week.

For anti-inflammatory food shopping inspo, check out this 200 anti-inflammatory food grocery guide/list. 🛒

And these spuds could be part of your healthy habit start.

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Healthy Loaded Baked Potato Skins

This used to be one of my favorite lunch meals when they had a loaded potato fixins' bar at my work. The skins are often tossed out and are loaded with fiber and vitamins that can be cooked, baked and enjoyed in our daily meal healthy habits!
Course Side Dish, vegetables
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • Russet potatoes (or favorite potatoes)
  • Greek yogurt
  • Herbs (chives, thyme, and/or tarragon recommended)
  • Alliums (scallions or minced onions)
  • olive oil (optional)

Instructions

  • Cook your potatoes until soft on the stove.
  • Cut each potato in half and face down halves on baking sheet drizzled with a little EVOO if you like.
  • Bake on 350°F until browning occurs.
  • Let potato cool sligthtly and then add your healthy Greek yogurt topping and herbs to garnish and enjoy!