Re-Find your Wellness Inspiration
01. Inspire your beverages
Empty beverage calories of yester-year begone! Think strategically about your beverage consumption to elevate your nutrition regimen by sipping smart. Support a healthy gut with Kombucha (Well Refined’s favorite is GT’s Gingerade) or try a Matcha green tea latte the Well Refined way (recipe here). What’s not to love with disease-prevention in a cup? And as you’re thinking about your daily water intake, keep in mind a good goal is to aim to drink at least half your body weight in water liters. Add a little lemon and a pinch of salt, too.
02. Restore your sleep
The research is irrefutable. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night is required for hormone balance, mental clarity and natural detoxification. Try adding to your nighttime routine our tried and true sleep supports and drift off happily.
· Magnesium “tea” made with warm water, a little lemon juice and a scoop of the Natural Calm magnesium supplement. Most of us are deficient in magnesium (found in dark leafy greens) because our North American soil doesn’t contain a lot of it and supplementing with it gives us natural muscle relaxation and stress relief.
· Epsom Salts bath to support your nightly detoxification process
· Power down your devices at least 2 hours before bedtime and buy those blue light blockers! We love the Felix Gray glasses.
· Sleep in a cool bedroom (or invest in a Chilipad to keep your bed a constant temperature)
· Avoid alcohol and excessive sugar in your diet and aim to finish your last meal a couple of hours before you snooze.
03. Reduce inflammatory foods and up those antioxidants
Sugar, alcohol, excess caffeine, processed and packaged foods, dairy, gluten, corn…you get the drift! Most of these don’t belong in a modern healthy diet. Ditch them for good by slowly adding more and more whole, anti-inflammatory, plant-based foods to your diet. Your tongue has a memory – and when we overconsume artificial sweeteners or too much sugar or salt in processed foods, we desensitize our taste buds to the foods that nourish us most. Eventually you won’t remember all the junk you used to eat – and you’ll stop craving it, too. And those blueberries will never taste sweeter.
04. Streamline your supplements
At Well Refined we believe first and foremost in the power of food to nourish and heal. But our current food supply sometimes makes it difficult to get all the vitamins and minerals we need. It’s a great idea to consider strategic supplementing to support common deficiencies.
· Vitamin D3 (combine with Vitamin K to enhance conversion in the body)
· Fish Oil (for Omega-3 EPA and DHA because our food supply is higher in Omega-6)
· Turmeric to counter inflammation
· Vitamin B12
· A good multi-vitamin
· A good probiotic (and we like to cycle ours so that we are constantly introducing new strains to our system)
05. Fuel your gut
Experts say the second body brain resides in the gut. All those millions of bacteria are hungry – and keeping the gut in balance takes consistency and intention.
Eat more plants for important prebiotic fiber (we love jicama, garlic, asparagus and flaxseeds – or consider adding acacia powder to your morning smoothie). Take a probiotic. Add fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi to your meals. Drink Kombucha. Find a plant-based yogurt with live cultures (we love Anita’s coconut yogurt). Avoid sugar and limit alcohol. And don’t forget healthy sleep. Research connects happy sleep with a happy gut.
06. Deconstruct your cravings
Have you ever wondered why you feel like a rabid dog as you attack the pantry at 8pm? Some cravings are the body’s way of adding to your diet the nutrients it’s lacking. BUT many cravings are emotional and can date as far back to our childhood. When you were hurt did your Mom give you a cookie? Did you nurse that first big break up with potato chips? Those experiences create deep-rooted patterns that require awareness, pause and intention to move beyond. The next time you want to pantry raid, try stopping, breathing and connecting with the dominant emotion you feel. And then reach for a healthy snack if you really are physically hungry – or take a walk or ask for a hug if you’re not.
07. Firm up your boundaries
Are you taking care of you? Are you setting boundaries to protect what is most precious to you? Block time in your calendar for what we call “white canvas” time. This is time when you get to do what intuitively and authentically feels best to you in the moment. It’s non-negotiable you time. This time invites creativity and breath into your life – too important pieces of a balanced holistic life.
08. Invite more breath
Find what works for you. Is it a morning meditation on an app like Calm or Headspace (or my personal favorite The Infinity Call for Women) or using a technique like Dr. Weil’s 4-7-8 rhythm to inhale and exhale? Taking time to invite more breath into your day will calm the fight or flight reactions and bring your nervous system into balance. Breath is detoxifying and nourishing. It helps digestion, brain function and is a major stress-reliever. Breathing gives you time to pause your mind’s roller coaster and connect with what your grateful for, too.
09. Rediscover nature
There is no better antidote to life’s stressors than a walk in the woods. Fresh air, the natural grounding of earth and a healthy dose of Vitamin D from the sun can work wonders to balance you. Try to get outside everyday if you can! Even just 20 minutes to talk a brisk or gentle walk depending on what your body is asking for – or stepping away from your desk to stretch and let the light in. It’s especially important in winter to get outside – so don’t let those snowflakes deter you. Bundle up and find some nature.
10. Find your exercise groove
It’s OK if your bestie loves SLT and you prefer a gentle walk! Finding your own exercise groove – something that inspires you to keep coming back – is key to sustainable wellness. I look for a balance of strength training (especially as we age and muscles begin to atrophy more quickly), cardio/HIIT training to keep the heart strong and gentle balancing exercises like yoga. And I always work in a walk or two throughout the week. If you are local to Greenwich, CT – check out Yoga by Danit. Her classes are special.
11. Connect with your kitchen
It’s easy to buy a pre-packaged juice cleanse but when it’s over – then what? If you don’t have healthy cooking practices to revisit, you may find yourself quickly undoing any efforts you made to eat clean. Connecting with your kitchen and discovering food that nourishes you and tastes good is key to lasting health. If your stumped about what to cook, join Well Refined’s meal planning subscription service! You’ll get 10 breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes each month to inspire you and make you and your family feel whole. Or try a cooking party with friends like the ones offered by The Balanced Plate.
12. Attract your tribe
Let’s be real people. Not everyone is going to like you. Not everyone likes me! And that’s OK. There are people who do love you and will love you just as you are. As Brene Brown has said, “Let go of who you think you are supposed to be and embrace who you are.” Finding this authenticity is at the root of your health and longevity. And while we’re on the topic, “I find it amusing that we’re all pretending to be normal when we could be insanely interesting.”
13. Curate your environment
Make your home environment work for you. I’d be lost without plants in my workspace, my Vitruvi essential oil diffuser, my sea glass and rocks from Maine, photos of my family and Ryan Adams on repeat on the Sonos. Find what makes you feel comfortable in the environment you spend most time in. And while you’re at it, consider detoxifying your home health. Drop the hi-test cleaners and detergents for natural ones, filter your water, minimize the use of plastic, get an air purifier and toss your commercial beauty brands for niche organic ones. And if the chaos and the mess is getting to you, hire Haven to streamline your living spaces and invite serenity through the front door.
14. Banish sugar
If I sound like a broken record then I am one. There is nothing good about processed sugar. Removing it from your diet is the starting point of any committed health journey. Some have called is a recreational drug, others have made clear that it wreaks havoc on your gut health, hormone health, brain health and skin elasticity. Begone, Sugar. We’re so over you. If you are looking for a supported detox – where sugar is eliminated and high-quality, wholesome foods are prioritized then consider joining us for the Dr. Katie Detox – a 10-day health reset with Dr. Katie and Well Refined. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.
