Letting Your Body Rest: The Ultimate Guide
Good morning my beautiful blog readers!
I have missed you! My dad asked me in the car on the way to dinner the other day if I still blogged, and in my head I ALWAYS feel like I’m blogging. Even if I’m not actually publishing a post, I’m talking to you guys on Snapchat, posting to my Instagram story, or sharing little bits of my life on Twitter.
I also just created an additional Instagram account all for FOOD! It’s basically all the healthy meals I prepare at the Bishjano Farmhouse (a.k.a. my new place that you will see on the blog soon when everything is finished). So if you haven’t, give @farmhouse_foodie a follow!
Speaking of that, I just posted on my food Instagram account this morning about a yummy turmeric latte I just made, and the inspiration struck for a Saturday blog post.
Is that a thing? Saturday blog posts? On Easter weekend? Let’s make it one! I know it’s still early in the morning, so maybe some of you are scrolling on your laptops from your bed with coffee in hand. Hey girl, hey!!!
So…I’ve been feeling GREAT with my health lately. This week I actually am thinking about finally making another Youtube video on my channel to explain what I’ve been doing lately. The #1 thing (spoiler alert) has really been listening to my body. And today…I had to shut up and listen!
I’ve been going going going this month! School is wrapping up for me. I have 5 classes, all with projects and only 1 with an (online) final exam, so I’m pretty much done April 27th. (CUE THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS) And then more means for celebration — that means I get to spend 2. WHOLE. WEEKS up in Fayetteville with Cam before he graduates.
(Didn’t really make sense for me to go up, come home, then go up again May 13 for commencement, so get ready for fun Fayetteville stuff allllll over social media. I need a hashtag. #LongDistanceIsOverParty????)
SOOOO, back to the story. I’ve been going going going. I’m up every day a little before 7 to get ready, eat a healthy breakfast, and head to school to either meet with groups for projects or take exams in the library. I’ve also been working out a ton to keep my mental health in check, and that leaves my body sore and fatigued. And then add on to the fact that I’m still getting used to my new place, so I often wake up several times during the night to random cats meowing or a motorcycle engine going and….YA GIRL IS TIRED.
And maybe you are, too. Mentally tired. Physically tired. Emotionally tired. Tired because you binge-watched 13 Reasons Why in one night. I feel ya! And I want to show you the healthy way to show your body compassion and love and give it some rest!
So I woke up this morning really late for me (9:00am) which is like huge sign #1 that I am overly tired. I was supposed to smash out another workout with Caroline (#twinnie or “Cheek), but I listened to my body and stayed home. (So now I’m blogging to decrease the FOMO. Haha!)
Here’s some things you can do when you need to SLOWWWW down:
Make a list – add only the essentials
I always used to be scared to take a rest day from errands and to-dos because it gave me anxiety that I wouldn’t get what I needed accomplished. To defeat this, I may still make a to-do list, but I add ONLY the must-do’s. Who cares about self-tanning or grocery shopping when you really just need a break. So start there. Try to limit it to only your top 3 things. (Ok, so maybe self-tanning is still on my list because I feel like I could really use it ?)
Pick a self-care activity to do
While you don’t want to have too many errands or to-do’s, self care activities are totally a go. Paint your nails, meditate, take a hot bath in some lavendar essential oils and epsom salt. My personal favorite self-care activity is to paint my nails while watching Youtube videos. (I think I love watching Youtube more than Netflix.) I’ve been binge-watching Sarah’s Day videos. I’ve never found a more geniunely postive Youtuber, and it’s a bonus that she loves eating healthy and working out like me! I get a ton of #healthandwellness inspo from her. So that’s definitely what I’ll be doing today!
Take time to love on others
When I’m feeling down, sick, or tired, it helps me to give a little love out to others. It may sound weird, but sometimes when I rest, I feel really useless, and that makes me a bit depressed. I can totally boost my mood by showing some kindness. Maybe this means I use my down time to call my grandma (check!) or maybe I just scroll through Instagram and comment some kindness on a few posts. Whatever it is, it makes me feel like I made good use of my down time!
Essential oils
I get asked a lot about essential oils, so I figured I’d add this in because they are great for your health when you need a pick-me-up! Like I said, a bath in lavendar oils can really relax you and make you feel like a million bucks. I also love to diffuse Doterra’s On Guard which is an immunity blend. Peppermint oil on your temples can help a headache, too!
Eat to heal
I was actually excited to wake up feeling a little under the weather because it meant a turmeric latte! (Yup – I’m a weird health girl.) When I used to get sick, I would think, “Ok I need 7 popsicles, 3 sprites, a large Gatorade, and clam chowder with grilled cheese all day.” That definitely didn’t help me too much. I’ve learned that since the body is made up of all-natural things, the best thing to cure yourself with is all-natural things. (Make sense in my layman’s terms?)
Now I’m totally not against modern medicine. I’m seriously a walking medicine cabinet. When I get sick, I get a really bad headache that only Excedrin, Advil, and Allegra can cure, so you best believe I took some this morning.
I do like to fuel my body with the right food and herbs, though.
Here’s that turmeric latte recipe that I just downed:
-add 1/2 tbsp of ground or fresh turmeric (that stuff is STRONG, so don’t get crazy) to 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk. I used froth milk because we have an espresso machine here that makes it like that, but if you don’t have a milk frother, just pour the mixture into a blender when you’re done to get it all thick and latte-like.
-add as much cinnamon as you want to that mixture. I do a lot because it masks the herb-y taste of the tumeric, and also gives me a metabolism boost.
-pour your cinnamony + tumericy milk into your coffee (blend it before if you need to)
-el fin! un turmeric latte! buen provecho!
Benefits of turmeric:
-powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
-studies show it helps depression
-basically nature’s pain killer
-good for an immunity boost
I had this latte this morning along side an orange for dat Vitamin C (something I hike up when I’m feeling less than 100%) and some Emergen-C.
Other foods that are GREAT for when you’re feeling like you’re getting sick or you are just tired and need a boost:
-ginger tea
-a green smoothie with lots of spinach or kale for the vitamins and then some fruit that is high in Vitamin-C like papaya, kiwi, bananas, or oranges. Be sure to add in some cinnamon and/or ginger to the mix to fight viruses or infections
-healthy soup!! You’ll have to wait on this one, but I’m sharing a healthy vegan and GF tomato basil soup on my Farmhouse Foodie Instagram this week.
-peppermint tea can help a headache. (Basically peppermint rocks for us migraine-prone people.)
Skip the gym – do this instead
It’s hard for me to skip working out because I genuinely love getting my heart pumping and the blood flowing. However, it’s still good to move and sweat when you’re feeling out of it. You may try a simple yoga flow just from the comfort of your bedroom. I love Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube! Or, try walking your dog for 10 minutes just for some fresh air and Vitamin D. (You can borrow my dog if you need one. Chip is currently barking at the lawn mower and it’s not the best for my headache.)
Also when I’m feeling a bit sick, I take a really long, hot shower or bath and get myself to sweat. It’s almost like an at-home sauna. Just drink plenty of water after!
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Ok guys, this post is SO long, and I blame it on the turmeric latte for hyping me up. Let me know what you do when you need to give your body a break in the comments below!
X,
Cristina
