Healthy eating habits includes anti-inflammatory desserts and that can include foods like this chocolate avocado mousse that’s delicious, easy to make, and may make you no longer reach for pre-packaged, ultra processed foods.
Good or bad eating habits start with just one intentional thought. And breaking healthy eating habits is even easier with or without intention.
And if you have high cortisol running in your body, then you can be under attack at any time which can show up with negative thoughts or decisions you regret.
I’ll give you an example:
So I stumbled on a site that took me to a free fries Friday offer at McDonald’s. You’ve probably seen that or similar.
And like for many others, my first thought was, hmmm… that sounds good as my inner child kicked in. 👶 It’s actually on a day that works for me (and probably millions of people) because I’m heading in that direction anyway on those days.
And mind you, I prepare 99% of my meals so purchasing prepared foods is not a norm for me these days, or my habits
…so that lets you know how tempting convincing an offer like that can be. Except there were hoops to jump through… such as downloading and purchasing through an app that gave me pause.
In those crucial decision seconds, my rational mind kicked in and I hit the brakes on the idea that could’ve turned into a habit…
Where one Friday becomes an every Friday french fry addictive bad habit. That’s how it all starts for all of us. It’s just one step we take because of a small opportunity.
And then we find ourselves on a roller coaster with ourselves because one day our minds catch up with us… and we wonder about things like, why am I going through this drive-thru cycle?
Just because we can… and it won’t destroy any of us, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea!
And so I switched to a healthy thought channel (that any of us can choose to do)… and I thought, I’ll pay for those freedom fries so I enjoy them even more if I ever order them again, thank you!🍟
So the point here is, don’t get started…. stick with your healthy habits and you’ll be happier with yourself. You’ll have fun in so many more ways. In this example, from fitting in the cute clothes you want to wear and spending that same time relaxing instead of going through a drive-thru.
And if the subconscious mind wants to keep nagging about the fries, well… I was headed to the store anyway and I’ll pick up a bag of potatoes that I can peel, bake, and then enjoy all week (and not just in one quick bite).
Healthy eating habits like that pick up more happy hormones that stick around longer than the seconds it takes to eat one small French fry order. And peacefully cooked fries are what I’m talkin’ about! 🤸♀️
Another idea on this is in an activity half of us adults in America participate in and can be our favorite past-time… no, not baseball… But, coffee.
And if you’re in that drinking preference category and of working age, you may wonder why you get occasional brain fog. One cause could be the pesticides in coffee.
So, if you’re having several cups a day, and they’re not from organic beans (free of pesticides), then you could feel the daily effects on your cognitive ability.
Coffee (as much as I love my morning coffee routine) is healthy in antioxidant ways… but if you want to lower your stress hormone (cortisol), cutting back to acuppa cuppa joes over an all-day love affair coffee habit is going to help your groove.
A coffee memory I had that doesn’t fade ☕️
And when you sleep, if you wake up say in the wee hours of the morning, it could be because of your coffee… not because of the lingering caffeine effects, but the increased cortisol hormone keeping or waking you up.
I remember one season when I took a sabbatical that lasted for a year and after a few months of traveling and doing the things I wanted to do without the work responsibilities, I kept waking up at 3 am. That interruptive sleep-wakeup pattern was likely because of the stress of not having stress (or a real purpose).
We are meant to have work, meaning, and a specific, daily purpose to get up for in our lives. So if that’s what’s missing in your life, then maybe going on a quest to find that would be good for you.
And whether you lose a little sleep, or you sleep like a baby overnight these days, you could wake up with groggy, stressed, or worried thoughts first thing in the morning when cortisol rises. That’s built into our DNA.
And if you want to know how to turn around those negative morning thought routines (that could settle in and clutter your mind…sound familiar?)… I have a healthy recipe for you to automatically receive happier thoughts before your coffee energy kicks in, and well, that involves maybe you even doing some light dancing and singing before your day starts 🎶…
And if that describes what you would like to feel like doing and thinking naturally in the morning, take the free Body Balance Quiz and in the notes, type in “cortisol,” I’ll give you the symptom-specific healthy-natural balancing recipe that has helped so many others (including yours truly). 🌱
unsweetened 70% cocoa (natural, not dutch processed)
raspberries
shredded coconut
Instructions
Blend milk, avocado, and cocoa.
Zhugh with raspberries. These are anti-inflammatory ingredient pairings.
Notes
To make this healthy version is 3 main ingredients: ripe avocado, almond milk, and unsweetened cocoa (garnished with raspberries and shredded coconut).
Oh, and if you’re interested to lose weight and/or learn anti-inflammatory practices, get the FREE Intermittent Fasting guide to optimize your healthy eating habits enjoyment. 🌱
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. 🥔
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.
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!
Happy gut is something that makes for your healthier and happy life!
Sourdough is one way to take measures to get a happy gut. And making sourdough is a great experience to learn about fermented foods. In the process, you see how easily bacteria is created.
If you’ve never tried making sourdough, it’s much easier than it sounds. Actually… it’s so easy in steps, that it fits on the small infographic I created (here on my blog).
A happy gut= happy life. There’s a gut – life connection. Over 90% of the happy hormone (serotonin) is made in the gut. So if you have a less-than-balanced gut, then the happy balance in moods and how you feel can run off (or need some restoration).
Our bodies are fascinating and even more interesting is all the nutrition and body science accumulated knowledge. It changes as fast as tech I know, having worked in both fields for years.
We’ll never know everything about our evolving bodies and as our bodies change with the society we’re living in. And those changes get passed down. Like newly prescribed antibodies that some of us are getting.
And in this article, you’ll learn some encouragement to evolve your healthy and happy gut with a few tweaks…
For one, if you want to calm your gut, try fermented foods like the sourdough mentioned, or sauerkraut.
And fermented beverages like kombucha.
Fermenting is an add-on new-old process that makes life smooth. We already established a happy gut is a happy life. 😊
And prebiotic fibers will feed the good bacteria. Foods such as asparagus are abundant in spring. And garlic and onions peak… (see these ones peeking out here 🧅).
Probiotic healthy bacteria will encourage more good bacteria. You can prevent leaky gut, dysbiosis, SIBO, and IBS that you hear more about in young and older people.
Good bacteria are kinda like the positive, loving thoughts we want to crowd out the negative, sour ones in our minds.
That’s the deeper gut-mind connection.
Anything can invade our bodies at any time. We live in a modern petri dish society. And if you ever take a round of antibiotics that most of us in this life have, probiotic supplements plus spoonfuls of low-sugar yogurts with bacteria strains are always recommended. 💊
Because antibiotics destroy the gut microbiome, changing the happy gut flora.
If you think of a healthy gut like a well-run garden (vs. an unbalanced jungle that can turn into weeds), then you have a good mental picture of healthy balance vs. dysbiosis when we need to restore the healthy flora especially until things clear up.
When things go back to normal (and a new normal as our bodies are changing daily), then maintaining a regular gut tuneup lifestyle habit helps.
…And especially since most of us don’t just eat organic foods. A lot of the modern healthy foods we eat today are sprayed with toxins in the process.
Prebiotic and probiotic foods like sourdough help with preventative tune-ups.
You may notice your gut doesn’t feel the same as usual. And the sign is that you feel a sore spot or dull ache discomfort. That’s stress on you and to the body.
Our bodies naturally clean and detox during sleep, but sometimes our stress and wear and tear outweigh our body’s defenses.
What you eat and what you don’t eat matters, and can change everything in healing the gut.
In my own healthy lifestyle journey, I found anti-inflammatory foods matter. They help to restore balance and they’re known to prevent certain common chronic diseases. You can find them in many beverages, spices, and foods when you look around. Many of them are eat from the rainbow foods with colorful polyphenols.
Staying sensitive to sensations in the body is a healthy choice.
…I found the best way to do this is to document or write down what you’re feeling with a dated entry. And that way, you can refer back to factually what has happened, and not just what you think happened.
Another effective way is to take photos to document what has happened in the process. You can show the medical practitioner (if needed) what your situation looked like besides the patient snapshot they see in front of them.
Like this antioxidant-full butterfly 🦋 tea drink… that gradually changes even though it’s still the same drink.
If you keep a daily happy gut, you live comfortably and enjoy and fulfill more each day. That’s something to look forward to! ✨
You can also start your day with a happy prebiotic oat meal with a pear granola crumble you can substitute with apples that’s a divine pairing with cinnamon. Use Ceylon cinnamon for additional anti-inflammatory benefits. 🧡
This isn’t what it looks like (or doesn’t look like!). It’s actually a honey-saffron-pistachio-dates-sea salt whole wheat dessert inspired by baklava and the layers are filled with a wintery nut trio mix (walnuts, pistachio, and pecans). Healthy and happy!
Intermittent Fasting has become a popular way for those of us who want to be healthier and improve mental clarity (and is not just for losing weight).
It’s something I’m embracing in 2023. And I’m sharing my points with you in this jam-packed post that also includes 15 great spices I love… for good food inspo you can appreciate on feasting days if you’re on a sustainable healthy fasting lifestyle.
But first, let me back up two points as you may not be familiar with Intermittent Fasting.
#1. Fasting or Intermittent Fasting (within time windows) is becoming uber popular these days as a way to lose weight sustainably. It’s the opposite of a fad diet that I’m opposed to because the long-term effects can backfire.
#2. Weight loss for a healthy body mass index or waist circumference is one great benefit that shouldn’t be downplayed… and has side benefits that are even greater. Losing weight also reduces the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic breakdowns and developing adult-onset type-2 Diabetes that’s soaring in our modern world. T2D oftentimes can be better managed, prevented, and restored with healthy lifestyle choices.
And another point… is if you know me, you know I’m not doing IF for weight loss. It’s the sustainable, healthy lifestyle and side health benefits that I’m super excited about on my end!
…So I hope the information here gives you some insight and can help you decide if IF is right for you. There’s no shame or awkward feelings like “being on a diet” can have because Intermittent Fasting (IF) is a sustainable lifestyle.
…And actually, no one during your day will be able to note when you’re IF fasting or feasting if you want to keep it to yourself (as your choice). Drinking water and coffee is pretty normal stuff for most of us. 😊
And I use sleep time for almost half of the 16 hours I’m fasting these days. But the schedule you decide is completely flexible and changeable from season to season… and actually is better when you mix it up if you get stuck e.g. not losing more weight or you’re on your cycle for women (that’s different than 🚴♀️).
There are so many health benefits from switching in and out of glucose and ketones. I list a few below, but I can’t get into all of them here as the list is long (and this article is already pretty long)… but, if you want to seriously learn more about this, just fill out the 2-minute body balance quiz and mention your IF interest in the optional notes area, and I’ll pass on some good resources.
And in case this is your first time visiting my weekly blog, I’ve been into preventative health my entire adult life that started when I was marketing high-end nutritional supplements in my early 20s. Lowering fat calories (where even “nuts are bad”) was part of the zeitgeist I grew up in. …and, well, these days that macro-talk has switched to carbs.
Personally, I like to focus on the macro positives like increasing healthy proteins and veggie-forward carbs.
But today, we’re on the brink of health research that’ll help us live longer optimally by biohacking our bodies. I think we need this to offset the toxins and global warming effects that we daily intake (and didn’t experience decades ago).
And I believe Intermittent Fasting will help our individual healthy e-missions as our world advances. More women and men are looking at IF as a healthy lifestyle choice. Here is a good reason why:
Because IF is good for chronic cardiovascular-related prevention (heart disease is still the leading cause of death, along with certain cancers, and now cognitive decline and T2D)…
So this is why IF is good for all of us (Vatas, Pittas, and Kaphas). All our bodies perform autophagy cell clean up, and efficiently better with IF. And that helps us to reduce oxidative stress that leads to the chronic stresses that lead to chronic diseases. And if you get into a 24-hour fast, you can optimize this one benefit.
You can also look up autophagy: a new kind of recycling we can do, but with our bodies. 😊
…that benefit alone should raise an eyebrow! And is good news.
As a health and wellness freelance writer having spent countless hours consuming IF facts, benefits, and science-backed expert advice, Intermittent Fasting is aligned with my current healthy ways.
So, I’ve added this to my 2023 health and wellness plans.
And in my weekly Intermittent Fasting, what I eat and drink complements my anti-inflammatory diet and balancing Ayurvedic-lifestyle (from yoga to spices)… below, I share some of my fave Ayurvedic spices-and-everything-nice list that helps to enhance self-awareness by appreciating the foods put in the body.
On my “fasting days,” I eat from 8-4. I know that sounds like an “on the clock” job, but that’s hardly the way it feels. It’s so easy and actually makes my daily life easier.
…In my case, it keeps me from snacking all day and night, like so many of us. And even though my snacks are usually simple and healthy, like carrots, nuts, popcorn, and dark chocolate, my body rewards me for not snacking at all.
That includes giving up the habit of chewing gum that I stopped a few years ago.
All gum, sweet mints, cough drops, creamers, and flavored drinks all count as part of the calories that can unintentionally swing the “napping” fasting body back into work mode, and easily break a fast.
Breaking a Fast
The snack elephant in the room (on feasting days) for me is a few soft Twizzlers (strawberry, cherry, and black licorice). I was so going to say fresh Twizzlers, but you’d laugh at me because there are few if any fresh foods coming from a packaging manufacturing plant. 😉
…And just so we’re clear, that’s not a Twizzler endorsement for any of my weekly healthy food lists and plans (anti-inflam, Ayurvedic, or IF). I’m not trying to steer you down a Twizzler diet path (…lol).
Licorice is the happy food in my life. And you have your non-negotiable faves. Hopefully, they’re worth it!
…So, swinging the needle back to the healthy (and happy) body, here are some ways I use spices.
I like to go into my spice cabinet regularly and open up the small containers to cook and bake with. It’s an Ayurvedic balancing practice (not usually practiced when fasting).
Spices heighten the senses. And are a good way to develop recipes and come up with spiced-up! new meals. I’m a free-pour type of gal so rarely do I use teaspoons to measure spices. And sometimes being heavy-handed makes for a better dish or bake anyway.
Balancing the Body with Spices
And not only are spices a good way to appreciate your sense of taste and smell, they’re also a good indicator of where you’re balanced and off-balance. I mentioned the Body Balance Quiz earlier which uses this same concept.
This is body-mind self-awareness from the mind-body’s perspective.
Here’s how it works: whether you’re anxious/worried, irritated/angry, feeling critical, or feeling lazy, these emotions and moods all show up in your spice preferences!
This is one of the fun experiences I had when I learned Ayurveda in 2008. And then years later hadn’t forgotten, so I thought would be fun to give “the spice test” to my office-mate catering colleagues. It made for a nice break when we were all swamped and I had up to 7 events going on in a day.
…And somehow I found time to help out and work at one of The WeddingWire HQ catered events in those imbalanced hour days.
…So when I gave my officemates their personalized results, I think they felt like I magically 🪄knew them better than themselves that season (…and just with a few everyday seasonings I brought in!). Of course, I provided the counterbalancing solutions they specifically needed.
And these ordinary ones are some of the faves that can make an EXTRAORDINARY dish.
Sweet Spice:
✅Star anise. A spice blend with star anise as the star is Ras el hanout. You also get some punchy notes with cloves, balancing fennel, and mild-spicy black pepper.
✅Curry. Surprisingly I used to think this exotic spice smelled like an old shop full of food knick-knacks. And then grew into this sweet spice. It goes really well with chicken or potato dishes.
Bitter:
✅Sumac. This is not as common a spice. You would know if it was in your cabinet because it stands out with a dark purple color. It has the quintessential bitter taste along the same lines as dry mustard.
📝And bitter spices would probably not spike insulin on a fast (aka Intermittent Fasting), but the foods that went with it definitely would!
✅Pungent:
Ginger. Freshly grated ginger is great for everything. It has a calming effect even though it has a distinctive spice kick at the end. And of course, ginger spice is great for gingerbread in the gingerbread house in the winter holiday seasons.
✅Cardamom. This takes a sophisticated taste. You either like it, are neutral, or detest. Most younger tastes go for the latter perspective. Maybe that’s why it has “mom” at the end because it’s meant for more mature tastes.
✅Black pepper. And there are studies that indicate if black pepper is added to cardamom, there are synergistic anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s not just good with salt. And you can take that for what it’s worth. I personally like waving black pepper around for opening up nasal congestion. 😊
✅Cloves. This is a versatile pungent spice. Unlike ginger which gets spicier, clove is a subtle spice. And maybe why a dark brown color to blend in. And cloves are off the charts when it comes to anti-inflammatory, meaning it’s super good for you.
It’s one of those hidden spices in the cabinet that should be brought out. And it’s often in the middle of the list of ingredients in a spice blend. It doesn’t get the glory recognition it deserves like bright orange turmeric news headlines these days.
And just a few more spice notes 🎶, and then we’re done. Btw, thanks for sticking with me!… Your dishes will thank me.
Herby/Fragrant:
✅Garlic – good for adding a 3rd dimension and a good prebiotic we can always use more of.
✅Thyme – similar to oregano that’s generally more common.
✅Oregano – good for any Italian dishes, pizza, pasta, and red sauce.
Distinct/Pleasant:
✅Tarragon – for any savory dish you want to add a sweet herb and create a French bistro in-the-mouth vibe. This is great for savory breakfast foods like potatoes and eggs. They can also be part of your break the fast foods if you’re Intermittent Fasting.
✅Saffron – great for any seafood dishes and stews. And even sweets paired with honey, like baklava. Saffron is a Vata favorite because it has a very balanced, sweet, and distinct scent and taste. You can’t miss it in a paella seafood dish.
✅Dill – is lovely with any cold appetizers that need a ‘lil fresh pep. It also has a distinct green pine needle look, so it makes for a great last-minute dish dash (or final touch to top off).
Unlike rosemary which also has a needle-like appearance, dill is easy to chew. Dried rosemary… not so much, and since it’s prickly is better as an exterior skin flavoring or on a roast.
✅Mint – Not the candy mint no-no I mentioned earlier when I was talking about fasting, but the plant that’s actually an herb. Peppermint leaves are great for tea and baking extracts. Tea leaves are great for garnishes and also pair well with fruits.
✅Spearmint – always reminds me of Wrigley’s spearmint gum (another fasting faux pas) from my childhood years and is good in a tea blend. Also, good with dishes such as mint peas.
So, that’s what I have for spicy news this week until next week!
I record all my blog posts, so you can fold laundry or take a break from staring at a screen 📱
…And if you want to learn more about starting an Intermittent Fasting anti-inflammatory lifestyle habit you can stick to (and maintain a consistent weight), check out my FREE 27-page Intermittent Fasting Guide. 👙
Sleep is the revolution we’re in. Previously the ambitious mantra was to forego sleep to get more done.
A healthy avocado breakfast to break the sleep fast! 🥑
Whether getting more sleep is on your list of resolutions or wellness intentions this year (or not), you’ll get a new side of sleep… not just back, left, or right but a whole NEW angle (in this week’s blog post article)…
Below, I share about Ayurvedic energy patterns that affect your sleep, and why it matters to your daily energy.
…And a NEW change this year I’ve made that’s revolutionized my sleep. 🎉
And sleep is everything to your body… and to you and me!
Even when it was endorsed and en vogue to sleep less to get more done just a decade ago from what I remember, I never bought into that belief.
I always thought sleep was the best thing ever. Better than sliced bread (which I’ve replaced with homemade bread loaves and airy pizza crust with anti-inflam Brussels sprouts 🥬…that’s not a healthy fad.)🥖
…And sleep isn’t a trendy fad.
Amazing sleep is on my daily bucket list. We never know when will be our last day, and sleep is wellness time spent well.
When you look like a Sleeping Beauty sound asleep, you’re at peace.
…Your conscious mind isn’t running where you have to act or make any decisions.
And even if you don’t love sleep… we HAVE to sleep as part of survival, so our bodies can restore and reset. With all the functions our bodies do second by second, it needs a rest.
And after a good night’s sleep, you naturally have more energy to be productive during the day. You run more efficiently as you gain minutes because you get more done in fewer hours.
And that leaves you less stressed. And to your body, less accumulated stress cuts down on oxidative stress (one of the reasons why we work so hard to eat healthy).
We also know we prevent diseases when we prevent chronic inflammation. And long before I became an advocate for anti-inflammation, I was uneasy with the idea of running on lack of sleep.
Sleeping in occasionally was a weekend luxury (that cost nothing!). It’s a happy feeling not having to look at the clock or having a blaring alarm to artificially wake up to. It’s freedom from a duty activity you have to do, like work or school.
But artificial alarm wake-up time is not the time your body wants to get up. If it’s super early or you had a rough night of sleep, that often shows up as bags and lines under the eyes.
And if giving a presentation was part of the new day, adding a few “get the red eyes” drops always came in handy.
We never wanted to show that we weren’t well rested. And I learned this as a child when school started way before it should be legal for a child to have to get up, LOL.
Before the sun rises is way too early, especially for our growing bodies (and adult bodies) that run best along sunshine/sundown circadian rhythms.
Night-time is nature’s way of preparing us for sleep…. and why in my youthful adult years I always felt tired out at social clubs. But the environment and friends kept me buzzing.
And even way back before those times, when waking up, I learned from teen magazines to take an ice cube and soothingly apply under each eye for a few seconds. Instantly that made you look well-rested even though your mind was still half-asleep…
This is how it felt eyes opened until the time my mind and mind-body caught up.
I wasn’t one of those kids whose parents introduced caffeine or coffee to them. My 90-year-old immigrant parents have still never had coffee or a soda EVER as far as I’m aware.
They didn’t grow up with it. And I didn’t either. I only started enjoying daily cuppa joes well into my adult years.
And this is my joyful daily routine over alarms.
…So as a schoolgirl, like many American kids in public schools, I had a bowl of cereal with milk and some juice for breakfast. That was supposed to tie me over until lunch.
By 8 am when I was at school, I plowed through the tiredness. There wasn’t another choice. From what I remember, putting your head down on your desk was only done when we had a classroom survey where we raised our hands anonymously.🙋🏻♀️ Or maybe used as a timeout tool that I never experienced. I was an obedient kid. 😁
And then after 11 am, my full day’s energy kicked in. 🤸🏻
But I noticed I was still alert for morning tests as you don’t need high energy to take tests. You need the answers from the mind. And sometimes our teachers gave us a Jolly Rancher candy for our veins so we stayed awake.
Then by the afternoon school lunch, the food that finally entered my stomach sunk like lead and I felt like crashing in the afternoon. (Now as an adult I know it was the heavy, processed carb meals from school lunches that caused the blood sugar rush).
And the change in pace from class and lunch socializing with friends didn’t help either to swing back into learning. Post-lunch, my mind was ready to shut down. (Today, we know it’s part of the gut-mind connection).
…It’s like going to a social event or a game where you’ve eaten party food and then trying to study. That doesn’t work too well if at all.😏
But that was the school’s schedule, and so that was my daily agenda. Priorities misaligned, they put school-age-kid bus schedules in front of the kids they serve.
…And if school started later in the day, school-age kids would have a better chance of getting enough sleep. We need a new sleep revolution in our society starting from a young age.
But that’s a whole ‘nother topic… and this isn’t a rant or discussion about revolutionizing schools.
Outside of school and those years, today we have better food and meal choices. And food is still one of the 4 basic needs along with water, shelter, and clothing.
And sleep should be on that list as a #5.
If you’re a naturally inconsistent sleeper, then likely you’re a natural Vata body where you wake up earlier one day over the next. Each night of sleep is an adventure as it varies.
We can’t change the way we naturally feel. So this stacks against us to be daytime productive unless we learn to use our natural bodies to our advantage.
These are some natural (circadian rhythm) times when we want to lean into each of our Ayurveda dosha “personalities”:
From 6 am – 10 am, if you’re up, that’s Kapha time. And from 10 am to 2 pm is Pitta time. (And as a child, a mind-productive time in the late morning thanks partially to the mind-body connection).
From 2 – 6 pm, Vata time kicks in. Naturally, Kapha-heavy bodies can want to take a nap while the Vata is still alert.
Example: I’m a dominant Vata body, so I enjoy working during those energy-filled afternoon hours (after I’m done with a Kapha coffee morning ☕️). But occasionally if my Kapha is imbalanced and high, then I can feel tired the whole day.
…Not revelationary, but an interesting perspective, huh?
And unless you feel imbalanced, daily tired, or low on energy, then don’t lose sleep over the Ayurveda time concept and idea that’s probably newer to you.
But if you do want to make changes as I do as life-healthy prevention and daily productivity, then you can try something new or a bio-hack that works…
Especially since winter and age are not on our side. We can be more sluggish to make changes. And our bodies want to sleep in but we want consistent sleep year-round to fit our schedules and lives.
…So what I did this month was I started fasting (time-restricted eating) a couple of days of the week on certain weeks of the month.
I sleep peacefully well on fasting nights ( like Sleeping Beauty described earlier). And my body needs less winter sleep (and the same 7, maybe 8 hours amount of sleep I prefer consistent year-round that’s also experienced in fall, spring, and summer).
And the day after fasting I feel naturally more energetic and more alert. Look forward to my fast day tomorrow! …and I’d love to know if that’s something you’ve tried or are doing (…maybe for the same reasons I’m doing or as part of a new year weight loss plan).
I’ll share more of my journey in the weeks to come. Until then, have a peaceful and blessed week! 🙏
