Life Turnaround // Healthy Choices // How I'm Creating Healing Space for Myself

Hi little lemons,

Normally I wouldn't write such a BS blog post about stuff like this. I've never been the type to be like 'ooooh look at me I'm a health goddess' and by no means am I any sort of health guru.

BUT.

I've had a pretty rough year and I was feeling kind of horrible when I got home from uni for the summer, (my weight was all over the place, my skin was breaking out, I had been hospitalized for a bladder infection, fainting from dehydration, eating a ton of processed cheap food and drinking too much sugary drinks and beer, all kinds of bad stuff - typical sophomore in college/first apartment activities though) so I decided to make some  teeny tiny changes in my lifestyle and I literally feel 500000X better. I wanted to share what I did so that y'all can reap the benefits. You're welcome.

1. WATER. I've been trying to drink a gallon of water a day. It's hard! I don't have the time in the day, I feel puffy and bloated after one glass, and sometimes water is just boring. But after drinking almost a gallon every day, after only FIVE days, amazing things happened. All my acne was gone. My hair was shinier. My stomach was flatter. I had more energy. My skin felt softer. I was sleeping better. And I've kicked my addiction to diet coke! ;) PSA: Downloading the app 'Plant Nanny' really helped. It makes drinking water into a fun game and it uses adorable graphics to encourage you to drink. 
2. Some form of workout every day. I hate cardio with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I really do. But I love yoga. I love skipping rope. I love kickboxing. I love gymnastics.
   
   I've been working out at least a little bit every day, and not only have I shed a few pounds, but I'm stronger, more flexible, and - important - I sleep so much better. Which leads me to the third thing:
3. SLEEP. I need to get my eight hours of sleep. It's important. But I used to sleep from like 2am-10am, and I realized that it's scientifically proven that due to your circadian rhythms, your quality of REM sleep is going to be better IF you fall asleep between 10pm and 1am. So now, I try to go to sleep at 11 and I wake up at around 6 or 7, but sometimes I'll hit snooze like maybe one time. Or seven times. 
4. VITAMINS. I started taking vitamins daily to try to help myself feel better and oh my god. It's working like I never imagined it would. Here's what I'm taking: biotin (hair and nail growth), collagen (skin/acne), sea kelp (thyroid), cranberry supplements (urinary tract health), probiotics (IBS), d-mannose (urinary tract health), l-tyrosine (thyroid), fish oil (it's just so good for you), magnesium (cramps), women's one-a-day (it's just good ya know), conjugated linoleic acid (aids in digestion of fats and sugars), selenium (fatigue), iron (iron deficiency), iodine (iodine deficiency), and my usual medications for anxiety, depression, insomnia and contraception. Maybe I should do a whole blog post solely on my vitamin and supplement regimen? Idk.
5. Cutting out inflammatory foods (as best I can). So, turns out I'm lactose intolerant. Part of the reason I was feeling so crummy was because I was eating a lot of ice cream and cheese and drinking coffee with cream. I also realized that other inflammatory foods like carby breads and pastas, caffeine, alcohol and red meat triggered bad cramps and indigestion for me. So I've been cutting back. I can't say I've cut them out entirely but hey, it's a start and I feel so much better.

So, those are the five healthy choices I made this summer that really really helped me heal. I'm such a strong advocate for self care and wellness, but I really wasn't making space and taking time for myself. I go back to school in a month and I feel healed and ready for a better year.