Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Unfocused Vata Mind Imbalance

Unfocused is a common mind trait. Sometimes it’s confused with ADHD that’s a common label tossed around.

Being unfocused is an Ayurvedic Vata trait. In this article you’ll learn how to better handle this in your life and restore the imbalances.

Focusing on a drink changing can help with unfocused tendencies. — A creative green coffee drink can help with productivity and an unfocused Vata tendency. Recipe below. ☕️

For a natural Vata, it’s typical for the mind to be expressing and darting from task to task or idea to idea, instead of being laser focused.

That’s a general symptom diagnosis in the mind-body connection that’s common for many of us.

And when off-balance, this can mean getting up off the couch or outta your seat hundreds of times a day. This is one natural Vata mind tendency, anyway.

The better productivity solution is balancing the Vata mind, so that you don’t feel you have to keep doing something else other than what you’re doing.

It doesn’t matter what the other thing is, but your mind is calling you impulsively to do it no matter what. Sound familiar?

This symptom description is often mistaken as ADHD in our ADD (or attention deficit disorder) world.

Technology has made this worse. We’re juggling our devices and the real world. And there are more noisy distractions that keeps us task switching and reinforcing the tendency to become a bad habit.

You can change your habits to better habits.

That’s completely in your healthy power to keep or change your ways, just like choosing to make healthy meals.

The healthy way or habits could be to multi-task or time block and feel productive.

But when your mind causes unfocus, worry-anxiety around the imbalance, or you’re feeling unproductive because of your unfocused tendencies, that’s when you want to use restore balancing habit to restore your hyper-unfocused Vata mind imbalance.

Other signs are when your unfocused mind is distracting you or you’re leaning toward an unfocused day. That’s when restoring balance is called for.

And if that’s still tricky to pinpoint, you can make a tally sheet of how many times you switched tasks when your brain prompted you to in the moment (from what you had already planned to do in advance). That way you have a visual to compare to for yourself.

Sometimes you can observe the impulsive nature that the mind feeds.

Let that moment pass and help to give peace to the mind by writing down the thoughts, journaling, or creating a list.

Or if it makes sense as a 1-5-minute task, just take care of it quickly, but don’t re-route your day over the impulses if you want to live a consistent calming life that you’re in charge of.

Because 50 five-minute getting-up tasks is 250 minutes or over 4 hours that you won’t get back.

And not having enough time is one stressor we can avoid.

There’s enough chaos in the world that’ll shake off that daily depleting piece (and peace ✌️).

When we were kids, we didn’t have adult wisdom like that. Time wasn’t so important. Our moody feelings fed us and drove us to what we wanted to do.

We basically didn’t drive our bus.

But as adults, you don’t want your emotions to steer and get the better of you and then also lose time.

If you feel strong feelings about a situation, they serve a purpose to bring joy or cleanse sadness. Or… to show you something bigger about your life where you can make a change. But general daily moods don’t always help.

You don’t want the feelings to turn into daily, unproductive moody symptoms such as anxiety, anger, and lethargy where each represent a different imbalance.

And these can bleed into other Vata imbalances…

Another form of unfocused Vata-hyper mind is when it’s difficult to make decisions.

Because at the root of decision-making are your thoughts that drive what you do in the mind-body connection.

You don’t have control over your thoughts from entering, but you do have control over what you do with your thoughts.

The usual natural Pitta and Kapha profiles don’t show this symptom description unless they have a Vata imbalance which can happen to any of us at any time.

We all possess the 3 doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) to varying degrees, even if it’s just a crumb.

For any of us, our imbalance is our Achilles Heel. Restoring our imbalances is in our power and often an easy fix that needs daily repetition until our imbalance settles down.

Pittas have more hard-charging personalities like the hare in the Aesop’s Fable on a competitive mission. Kaphas are more the slow and steady turtles that finish the race. 🐢

And when you’re overrun with Vata, you can miss the goal entirely in distractions with the scenic route.

The good news is you can balance this high Vata symptom in more ways than one….

Balancing your Vata imbalance through your food senses is one way to begin restoring balance…. because an unfocused Vata imbalance is related to Vata trait symptoms such as anxious feelings, and indecisiveness. It’s no coincidence in our natural mind-body balance system.

And directly related to the unfocused symptoms you experience… something you can do is to nail down a daily routine or habit practice, so you can get back to being grounded and focused.

This can look like at least one or two healthy time slots in your day that are non-negotiable, e.g. yoga or office hours during certain hours.

You set boundaries with people about these non-negotiables. You essentially training them that you are off-limits and disconnected to the world during those times.

The way this works is being consistent and not letting any exceptions in (besides emergencies) because once you do that, then others know that your rules and boundaries are not hard set and taken that seriously. So be firm.

I watch people on the sidelines who don’t have this in place. They’re on the opposite extreme and schedule anything, get distracted by shiny objects, and fill in slots anytime their mood fancies.

…But then they wonder where the time went OR why they’re not happy with their outputs and decisions.

They don’t manage their time well on calendars getting non-negotiables handled as first thing ,so it doesn’t get missed or during the optimized hours where their minds are sharpest.

And if you’re a unfocused Vata by nature with those tendencies, that only makes your life more chaotic like the wind, where you get tossed to-and-from.

You worsen your Vata-ness with too much unfocused Vata behaviors.

People-pleasing too much can be a cause when we’d be better off practicing proper kind words to say no.

And this can be saying no to ourselves since we have other non-negotiables. Like appointments with our wellness routines.

Knowing it will be okay if you say no could be the hurdle. But you’re not letting others down more than you’re letting yourself down.

Because your immediate feeling of guilt can turn into resentment for others and unhappiness that’s far worse.

So you want to prepare what you will say with tact if someone wants to encroach on areas.

Often, this comes from those who live in chaos and impose their unstructured life on you.

And when you’re with routine, they can’t spill over onto you.

And when you can learn the right words to say, they become more natural and roll off your tongue.

They become and your new way and that helps your routine and focusing.

Plus, you spend more time in this short-lived life doing the things that really matter to you!

For example, you can be in your sweet spot boost of daily energy, and stick with your ideas. And find a routine that you stay competitive with as things in life change.

That will help tone down worry with purpose. And help wipe away the anxious bits that unfocused Vata often feel.

And when you’ve grounded with routines and consistency, you don’t have to stick to only boring routines. You can be creative that most natural Vatas are and love.

I know how that can be, having worked over a couple decades in-and-out of corporate environments where it was all about routine tasks, maintenance, performance, and people management.

None of those areas express creativity. Something Vatas crave.

Vatas are also naturally energetic, encouraging, and eager. Having an idea and then having to wait for management to approve if ever, is anything but encouraging.

And then having people and all the chaos along the way change the dynamics. Well… all that can zap creativity.

So finding a side hobby or hustle as a creative outlet is a good way to re-focus those energies.

And if you’re in flow or with daily creativity, then you’re in alignment with yourself.

That helps grow you toward your life purpose and your authentic identity where you get the deepest satisfaction and joy.

Summary: If you have an imbalanced unfocused Vata tendency today: stick to a routine, express your non-negotiables, find a creative outlet.

The wellness outcome is finding calm and daily joy that you want. And you’ll have a strategy and stick with it.

If you’re curious about what your imbalances are in this season, take the free Body Balance Quiz.

Earth Day Layered Plant Based Cold Brew Coffee

This planet-reminding changing drink is a fun and delicious beverage.

Course beverage

Cuisine American

Ingredients

black cocoa
cold brew coffee
plant-based milks (almond milk, cashew milk, etc.)
gluten-free flour (coconut or almond flour)
blueberry tea
blueberries
Pandan (gel works best)

Instructions

Layer and freeze each layer before adding another layer.
Layer 1: milk
Layer 2: layer with black cocoa, gluten-free flour, and milk (or cream) that's more creamy and good for beverages.
Layer 3: cold blueberry tea
Layer 4: cold brew coffee (or coffee of choice)
Layer 5: milk
Add a few blueberries if you like.
Make plant-based pandan ice cube. Add pandan mixed with water and freeze
Add the ice cube to the top frozen layer.
Bring drink out to regular room temperature about 10-15 minutes before you want to consume if semi-frozen and 30 minutes or longer if frozen solid. Watch your planet beverage change before your very eyes! For kids, you can swap cocoa or chocolate milk for the coffee layer.

Share this

Uncertainty Turned To Joy

Uncertainty can be made certain and joyful when you cook dishes you can’t mess up.

Most of life is uncertain. Some days we have some certainty over planned future events and in yesterday’s events.

But we have uncertainty about tomorrow and sometimes what will happen today.

And uncertainty can come with all sorts of flavors and emotions.

Some uncertain days are filled with excitement, so those are double bonus… and are often few and far between over routine days. But that gives us a buffer so we feel the good effects compared to the previous nothing-special happening days.

And on uneventful days, it’s good to be grateful for our own contentment good.

That will get rattled up eventually with the sudden news that changes the direction of our day and possible season.

The way to best handle every situation is to find your joy. And if there is none that a sad or stressful situation can bring, then shed the cleansing tears and find peace. No matter what.

…Because the situation will happen regardless of your misery or staying calm and happy. So why not lean into the healthy positive expressing feelings that your body will reward you for?

Plus, you make more sound decisions that way.

A decision can be as simple as whether to react or not react. Because whatever our actions are, especially when others are involved, there are consequences.

And my best advice for you in uncertainty is if you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything you could regret until you know what to do.

Then bringing this to your awareness, an answer follows at some point. It’s not an automatic response like a knowing that comes with practice and habits and then builds confidence the next time.

Trained professionals know what to do in their specialties, and you know what to do in yours, but not necessarily in theirs.

And when you take an action or make a reaction from a place of peace of wanting to give, then you know you’ve done your best.

So often we take action because someone else has projected the situation onto us and put the burden on our shoulders. It’s our modern protective job (since we’re not running from tigers) to evaluate objectively.

And not always jump on what is asked if the hoops are the wrong ones where we don’t set boundaries. And we end up resentful or bitter about what could have been handled differently.

Give yourself first the chance to think:

What are the facts?

What do you know about the entire situation that may have a history?

And if we can sleep on the idea over a night or two, then we see how we feel after we think or pray about the idea in peace and meditation which can be starkly different than the knee-jerk reaction. Time and rest allow for wisdom to enter instead of our worry-fear actions.

…Which BTW, this is a great life skill habit to learn and practice.

We’ve all had examples and some practice over the past few years. Our worlds were shaken by the disruptions of the global crises we all experienced on our planet from climate to pandemic.

This led to the greatest uncertainty that may end up being the most in our lifetime.

The toughest unique situations we each had to individually go through may still feel like open wounds. And those are maybe ones we don’t want to think about since we just went through them and are still processing.

BUT, the healthiest thing we can do is to not delay and think about the effects on us this year. We each had trauma of sorts and we want to prevent post-trauma effects that our mind-bodies will cling onto.

The trauma could have been the change in jobs, relationships, losses, lifestyle habits, and where you live, or all of the above. Or that you’re still in those situations. And the bottom line is: there was and is uncertainty.

And on top, there could be fresh wounds mounding on top of older ones.

All of that is part of the adult life. And when you’re super tested during difficult times to take on additional stressors, you can choose to feel like throwing in the towel… or you can look at the upside!

Your tough trials, situations, and setbacks get you ready for what’s on the other side. 🌈

So in the mud, find the hope vision. That could be as simple as recalling the thoughts that when you’re down, there’s nowhere to go but up.

And when you’re feeling Kapha tired, you plow through anyway… not because you feel like doing the work or task, but because you know you’ll feel better after you do. And you’re looking for that victorious after-burn feeling! 😎

It always gets better… and that’s not cliche if you’ve already lived to mid-life.

In the down, you become the resilient person that is needed to appreciate the pot of gold if you fight for your own victory that’s inevitable in your beliefs and if you don’t give up.

So today and every day, find a ray of hope and glimmer. ✨Borrow from nature that hums and runs 24-7 without pause on any part of the globe.

Where I was the year before the pandemic started, was working in close-knit quarters. I was at large-scale annual events where as many as 100,000 global members were invited. And I traveled internationally more frequently than non-existently.

Working in my local offices, I recall appreciating the time I had working remote for years prior in my early 30s. That also made adapting to 2020 life easier.

…Similarly, leaning into your positives in your situations can be your saving grace. Recalling your past that helped you in the tough times and today can make you feel that all will be well. And it will!

…It’s that same knowing from experience, that if you have a bad day, the next ones will be great.

Focus on those optimistic thoughts and look forward to your next steps.

Find your blessings amid uncertainty. Staying in joy is going to help you not lose precious years of productivity.

Maybe look at life as a learning opportunity?

Each year comes with different situations and dreams. And you want to keep your head high and ride the cloud through the stormy and silver linings as though every opportunity is a joy to learn something.

And when you look down, you notice that the ground below you offers a chance to jump on a new landed opportunity and experience.

Make this year a triumph in how you see life and learning… and maybe someone you know needed to hear this that you can pass this on to, especially since we just passed Mental Health Awareness month that’s now part of our every month.

You’re never alone. And life is on your side. 🎉

Share this

Kapha Tiredness – How to Restore

Kapha tiredness is an accurate way to describe seasons when you’re feeling lazy and sleepy.

Morning coffee and walk for Kapha tiredness energy. — A morning coffee and walk in the park can be a good way to wake up tired Kapha energy.

These are some common life situations that make us tired…

✔️Taking care of everyone and their demands

✔️Getting up early for routine work

✔️Staying up late to get more done

✔️Allergy congestion and headaches

✔️Burden from a stressful or emotional situation

✔️Colder seasons

These all put our bodies on overdrive where more rest is needed. And if we’re not giving that to our bodies, then we’re outta balance. Our tired Ayurvedic Kapha runs the show (when Vata and Pitta are still in the background).

We all have Kapha tiredness traits in us and some of us are born Kapha dominant.

In those tired Kapha heavy seasons, whether we sleep 5 hours or 9 hours, we’re tired (and maybe walking around like human zombies).

Because overall we’re not getting enough sleep. And Kapha metabolism may slow down.

These are a few easy, but effective habits to help your body push through (and not cut corners when you’re called for more):

…Having cold brew coffee ready to go while the fresh warm coffee is brewing makes life easier. ☕️ There are many healthy caffeine sources for energy other than coffee.

I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was over 35. Other caffeine sources can be black tea, green tea, and matcha tea.

And there are many other healthy energy sources besides beverages such as:

…Have savory leftovers to tie us over for an energy-giving meal. 🌯. Energy foods include prebiotic pickle juice that’s fermented, eggs with B-vitamins, and pasta.

…Do jumping jacks or running in place to get your heart beat up and blood flowing for instant brain energy.

You could add a spice kick like cloves or cinnamon, or punchy flavors like lime, onion, or cilantro to your meals.

I remember myths (we used to refer to as rumors) that you can’t catch up on sleep. But actually, you can!

And if your body gets a dose, your Kapha tiredness can grow. That’s a sign that you’re depleted.

And if you’re never tired, that can also be a waving flag to pay attention to…

Because this life is meant to have work burdens and unpredictability for our best life of meaning.

Short-term stressors give us growth and can wake us up temporaily. But if we’ve been tired over a season, then for our good we need to do something about it to prevent burnout.

One thing we can try first is to gain more appreciation for what we have so we change our perspective and outlook.

We can also try new things. Failing at many things means we’re trying, and trying is leading us to purpose.

Without purpose, that can lead us to more stuck tiredness and weariness.

If you’ve ever watched the animals in the wild either live or on film footage, every moment is a form of work for them. They sleep out of necessity, but they are always on guard if not hunting.

…Or just surviving the natural that’s getting harder with climate change.

Finding shade in hot temps and shelter in cold seasons is a challenge.

They live nomadic lives that are very different than the house cats and dogs around us, that still have those primitive instincts but to a much lesser degree.

Today’s household pets are kinda like us modern peeps compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. 🐯

And what we can learn from wild animals is that: they do it anyway.

They are motivated to stay alive and keep their young alive. They do it tired and for survival.

Laziness would be a luxury.

And in our daily human modern lives, it’s complex because we aren’t often faced with li-gers to deal with.

But our minds are and make it complex. Beneath our rational mind, if the ego intercepts at any moment, then we’re driven down a lesser path.

And for those who don’t even know that they’re being intercepted daily is the biggest danger of all. Those are the male lions of today and the pride in us.

Usually, it’s muddled in modern fear. In those moments for any of us, we all have a choice to either live in denial (stands for “Don’t Even kNow I Am Lying”)… or flip the switch back to healthy thinking.

I’ve written many articles and posts on healthy thinking. And that comes from learning from my own suffering from unhealthy thinking and ego attacks.

Similarly, anyone unaware that they’re under daily attack is the most dangerous to themselves and others especially without a plan

In my case, I moved away from the prideful environment I lived in and gained awareness. It was the same area that had tiring demands and a faster-paced life.

So, if you’re tired or busy, you’re more likely to be unaware.

Changing your environment (work, moving, etc.) could also be your remedy and just what you need too for Kapha tiredness.

When you’re younger you don’t have those choices, but now you do.

Like, when I was a child, they commonly used smelling salt to keep us on our toes and from fainting in body-shocking situations. It worked. As we got older and went through more experiences, our body systems learned to adapt better.

Getting more experiences keeps us growing and helps us from growing tired and the Kapha tiredness in you.

To grow less tired, find something that you can use your gift and talents with. At home, that could be dancing, singing, yoga, or gardening.

Or working on a project like muddling coffee beans or dips, decorating, or painting. It doesn’t have to require much, just change your tired feelings.

And from there, when you’re wrapped up in the moment, then you can think of other wake-up opportunities. Because when you’re alive, that impacts everything you do in the season.

So I have a quick question for you…

Do you remember the last time you were excited about possibilities? You know that feeling where you felt lit up and endorphins awakened your senses.

You probably had strong desires to pursue and stay up late because of the hope in possibilities.

…And if that was too long ago to remember, then you especially want to get going with something new…

Because one day, your biological age will catch up to you. And you’ll realize you aren’t the same age or person you were in your younger adult years (and even a decade ago).

And that could lead to thoughts of regret if you didn’t pursue all that you wanted in those unrepeatable years.

The way to ensure that doesn’t happen is to make every day count.

I know when I worked in the “rat race” that was not how I felt. I did a job, went home, and then did the same work the next day. I was lucky I didn’t spend my time all in one place so I could grow quicker and have more stressor experiences.

Those times and experiences helped me to get to today, the only time that matters.

Tomorrow is the next most important.

And this is for everyone. Your experiences do the same for you (looking different in each of us)!

And especially if you feel stuck, one thing you can do almost immediately is volunteer or try a new activity.

Volunteer experiences were introduced to us as teenagers.

Everywhere on this planet there’s help needed… I was a volunteer candy striper in a local hospital.

And while I was not cut out for the work, I learned to be dedicated and give back my time.

We always have something we can offer even when we don’t have the gifts and talents.

And it’s always a learning opportunity that stimulates our minds as we’re growing and excited about new possibilities. This helps our Kapha tiredness and breaking out of a slump.

Most volunteer general tasks are easy enough to do that even most young teenagers can do. For adults, it can be a welcomed break to do something easy and can open up more doors.

The most valuable is when you do it for a cause or purpose outside of you, then you’re growing and making an impact that awakens our souls.

It’s healthy to think of volunteering not as work, but an opportunity to serve. It’s providing more than what we’re giving. But we won’t know what that “more” is until we raise our hand to participate. ✋

These days you can find volunteer opportunities online or in-person and this can be what sets you apart from the rest. And you gain gratitude for your good fortunes.

You always see friendly volunteer faces that are glad to see you. And that happiness is infectious. You’ll also develop more positive skills and learn sides of yourself that you didn’t know before.

…And that can help you get out of any tired season. 🤗

Share this

When Dental Worry Is Healthy For You

Onions are good for teeth as they’re antibacterial and spinach has teeth remineralizing properties, so chomping on a few leaves is a good thing! 🥬

Have you ever thought about the worse that could happen in a situation like dental worry, but it didn’t end up so bad?… Or end up at all?

…And that’s usually because your worry prevented a bad outcome. Some worry is healthy… it’s built into our DNA human-ness.

But in society, we tend to demonize all worry when it can help us to magnify an area we should focus more on, and then put the thoughts to rest.

Worry is healthy when it prevents growing problems. And worry is healthy when it helps us come up with better solutions.

When it falls healthy short and is outta balance, is when the scales need to tip back to peace and calm.

Don’t let your worry take over your Vata mind and from living life… because long-term stress is an inflammation cause in the mind-body connection that shows up in or on the body as a warning.

When you’re conscious knowing what you’re doing and thinking, you activate your subconscious to help you out in the back of your mind.

…EVEN when you can’t connect the dots.

Your subconscious mind is like your passenger seat helper who’s providing directions even when you’re focused on what’s in front of you.

…So, when I didn’t get to the dentist because of the pandemic and several moves later, I thought I would have a bad report.

A month before I could get into the busy dentist’s office, I did everything to keep my teeth and healthy smile at their maintained best… flossing with multiple flosser types, brushing, rinsing, and even scraping. And if you have teeth and dental worry about your teeth, then you may floss more often.

These days, it’s so much more easy… we have much better dental supplies from convenience stores than we did as kids… or imagine what they did back in the Stone Ages?

And those memories and dental worry kept me magnifying on healthy habits leading up to the Big D-Day…

At that dentist chair moment, time stood still and I was pleasantly surprised with the assessment. I had nothing to dental worry about.

It was a compliment when I heard the word “good” from my new dentist, and was even asked about how I take care of my teeth.

She asked me what I did. And my response was, “I do everything!”

I shared my routine and healthy daily teeth habits that make up for the food and coffee acid, and sugar buildup. Really the best tip is to brush more often softly or with an electric toothbrush. 🪥

…There’s nothing new under the sun. ☀️

But I also told the dentist about teeth healthy foods I ate to fortify the good and diminish the bad. We add back healthy for a more neutral effect.

So often we forget that foods act as secondary toothbrushes when we can’t get to our toothbrush.

You don’t need to dental worry if you brush after eating sugary foods.

And with acidic sources… you can soften the blow. For ACV, use an eyedropper or a straw where you drop the liquid to the back of your throat.

And certain foods are teeth helpers that have Vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals that re-mineralize natural teeth enamel.

That’s double bonus points for bones and teeth. 🎯

Stronger teeth enamel helps prevent common inflammation or an infection spreading inflammation.

Because inflammation or worsened infections in the mouth can cause problems just like inflammation in other parts of the body.

To counteract, they say that flossing can add 4 years and so can eating beans. (They these days are healthy social media sources that’s common knowledge). But at worst, you won’t lose 4 years, so it’s worth the effort gamble. 😉

And if you’re wanting to be more anti-inflammatory and hang onto any wisdom teeth, check out this anti-inflammatory food guide for your easy grocery shopping essentials.

Share this

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. 🥔

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.

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!

Share this