My Reset Week

This past week I decided to try to do exactly what I mentioned I like to do in my Motivation post, focus on pushing myself to get inspired. I just really needed to do something for myself to feel mentally and physically back in the game. It has been a couple of weeks of waking up tired, sore and listless. It is not as though I got nothing accomplished, but I was no where near my finest functioning self. So last Sunday I made a plan to work toward changing that.

Sunday, March 19th

Fitness

Ran 3 miles, lower body strength training and Root chakra yoga practice

Personal growth

Journaled to set intentions for the week, this mainly consisted of creating a schedule like this. However, I did change it each day after thinking through goals and meditating on what I wanted to accomplish.

Monday, March 20th – Vernal equinox

Fitness

Sacral chakra yoga practice and walking

Personal growth

I looked back at my long and short term goals. I considered what I had accomplished and any personal changes that occurred since last evaluating these and how they should change.

Tuesday, March 21st

Fitness

Solar Plexus chakra yoga practice, Yoga for Cyclists and walking

Personal growth

Clean up my space, my intention was to remove thoughts and belongings that do not serve me to create a peaceful space at work and home.

1. Cleaned and reorganized my desk and cubby at work. I threw out, recycled or repurposed objects, especially those that I just did not use or felt hindered my workspace.
2. Went through all my clothing, shoes, accessories to collect items for donation. Then researched where to best donate them to.
3. Cleaned my home.

Wednesday, March 22nd

Fitness

Heart chakra yoga practice, Healthy Energy Flow yoga and long walks (4 and 2.5 miles)

Personal growth

Take time for myself and to spend for others. In the AM I got out for a walk and did exactly what I felt like doing. Then in the afternoon and evening I had a great chat with my partner and meet up with friends for dinner. I had not really socialized like that in a while and it felt great to see those friends again. 🙂

Thursday, March 23rd

Fitness

Throat chakra yoga practice and walking

Personal growth

Meditate, something that I have been struggling to do well lately. I focused on clearing my mind of thoughts that do not serve me, like my self-hate kind of talk.

Friday, March 24th

Fitness

Third eye chakra yoga practice and walking

Personal growth

Set those short and long term goals for the next 3 or so months. I want to grow as a person in my life and in my career, the only way I have found to do this well is to make myself conscious of what needs to be done and accountable to do it. I have a Google document that I keep track of these in and make note of the short term ones on my personal white board that only I look at everyday.

Saturday, March 25th

Fitness

3 mi run, upper body strength training and Crown chakra practice

Personal growth

Enjoy every minute of the day. I babysat the sweetest little kiddo, chatted with friends and cooked something I love. It was all around a bliss-filled day. Perfect way to end this week.

Natural Product Review – Method Daily Shower Cleaner

With Spring starting tomorrow, I thought it very appropriate to review a cleaning product. I have been using the same shower spray since I first started sharing living quarters with my partner. I love him and he cleans up great, but his products can leave quite a lot of soap scum… on top of the gross residue we had developed mold in our shower, which he is incredibly allergic to! The smallest amount of mold or mildew and he cannot breathe.

I picked up the Method Daily Shower Cleaner in the Ylang ylang scent at Target back in 2011 and I still use it. It looks like they even have another scent (eucalyptus mint), but I believe we have the same scent since day one. I personally find cleaning the shower to be exhausting, so I am happy to have found a product that can help me out with this. Here are my pros and cons:

Cons:

• The scent may take some getting use to. Initially, my partner was bothered by the scent and thought it too strong, but he now thinks of it as a sign of a clean bathroom. I have found this to be a case for many of our “uniquely” scented natural cleaning products, but we both agree that it is a huge improvement from the dizzy feelings we get around bleach agents.

Pros:

• Less frequent meticulous cleaning. Maybe some of you find this gross, but we wipe down the walls of our shower and the tub once a month now. This spray keeps the shower clean without the need for scrubbing. We only wipe the walls once a month and it is mostly just to get hair.
• Ease of use. Just spray the walls and tub post shower. Thats it! So simple and takes less than 30 seconds.
• The packaging. The initial spray bottle I purchased in 2011 is the same one we use today. Thanks to their refill bottles, you can skip purchasing the spray bottle all together if you already have one on hand!
• Affordability. The initial spray bottle, I believe, cost just under $3. As I said, we now buy the refill bottle at $4.99. This lasts us on average 4 – 5 months.
• Accessibility. Always available at Target and I have seen it in many other stores as well. I would say this is a major barrier to my using a product. I have received recommendations or samples in the past, but then could not locate the product in my area or even online.
• Cruelty free. No animals were harmed in the making of this product.

We just love this product and have not been disappointed. Look for another cleaning product review next month, I think I will stick with this trend all Spring long. 🙂 Let me know if you have product suggestions in the comments below.

Protein without protein powder

Since I last ran out of the Promix Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder that I mentioned using in My Guide for Choosing a Protein Supplement, I have been trying to get my protein just from whole foods. I have been consciously trying to add meatless protein to my meals, remember I follow a flexitarian diet. There is protein in more than you think.

Now lets remember, though these items may not be healthy for you, this list is not for you to follow per se. I am not lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant nor do I have an allergy to any of these items. Now on to the protein items I consume regularly:

Milk

8-13g of protein per 240 ml serving depending on the brand you buy. I mostly consume organic unsweetened soy milk, but love to treat myself to grass-fed, whole dairy milk. Milk is my favorite beverage and I love to drink it on its own 🙂

Greek yogurt

20-25g of protein per 1 cup serving. I love it plain so that I can add fruit, nuts, cinnamon or cacao powder to it for flavor. I also just love the tartness of plain Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt with a Golden Delicious apple, walnuts and cinnamon

Cheese

6-9 g of protein per 1 oz serving. I stick to a single serving unless I am eating out or treating myself, to keep my fat levels in check for my IBS. However, cheese is definitely one of those foods where while I am eating it, I think to myself, “This is life!”

Eggs

7 g of protein per egg. I like to buy free range eggs from vegetarian-fed chickens and then add egg whites for extra protein. Eggs can be a great way to add protein to your oatmeal too. RXbars use egg whites and nuts to provide you 12g of protein without any supplemental powders added and they taste amazing!

Nuts and nut butters

6-8 g of protein per serving. I love chopping up nuts to add to breads or oatmeals, eating whole, salty or spiced mixed nuts and drizzling nut butter over slices of apple dusted in cinnamon. Most of my go to afternoon snacks involve nuts.

Apple nachos = 1 apple + cinnamon + nut butter (this is almond butter) + cacao nibs

Legumes

6-9 g of protein per 1/4 cup dry legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.). They are so easy to add to meals in place of meat; hummus, chili, sloppy joes, shepherd’s pie, soups, veggie burgers, etc.

Chana masala over cauliflower rice with a Stokes sweet potato roti

Grains and Seeds

4 – 7 g of protein per 1/4 cup dry grains. Oatmeal, whole wheat, buckwheat, Farro, Quinoa, brown rice, etc., can be a heart healthy way to get in some protein.

Now I know some of this seems carbohydrate heavy, but when you move as much as I do and workout to build muscle you need those carbs! I also eat a lot of organic non-GMO soy products like tofu and tempeh, which pack 12 – 20g per serving, but some folks would argue with me about them being considered a whole food. I try to purchase the brands that have the fewest ingredients, so I believe they are good for me.

Please share how you get in your protein naturally in the comments below!

 

Motivation

We just entered March. I am not going to lie, my motivation in all aspects of my life is wavering. The surge of the new year inspiration is dying down. However, it does not seem realistic to be inclined to always accomplish what needs to be done. Motivation can come and go, but I have ways to keep myself coming back to feeling encouraged and determined. This blog for one.

Commitment

I made a commitment to testing, researching and writing up material for blog posts at least once per week. It is something that no matter the status of my motivation I want to do for myself and those who read my blog. Its a goal of mine to keep this up, grow from this experience and help others cultivate the motivation they need to achieve a happy, health life within their means.

Goals

Speaking of goals, I have a white board in my home that only I have to look at everyday where I keep my short term goals listed. My short term goals are linked to my long term ones since those can not be accomplished without actions and improvements to my present self.

For instance, I need to provide positive words of affirmation each day to show my partner love in his love language in order to maintain a healthy relationship since a long term goal of mine is to have a strong, loving relationship. Especially after growing up with parents who were so clearly unhappy and expressed disdain toward each other daily. I saw first hand that your relationship status can impact overall happiness and how you interact with others.

Mood Booster

When I am not mentally in a good place, I try to recognize that. In recognizing that I push myself to change the negative emotions and take the time to heal my wounds. I will usually start off with cleaning, walking long distances (5+ miles), taking spontaneous day trips, meditating and cooking up lots of comfort food. These are actions that help me heal.

I learned toward the end of graduate school that just laying around, sleeping in and feeling sorry for myself did nothing for me. It felt like if I continued down that path that I would never come out of it. It also only made me feel more depressed. I know myself well enough to know I need forced motivation to boost my mood.

What helps motivate you? I would love to hear about your methods in the comments below!