A collection of thoughts from 2021

Enjoy this collection of favorite thoughts from the newsletter throughout 2021, divided into four categories vital to our overall well-being.

Fiber is our friend. Fiber helps moderate blood sugar levels, keeps us full longer, encourages healthy weight, and feeds our microbiome to promote flourishing gut flora. Some fibrous foods to have on your radar include hemp, chia, and flax seeds; beans and lentils; artichokes, broccoli, and zucchini (and all vegetables); fruit, oats, and dark chocolate.
Everything we eat affects our gut, and the good things we eat can prime our gut to help get rid of the bad bacteria and viruses we encounter. A healthy gut yields a working immune system and can help prevent mood disorders. One of the best things you can do for your gut is to eat a wide assortment of plants.
Aside from keeping our skin glowing and our bodies in working condition, staying hydrated affects our brain. Drinking water when dehydrated can improve alertness and help regulate your mood. Plus, being in, around, or under water promotes calmness and happiness. Drink up, dive in, take a bath.
Add some hearty greens and fresh herbs to your meal just when it’s about to be done cooking. The greens and herbs will be perfectly wilted and add so much flavor.
Make eating veggies more exciting by switching up your cooking style or trying something new. Roast, sauté, blanch or boil, grate, spiralize, eat raw… add salt, pepper, garlic, and onions while cooking, and chop fresh herds to sprinkle on top when serving.

Lasting health comes from a uniquely compassionate relationship with our body, mind, and soul. Feed them accordingly.
Research shows that spending time outside improves mental and physical health. The benefits of spending time in nature include lowered blood pressure, a strengthened immune system, an energy boost, mood enhancement, and even more cognitive benefits for kiddos.
Stretching elongates our muscles, increases our body’s resilience, and lets our brain know our body is safe. Plus, stretching is an amazing time to incorporate a breathing ritual. Simple morning stretches contribute to our well-being on multiple levels. Energy, you-time, and confidence are among the positive benefits.
Our long-term health is dependent on the small things we do daily. Cultivating achievable habits for yourself, including little moments that make you feel joy, can result in something greater down the road.
Our immune system and general well-being are directly affected by biodiversity. The larger variety of plants you eat and the more you go outside to breathe in different environments, the better.

When in doubt, sleep more and do something nice for yourself.
The cells in our body constantly receive feedback from internal and external signals. Every little thing we do, eat, see, and smell impacts our well-being. It’s the small things that add up.
Offer yourself as much kindness as you would your loved ones.
A good forward fold helps to calm your thoughts, relieve headache tension, can aid digestion, and simply offers a moment of mindfulness. Hold for five to ten complete breaths.
Transforming a mundane daily task, like making coffee or taking a shower, into something ritualistic helps create healthy habits for sustainable well-being. Try adding a short breathing exercise or a moment of mindfulness to something mindless you do every day.

“Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself… In this sense, ‘Easy does it’ is actually a modus operandi. It means, ‘Easy accomplishes it.’” — Julia Cameron, excerpt from The Artist’s Wayy
“Stay in the moment.” — Michael Jordan
“Getting back to basics is self-care for me.” — Alex Elle, as heard on the EXPANDED podcast
“For life is the best thing we have in this existence. And if we should desire to believe in something, it should be a beacon within. This beacon being the sun, sea, and sky, our children, our work, our companions and, more simply put, the embodiment of love.” — Patti Smith
“Nobody sees a flower — really — it is so small it takes time — we haven’t time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” — Georgia O’Keefe
“If there is meaning in the past and in the imagined future, it is captured in the moment. When you have all the time in the world, you can spend it not on going elsewhere, but on being where you are.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer, excerpt from Braiding Sweetgrass
“You will be led to new sources of support as you begin to support yourself.” — Julia Cameron, excerpt from The Artist’s Way

2021 Roundup