Happy New Year’s resolution practices are a concept of yesteryear, better replaced by a wellness new year.🌱
…And better formed habits (in my healthy list below).
But resolutions are still embraced by some as it’s commonly referred to around the world.
And for others of us, we’re open arms to big changes we want to make and a healthy world revolution to head into a better future world… oh, and to make up for the losses from the past few years.
And in light of the global events affecting us all over the past few years, our world needs more uplifting. We don’t need more challenges. We need a revelation. Amen?
And maybe for you (like me) starting goals in the coldest, winter months in the U.S. is not the easiest plan to stick to and would be preferred in warmer and summer months when we have higher serotonin levels and more natural Vitamin D sunshine.
…And, that’s a time when we’re more active, happier, and apt to make changes.
So, on that healthy intention, you want to set yourself up for success and feeling good for better mental health this wellness new year (…and that’s better than last year).
When you can show up as your Best Self, then you have a chance to make a better and bigger impact. Being healthy and happy matters. And even more so as parts of our lives have become initially harder to eventually make it easier (…I believe).
And I also believe that’s where our world is headed. We see this fueled faster by new technology 🚀 advancements and awareness-growing of the need to save our planet.
And that means some of the old ways we did daily life… and the resolutions we once hung our baseball caps on… will change.
But one area that won’t change and can stay traditionally evergreen 🌲 is a wellness new year plan that will help keep you going year-round and that you can count on consistently. If you show up, it’s available.
…And these natural pinecones (above) showed up in my view, which to me is one of nature’s beauties. It also serves a purpose where the cone protects the precious seeds inside.
This natural miracle hasn’t changed through generations.
And like traditional pinecones, if you want to embrace traditional resolutions, then go for it…
Isn’t the post-2020 famous saying?… You do you.
Either way, here I share some of my better health and wellness new year habit tips (…27 to be exact) that give you a better wellness new year list to practice, so you can better navigate this new emerging world of changes.
1. Drink more water naturally. When you jump up and down or run circles cardio-exercise, you naturally are thirsty
5. Work on daily body balance and yoga that helps in years to come
6. Improve your heart health with cardio and healthy cholesterol levels
7. Write daily (or find your daily creative practice)
8. Color your world with inspiring home and clothing choice colors
9. Learn something about yourself, deeper than you normally would
10. Start mornings eating a plant-based meal (...cool beans?)
11. Add more spices (and make your own punchy, hit-you-in-the-nose with anti-inflammatory gut clove spice blends like in holiday gingerbread or exotic Ras el Hanout spices with fennel, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves.)
12. Do-it-anyway yoga (and any which way you can!)
13. Get enough amino acids (starting in the morning with your protein sources)
14. Put out a bowl of no-prep easy, healthy snacks (e.g. carrots, nuts, and apples)
15. Pause on feeling-frustrated and change the air you breathe by stepping away
16. Change your anxious tunes in the morning with calm breaths
17. Change your worry thoughts in the evening that stir up
18. Change your rainy-day moods with the environment around you
19. Change your negative thoughts at the gate so they build up and become your day
20. Scan the headlines and read one healthy growth article a day
21. Choose the recycling option even if takes just a ‘lil more effort as you’ll feel better you did for our planet…. and you can appreciate all the bean cans you consumed 😊
22. Remove some of the older digital overwhelm habits you no longer need
23. Spend a rainy day weekend organizing your belongings (and feel lighter afterward). Rock out to some good tunes while time melts away 🎶
24. Find your share-to-the-world message that’s part of what you do. This builds your self-worth and confidence as you get better at your talents
25. Prepare more plant-based meals. It’s easier to get veggies and lentils in if they’re cooked or ready-to-go, and in your kitchen. You could have a leftover dish for breakfast so your drinking coffee has a happy landing
26. Spend time in nature. You get out of your busy life and into the busy bees doing theirs 🐝
27. Embrace the neti pot. This is what our new world can be all about… clearing out the old stuck mess, and bringing in fresh ideas that work for us. We need the new. And happy new year! 🎉
If you want to see what your body is trying to say to about the balance it needs, take the Body Balance Quiz (…and if you already did it last season, do it again this season as our bodies are always changing. 🧘🏻♀️)
Self-empowering thoughts are one way we can count on to feel-good daily.
…Btw, how are you these days?
The holidays aren’t over yet, but we’re just one week from New Year’s and that can be a relaxing or a stressful time…
One thing that we all wonder about is what the new year will bring.
And besides putting out a spread of merry cherry gluten-free Christmas cookies, plus a couple of probiotic-rich Greek Yogurt chocolate peppermint and nutty yule logs, I’m working on cranking out a New Year’s List ✍️ of healthy mind-body tips that’s growing daily… and should be ready next time after I bake my 4th batch of healthy gingerbread cookies.😊
…And before January 6th (that’s Epiphany Day with a capital “E”) that’s meant to be a hope-filled day, that somehow got erased by an unrestful Capitol political news headline.
Which btw, used to be the area I lived in and was just a few minutes away from at the time… but was able to find peace amongst chaos. And now I’m breathing in less cultural-political air.
…And more life-giving oxygen. And you can too no matter where you are in the world.
Because you have peace inside you.
And you can look for more hope and encouraging messages to help your cause. And on that mission, I have a list today of 30 self-empowering thoughts to keep the loving good vibes going that you can check out and think about today. 📝
And these also make good journal prompt ideas, so you can better breathe in your best self today and breathe out what isn’t helping you grow into tomorrow.
Self-empowering thoughts are your ticket to happiness and the way out of mental blocks that are holding you back in this life. You don’t have to wait for situations to change… it’s YOU and your perspective that can be changed. And when you do, you reap mind freedom. It’s the difference between abundant mind vs. victim mind and sad thoughts.
Yoga accessories are a must for good yoga form, comfort, and help with balance for your Vata, Kapha, and Pitta. So is a recipe for hot water pastry and adding your balancing good foods below.
Yoga accessories like a bolster, a block or two, and a blanket are classic. The yogi tea adds to pampered yoga wellness. 🫖
Using yoga accessories or props on a lazy day can really help boost your mood.
And a peaceful mood is one you want to stay in daily whether you’re feeling busy and active before the holidays or lazier after Christmas has come and gone.
You may teeter back and forth. And eating well is one ingredient that can help restore balance.
Like this well-spiced open-faced savory pastry I made half with spinach, chickpeas, oni0ns, and a punchy five-spice blend (cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves, peppercorns) to balance Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. And the other half is a balanced mix of carrots, potatoes, scallions, and tarragon. Maybe this inspires you and puts you in a better mood?
Hot water pastry with veggies. Recipe below. ⬇️
And speaking of mood balancing…
When I used to visit malls on the weekend as a downtime pastime, after a while I’d get bored… the look-forward to anticipation feelings turned to drained and uninspired energy. I couldn’t wait to exit…
Then there usually was a line to get out of the parking lot and into traffic, especially during the holidays. Sound familiar?
We didn’t have online Black Friday shopping so it was a sheer annual mayhem event.
Since those days, our world has evolved and so have we. And these days I steer away from malls like the Black Plague.
…But whether you do or not, you know the feeling of too much of a good thing becomes numbing to the mind-body.
That can be how you feel about some adventures and projects you’d rather stay away from even if they started out okay. You can avoid some, but others require you and your endurance, like certain work tasks and travel stress.
Those growing tired moods can sink in and take a while to lift, especially if they’re our regular routines in life.
…like sweeping kitchen crumbs for the 10th time or chores you hate doing. And if we ignore them and feel lazier than usual, that can turn into a Kapha imbalance.
Or if we feel irritated and uninspired…. then not making a change can lead to burnout. It doesn’t usually happen overnight but it can happen one day if you reach your snapping point. That’s more of a Pitta imbalance.
With both types of imbalances, lazy yoga poses can help you get your active balance and peaceful mood back.
(Corpse pose is a great one to relax your body and calm your mind.)
I know when I find time to just be still, sitting in silence, that’s when I feel the most peace. Maybe that’s how you feel?
The reason is centering allows you to focus on the calmness of this moment and the body can stop working so hard.
And by focusing on the silent moments, and not focusing on the busy activities like shopping or even watching Netflix (that can be good when you need a ‘lil downtime break), the quietness helps your mind to relax and to feel good again.
And in the silence, if you find your mind is racing, that’s a sign of an anxious Vata mind.
Sometimes we feel that way and to feel balanced, in my life journey, I found that getting a peaceful mind is easier when you tune into the right source for at least 8 waking hours a day and make it your habit in life.
Our lives are constructed in 24 hours of which 8 is good for sleeping, 8 for working, and 8 for doing everything else.
So during that everything-else time slot, that’s when it’s good to build in time to recharge, working on passions, and focusing mostly on less external influences (and maybe disconnecting from the world for minutes at a time).
And it’s good to find time to take breaks during work and about a weekend day’s worth off to rest. Not everyone can take all of Sunday off.
And I find staying in that rhythm is how you can stay balanced, happy, and in a peaceful mood year-round so you can show up in life as your best.
That type of lifestyle years ago would have been laughed at or not taken seriously by my business and corporate worker companions. But now they are reconsidering too as wellness is part of the discussions.
Our world is changing for better health and wellness, thank goodness!
Because having consistency and wellness routines in your lifestyle and mind helps prevent life burnout or waking up one day unhappy or depressed.
Feeling those ways can take more time to backtrack and restore, and they usually have an aftermath of sorts. It’s better all around to take time out daily to restore and prevent.
And if you like the idea of preventatively restoring daily, then one small way is with lazy yoga moves. That’s what I call it anyway. Those are perfect on the days when it’s hard to move quickly, you had a rough night before, or it’s dreary weather outside.
On those days, you know intense exercise is out of the question. But you can use that more tiring day for your lazy exercise day that still helps to invigorate your body and restore your mind.
We know that exercise is good for cognitive and physical fitness. So to stay in the game (of active life even when you’re not feeling it), you can use yoga props to help you engage and maybe even get off the couch if that’s what you find yourself doing and want to change that (…and your heavy Kapha mind may want to resist).
And those days would be a good time to do core work. When you have yoga accessories, doing ab work is not as challenging once you get moving… and maybe along with the right entertainment in the background.
So, here are a few yoga accessories and ideas that you can try and maybe build into a new habit:
Yoga Accessories:
A yoga block (or two), or a Yoga Wheel
Blocks are great especially in Bridge pose where you can turn the block vertically so that the longest side helps raise your back up to build a bridge higher than you can go without a block. This can really help you feel better instantly.
The evovled yoga wheel yoga accessories work in similar ways in a Bridge pose. I’m a bit old school as I prefer the block that raises up a new building structure without moving on you… and maybe a bit burned out from 90s fitness and turn-of-the-century gadgets and props that never got used more than a few times. 😉
Straps
Straps are great for keeping you focused on the guiding strap lines and that support your legs to various angles in the air when you’re laying flat back. These are great for helping you with flexibility that becomes more important as you grow wiser (and older too).
Bolster Yoga Pillow
Bolsters are pretty practical pillows to have around. And if you don’t have one, sometimes you can get creative and find lumbar pillows that some couches come with. And you can use other pillows and cushioned furniture pieces to be very effective.
I actually use an IKEA cushioned cube that I can rest my calves on when I’m laying back on my mat, and then do easy-ab roll-up work. And still, get all the benefits.
And then I can turn around and use the cube as a table or an ottoman. Now that’s usefulness! (No more ab roller devices and machines that take up additional space!)
Breathe device apps
I like the Apple Watch where you can feel the inhale and exhale vibrations of the Breathe app. It’s great for getting centered and intentional on your breath.
Another great prop (that you can add to your yoga accessories):
Wall
Legs Up the Wall pose is a great resting pose. You scoot and seat yourself as close to a wall as possible, and then lay back. Your legs are straight up against the wall. That should feel really good as you release tension from your legs.
You can rest your arms straight out and turn your head from side to side and be intentional to see different perspectives.
This can feel really good on lazy yoga days. The point is to never give up on yourself in any season of life!
Be the tortoise in Aesop’s fable. 🐢
You can be just one good move or pose away from getting you back into a good swing and crossing the finish line.
And people are back in yoga classes. …maybe that’s you or just what you need to keep your calm through the holiday and into the new year. Btw, are you counting down the days?
In addition to building a better Bridge yoga pose, I have my baking calendar on my mind. I’m coming up with building a better Yule log swiss roll this year from peppermint inspiration. 🍥
For savory hot water pastry, you can be inspired by this recipe.
Apple chunks in homemade carrot juice is a great fall breakfast juice 🧡
Are you holding onto negative thoughts taking up your time and energy?
If so, you want to read this blog post (and maybe with a fresh, healthy apple carrot juice), to help you change your thoughts and maybe the trajectory of the next steps you take in life.
Restoring calm emotions is an art. That’s what I know, and I’ll explain below how it takes some creative skill.
At the very least, it takes shifting of thoughts. And doing what you need to do that sits right with you. Sometimes that means caring less. And letting go of your pride. And focusing more on what you want in your life (than what you don’t want).
And another way to say this, is to find a stronger WHY (that’s the reason behind what you’re doing).
Getting to these answers is a win-win strategy because you’re doing what you need for your Best Self to show up in the positive energy that the world needs more of.
None of us can fool our deeper mind-body selves, that gives us daily, subtle clues into how we authentically feel or think about situations.
Besides writing articles, I read a lot of articles and they kinda lump together the idea of stress, nervousness, and anxiety. Your mind-body sees these things differently. For example, if you feel nervous like before presenting to a group, you may be running to the bathroom a lot.
But if you’re actually anxious (from your body’s perspective), it’s the opposite effect. You could take extra fiber so you can become regular again when your temporary anxiety goes away. If that’s confusing, just understand that your mind-body needs are different than how you think you feel. 😉
And if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing or who you’re doing it with or for, then you’re wasting valuable time in this life of finite years.
If you’re not feeling excited and calm, then what you’re involved with may not be for you for the long-term.
In my life, this took many years and dues paid for me to get this freeing, healthy balanced lifestyle that I’m describing, but I know if you start to aim for and walk towards it in your life, then you will get closer and closer to the bullseye 🎯 until it gradually becomes your life because of the small actions you take.
If you’re a Vata especially, that’s like the sensitive wind metaphor, you live off positive energy, enjoying what you’re doing and feeling good about.
Natural Vatas don’t have the same level of endurance or tolerance that say a natural Kapha does who will stay in a situation because it’s easier than making a change.
Take it one step further, it’s the mind (in the mind-body) that leads. Feeling resistance to change is one negative energy example.
And any negative energy is like oil and water. They don’t mix. Oil grease sits there stagnant and the situation doesn’t change until change is made.
That’s how stress builds up, and is counterproductive to someone looking for growth or making improvements.
But, working really hard to get rid of the oil spills is not fun. It’s hard work.
In our messy oil spill life situations we can get in, we can take on negative energy that turns a good week into wasted energy and unproductivity. And not to mention leave stress marks and somersault stomachs along the way.
But, if your WHY to why you’re in your situation causing your knotted emotions and nerves is worth getting over the hump of your fears or nerves, well…then, that’s a good sign to keep with it!
Otherwise, better to nip it in the bud. And make changes early on as soon as you know the direction of the negative energy that has sunk in.
…And maybe that’s a WAKEUP CALL to change your strategy today, and what you’re doing.
And maybe that’s an exhaustive job, a wrong relationship, or anything that doesn’t feel good or right for you. Your life leaves clues.
And instead of fighting against this area and taking on snowballing negative thoughts and energy, there’s a better path for you in or out of those situations even if you don’t see them immediately (in your clouded state).
And there’s nothing to be gained holding onto negative energy (after you’ve thought, meditated, or prayed about your options and know what you should do).
Because you make your best and good decisions when you’re calm and when you find joy and love (or passion) every day of this life, that’s already short enough. Amen!?
And not to mention, if you carry negative energy, you will have a tough time getting to your creative juices and passionate activities that could bring on a whole new side or opportunity for you.
Which btw, in a recession, I made this available for less than the cost of a yoga class and it takes less than 10 minutes of your participation time to get good insight into your mind-body. And then you can use your personalized recipe for life whenever your energy is off like the way it could be this season.
…It takes one to know one! and to have gone through the rough patch challenges, to know that negative energy can rob you of your weeks and life.
So maybe these lessons will help you turn things around…
Life Lessons From Corporate to Creative
Sometimes you need to quit something because it feels off. You know it because your problem weighs like a ton of bricks on you and in the pit of your stomach. And that doesn’t go away after a few nights’ sleep. And the problem grows.
That’s the ultimate sign that it’s time to make a change. That situation you started with no longer serves you in the same way it did before.
And if it’s a relationship, spark those new conversations and see where there is life. And if it’s work, see if those you work with are vested in you and your future with them.
Work is hard enough, and to have negative energy on top… yikes!, that shows up on the body as new gray hair, acne, and added accumulated stress.
…And even if it’s a volunteer position where you’re helping others. Duty reasons aren’t good enough to keep at what you’re doing.
It may not be the best thing for you to continue as you miss your own needs and self-care over time which can turn into resentment towards people (…and maybe even the ones you’re trying to help).
Even if no one can do things your way or as good as you can, someone else willing can fill those shoes.
…But no one can replace your shoes you wear in your life. And your livelihood. Only you can do that.
And that’s how I knew I was gifted to do something different than the corporate path I was on. Someone else could replace me in my roles and as the role needs of the world change.
In the beginning, it was hard to get started on a new path. And in relearning old ways, I had to unlearn some things that helped me to succeed in the corporate world.
Those things were slowing down my creative path, like oil and water. Mostly because I had adopted a corporate work mindset that’s all about following structure, and procedures, and doing what you’re told.
And I did my jobs well enough to get promoted to new positions, but to my own detriment.
And when I took on the new creative path a few years back, I think I gained back health years. My mind-body was in alignment and I felt free.
I could appreciate the day. And even when I was doing responsible work (aka what I had to do) to support my creative lifestyle.
At the core, my mind and heart were aligned. And I could hear and get to my deeper spirit or core inside me (that’s hard to do if in negative energy or worry thoughts).
And the creative ideas came regularly and not just once in a while in the shower or on a walk.
Creative thoughts are the opposite of your mind being in a fog in distracted la-la land.
You know, where passively focusing and following what’s going on in the moment, in news reality or a television show, is difficult. Or getting motivated enough to do something out of the lounge position (that’s not a productive yoga pose 😊).
That’s when you know you’re off alignment in mind-body. And if that’s often, that’s too often.
One smart thing you can do in that moment when your mind-body is controlling you instead of the other way around, is to take a closer look at your thoughts as an observer. Are your thoughts positive or negative? Loving or fearful? Try to witness and catch your fearful ego in its act (and acting up).
Because there are two opposing voices in your head, one loving and one fearful or negative (if that’s easier to pinpoint). And the ego fearful one is much louder.
Turn to the loving (positive) channel if it feels like you’ve been wronged. Find some way to turn it around in your thoughts. If it’s worry, know that there’s nothing to be gained about worrying after you’ve noodled out some potential solutions.
Worry is a time-sucking activity with no productivity.
Your solutions are there if you need them. Or write ’em down in notes so you’re sure they’re there, and so you can peacefully move on.
And maybe you need to go one step further and spend more time doodling or journaling until you get all the emotions out, and realize why you’re feeling the way you do and know your WHY, so that you can sleep and be at peace.
Those are the restful thoughts I have this week. Peace be with you and have a joyful and calm week (no matter the situation)! 🦢 And I have a peaceful image I’ll leave you with that I saw this past week. 🦆
Seated yoga poses are popular and good for your flexibility. And you can do some yoga to restore your daily chair and weekly car seated positions.
This week I’m sharing all about staying cool, with seated yoga poses and 12 cooling tips you can take with you on the road (including a healthy and easy rainbow meringue pie recipe 🌈).
I’m highlighting the Spinal Twist below that goes waaay back with me… and practical car yoga poses we all can use when doing regular driving, or taking long drives and trips.
If you’re spending time driving, car yoga moves can really help ease the pain especially when the thermostat reaches a new boiling point.
Seated as the driver in the lumbar position in your car seat, your back and right side get stressed.
So when you can, you want to reverse the damage. That’s different than doing chair yoga or seated yoga poses in an office chair I talked about last time.
One way is: when you’re sitting in the driver’s seat, you can put the front of your palm on the back of the passenger seat and press forward.
You’ll immediately feel a nice stretch up your primary arm nerve near your bicep muscles that may just be what the doctor ordered to restore any arm pain.
This is good to do at stoplights when your eyes are on the light or during driving rest breaks.
My clutch driving days are over, but if you drive a standard shift, this is a really gooood small exercise.
You can also send your right arm back to the back part of the car between the driver and passenger seat, where there should be plenty of air space to do car yoga tricks. Then bend down at your right wrist.
Ohhh... that can zap the radial nerve in just the right nerve pain releasing angle.
The first few seconds can hurt so good!…
Plus, save you from physical therapy for repeated motions that irritate your body parts that get the most wear-and-tear.
And since we put our right foot down regularly to hit the accelerator and brakes, our right leg gets overly used too.
So to straighten out the leg nerve pain, ideally, you would want to lay down.
But in your car you can’t, so you can play a little game of Twister here on yourself following these instructions when you take a car park rest break… and without getting any funny stares from the people in the cars nearby. 💚💛💙❤️
You may need to push your car seat back to do this more comfortably and have more leg room away from the steering wheel.
And that’s another game you can play: to not hit the yoga car horn. That’s probably more challenging than getting in this pose. 😊
Then, rest your right foot on top of your left thigh (with a sharp bend in your right knee). And lift your left leg and foot off the car floor slightly. That’s important, so you don’t use your left leg to ground you (and some call that cheating in a game 😉). And so you can get the right resistance.
Then, take your right hand and push upwards from underneath your right knee, up towards the car ceiling. You should feel a nice feeling stretch in your right butt cheek and lower right back side and down your right hamstring where you feel tension when you put the pedal to the metal.
It’s definitely worth the effort relieving right leg strain… and well, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!
And that should restore-fix you until you pull over for your next car driving break.
…Which hopefully isn’t to fix a flat tire, that I can’t help you with. But I CAN help you restore your body vehicle! 🧘🏻♀️
And when you get back to flat land where your mat is, you can do this move laying down where both your legs are off the mat. And where you look like you’re kinda doing an abdominal crunch, that btw, wouldn’t hurt to do either since you’re already there. 😊
Your abdominals help support your back. We can give love to our gut in more than ways than one!
And after that move, don’t forget to do your supporting Bridge pose, Happy Baby …yes, you!
And then when you sit back up, you can cross your legs in your Seated position. 🧘🏻♀️
…When I was a kid, I remember we did a variation called sitting Indian style back when we were young and innocent 😉
And we’d been doing Spinal Twists since elementary school gym days to warm us up (before we knew there was a yoga name). We were sitting in seated yoga poses on a big and thick cushion mat either yellow, blue, or maroon red that I still remember being heavy vinyl material.
On those mats, we did tumble exercises like summer-saults, maybe named after the summer season that was meant to be fun and inventive. 🤸🏻
We also did our rotating torso seated spinal twists that I enjoyed, even though we didn’t need the stretch or mindfulness so much back then as we do now, older (!!).
And those twists complemented the real activities and past times.
On good summer days, my childhood was spent rafting on a lake or going to the swimming pool which are great ways to cool off. I didn’t see it as a camp staycation back then, but that’s what we did.
…And that’s the first time I remember being able to do yoga. And the inkling that I could do yoga years later was confirmed after the first few years I tried it as an adult when yoga started taking root in the Western world.
…Goes to show ya, you don’t need many yoga moves or seated yoga poses to give you that edge, in case yoga ain’t your thing. Just one pose can do. Liked the seated Spinal Twist did for me.
And if that’s not motivation enough… a practical adult application can be working on restoring your hunched forward rolled shoulders that most of us carry daily.
Another one of the great restoring seated yoga poses where you can work on this is:
Bend one knee and thread the same side arm through the hole between your knee and the mat or floor. Then reach and wrap that hand as far to the other side of your body as you can. It’s sort of a strange feeling if you’re not used to this pretzel-like seated position.
You could grab or rest your hand on your other inside thigh leg. Wherever your hand lands, make it purposeful where you know where each finger is. It’s like octopus tentacles grabbing onto a sturdy surface. 🐙
In yoga, when you make contact with other body parts, and you know where your arms and feet are at all times, that’s big progress!
One way to practice this is in Tree pose: you can move your opposite foot and rest it on various parts up and down your leg while skipping over your knee.
Then when you’ve settled on your temporary Tree, try different arm poses like straight up in the air or “Y” hands in the air like you’re doing the “YMCA.” Oh my, that’s an oldie.
Or keep at heart center in prayer hands. Now, you’re really expressing your yoga postures.
You get out of the structured metal confines of a car. But sometimes you don’t have that choice, as most of us spend decent amount of time in a car at some point.
And in the summer, that can be work keeping cool and staying hydrated.
Because when you’re in a car, you don’t want to drink a lot of beverages. That’ll slow you down having to make a rest stop.
For longer trips, I usually drink up a day or two before traveling to have some reserves to go off on.
Some good car hydrating alternatives are fruits like watermelon, peaches, and apples that have high juice water content.
Bring your lubricating cough drops too. Just be sure to keep those in your cooler so they don’t turn into a hot sticky summer mess.
And here are 12 cooling tips (I promised earlier) that are good for summer traveling (and driving away any imbalanced Pitta feelings):
1. Keep aloe vera near you. Aloe helps with burns and to instantly cool your skin. That’s like giving a spa water bath to your body when it’s thirsty for cool relief. Many moisturizers have aloe ingredients, but I like to go straight to the ingredient source.
2. Bring a water spray bottle that comes in handy. You can clip it to a bag in case you run out of car cupholders, and so you don’t have to go rummaging for it like a regular water bottle.
3. You can use cooling spices like cumin. My personal herb faves are cilantro and mint. Another one is cardamom that I like to add to cold coffee in the summer. The exception is if I get in an overdose spell of summer Vata… that can happen to any of us, just in case you’re wondering why you prefer warm drinks in the summer. 🤔
4. Take cool showers or end on a cool setting for 10-30 seconds. This is just a reminder. 🚿
5. Start your day with a smoothie, that has chilled ingredients like nut-based milk, bananas, coconut, and berries.
6. Eat foods that hang between a fruit and a veggie like beets, avocados, and medley color tomatoes.
7. Try cutting up summer tropical fruits like watermelon, mangos, guava, dragonfruit, passionfruit, and pineapples. Just thinking about them gives me sweet motivation.
8. Add refreshing whole fruits to your list like peaches, plums, and apples that are usually summer abundant. Handing them out to others in the car is always fun and well received. 🍑
9. Eat juicy fruits like kiwi, pears, and oranges that make great food garnishes too.
10. Bring cool veggies winning you plant-based points, like salads, beets, carrots, and celery that you can easily transport.
11. Like a cooling blanket, you can bring a cooling towel or T-shirt. A day or two before, roll up a towel and leave in the freezer or fridge, and then bring along with you.
12. Use an aluminum water bottle that keeps water and beverages cold longer.
Another cool item from the fridge I like to bring out, are high antioxidant-rich fruits like sweet-scented pineapple chunks. Not for eating this time, but I can take one that isn’t pre-occupied on a dessert plate 😋, and run one down my face for a ‘lil Vitamin C fruit facial love and hydration.
It’s a topical tropical 🍍😎🍍
Some of the anti-inflammatory foods in the food medicine cabinet can directly do wonders for your skin.
Afterall, you are what you eat!… and what’s in your home is a reflection of your healthy habits.
